Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 26, 1999 11:14am | #1

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   What you have is "cutback", the residual adhesive left from vinyl tile installations. You must remove this before installing tile with thinset. The thinset will not bond to this solvent based product--no matter how old the adhesive. Mastic? for a floor, over a slab? Wrong.

   Chipping/scraping seems to be the best method for removal. Sanding is the second best, but be careful about what you are putting into the air here. As the floor is probably not too large, you can do this by hand, without having to rent some chipper or sander.

   DO NOT use any solvent to remove this stuff. You'll only smear it around and you'll have a mess to boot.

   Good luck (I feel your pain)

2. 
   Sheldon_McLaughlin | Feb 26, 1999 10:45pm | #2

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   I have EXACTLY the same problem with 50 year old vinyl tile and old adhesive in my kitchen. The tile scrapes up easily as well as some of the adhesive. But I have to remove every speck of remaining black adhesive since I want to save the wood floor. Strippers (methelyne [spelling?] chloride type) are only marginally effective. Hand scraping would literally be dozens of hours and wouldn't get all of it. Sanding belts gum up instantly when they contact the adhesive. The least painful solution I found was to use a 4" hand grinder and a masonry grinding disc to remove the remaining adhesive since the disc is still effective if it gums up. Problems: I'm leaving grinder marks on the floor that I'll have to remove with heavy sanding, and the 10000 RPM grinder throws sanding dust all over. And wasn't asbestos a common additive to tiles and adhesives back then?

3. 
   Guest_ | Feb 27, 1999 04:37am | #3

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   Check with one of the membrane manufactures like Nobleseal. Find out what kind of adhesive they recommend and glue down an isolation or anti-fracture membrane, then thinset on top of that.
   greg

4. 
   Creasone_Guy | Feb 27, 1999 06:06am | #4

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   Thanks for the imput guys.
   Perhaps I didn't stress that this is a budget job.
   Any how I did some checking and rather than useing an all purpose thinset, which uses water.
   I went to an appoxy based additive thinset. The manufaturer claims that it is 2 1/2 times stronger than water based thinsets.
   So with this, I layer one tile in the room.
   It stuck like shit to a babies blanket.
   With having this kind of a result, I proceeded with the job.

   Thanks Again!

1. 
   shake | Sep 15, 2005 05:38pm | #8

   Creasone Guy- 

   If you are still checking this forum I am womdering how the epoxy based thinset held up, since iI have the same problem you had in 1999.  alot of old mastic that i am having problems getting up and i need to lay cermaic tile in that area. 

   thanks david

5. 
   Guest_ | Feb 27, 1999 06:19am | #5

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   GregoryJ does make a point which I forgot. There are mfg. out there that have materials formulated for this type of problem. Check with your tile house to see what product you should use. Basically, they encapsulate the old adhesive, thereby providing a new, compatable surface to bond thinset to.

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 27, 1999 08:19am | #7

   *Ardex makes a self-leveling compound that can be put down over cut back (after some prep.).As far as removeing it, while tedius, a heat gun softens it to where it can be easily scraped up, then solvent can be used on the film that is left. Sanding will get the last of it, but depending on how porous the wood is, it may take a lot.

6. 
   Creasone_Guy | Feb 27, 1999 08:19am | #6

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   We are going to lay ceramic tile in a laundry room with that old black 12x12 tile adhesive.
   Can I lay the new ceramic tile thinset over this old black shit?
   Should it be removed first?
   Would a latex mastic be better

7. 
   xxPaulCPxx | Sep 15, 2005 07:39pm | #9

   One thing I would be concerned with is asbestos in that material. 

   Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA

   Also a CRX fanatic!