Easier way to remove floor tile adhesive
tuolumne93
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hello,
My wife and I are doing some remodeling to our home. Our foyer had ceramic (I believe) tile that I removed using a sledgehammer. The tile came off fine but now there is a layer of the adhesive left…it has the trowel patterns and everything. I am currently removing it with a hammer and chisel. Is there a better and/or faster way of doing this? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Replies
there are several threads on this...
here's one..
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=73981.1
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
If it is thinset mortar then it should be pretty soft and scrape off with sharp claw hammer. The remainder can be removed with a scraper. If it is mastic then a disc grinder with 40 grit paper might work. If it gums up too quickly then experiment with different grinding discs. Use a dust mask , ear protection and eye protection.
If it is mastic then there are adhesive removers. Also heat and cold can be used. What do you have.
Napalm...
"All right. You've covered your #### now."
-- George W. Bush to the CIA briefer who on Aug 6, 2001 warned him about an imminent Bin Laden strike
War is hell, Shrub Lied to get us into war, so he is the devil.
Repeal article XXII, re-elect Shrub & Co.
If we make it thru twelve years of this $HIT we can survive anything!!!
IMERC gave you a GOOD link and I hope you read it...
I ended up buying a BOSCH SDS plus hammer drill and using the VIPER bit to chisel out the remaining thinset/mortar and whatnot (NO telling and no consistency to what my houses' constructor used - had various things I found under the tile here and had to contend with).
Got up 99% quickly with the hammer drill...and you could probably rent one of these at a local box store for a day's use in your foyer (or weekend, if your foyer is huge).
If/when you get to the "grind off the residual" and even if you rent/buy and use a hammer drill - please don't make the same mistake I did and forget to isolate your workspace from adjoining rooms. That dang dust/particles went airborne everywhere and at least I had a/c off at the time and didn't suck it into my system...
Use zipwalls (google that) or make your own makeshift ones with painter's tape and visqueen to isolate the workspace; or thumbtack/staple the visqueen sheets over door openings by pressing the tacks thru the visqueen into top horiz edge of the horizontal trim over the door (so holes they make are not readily viewed, and not marring the walls, you can go back and fill/paint them over later)...
Good luck with your project!
DUM SPIRO SPERO: "While I breathe I hope"