Ceramic tiles use different types of adhesives to stay glued to the floor. Sometimes removing these adhesives can be quite difficult, so much so as to make you lose your head after several failed attempts. So you need to learn how to remove ceramic tile adhesive from concrete floor.
And if you really want to remove ceramic tiles from your home by yourself, surely you need to learn this. Today you’ll know how to remove ceramic tile adhesive from floors like a pro.
What is Ceramic Tile Adhesive?
Ceramic tile adhesives are substances used to keep ceramic tails glued to a certain surface. There’s a wide variety of organic and inorganic adhesives on the market, but the most common are:
- Mortar
- Mastic
Mortar is a mixture of sand, cement and water commonly used to cover ceilings, walls and floors. Also, it’s used to glue tiles and similar coatings.
Mortar is especially resistant under compression, which makes it the best floor adhesive. When dried, the mortar can reach a high resistance, especially if the mixture has high cement content.
Mortar, although not waterproof, doesn’t deform or weaken in the presence of water. This makes it the most recommended glue for bathroom floors.
Mastic is a soft and sticky compound used as tile adhesive. In past, its main ingredients were organic resins. Because of this, mastic tended to dry out over time and lost its resistance.
To correct this problem, mastic is currently manufactured with inorganic compounds, including calcium carbonate and others. This adhesive, although popular, has many disadvantages compared to mortar.
For example, in the presence of water it tends to soften. For this reason, this product isn’t suitable for too humid spaces such as showers or swimming pools. Mastic is a very low resistance product, so it can easily deform.
Step by Step Guide of How to Remove Ceramic Tile Adhesive From Concrete Floor
Fortunately, removing ceramic tile adhesive isn’t the hardest job in the world. You also don’t need power tools to do the job. Depending on the adhesive used, the procedures can change a lot.
In both cases you need to use the necessary safety equipment to prevent accidents. Once you guarantee security, you must follow these steps:
Mortar
Because it’s a very thin layer, mortar is easy to remove. However, large pieces could cause you problems. In any case, follow these tips:
Choose the Right Tools
To remove mortar adhesive, you don’t need tools that are too complicated. In fact, you only need these two:
- Hammer
- Chisel
Time to Work
Mortar adhesive usually forms a thin layer on the rustic concrete floor. Most of the time, it usually comes out easily with slight demolition hammer and chisel blows. However, some large pieces may be difficult to remove.
If that happens, place the tip of the chisel at 45º on the horizontal line between the mortar piece and the rustic floor. Then hit hard several times until the piece takes off. Then, use the chisel and hammer to divide it into smaller pieces.
Mastic
In theory, mastic shouldn’t be a problem. However, if several decades have passed, it may have hardened and stuck too much to the surface. If that happens, do this:
Search for the Things You Need
To start, make sure you have the following at hand:
- Microfiber towel
- Spatula
Use A Damp Cloth
Soak a dry microfiber cloth in warm water. Place the cloth on the hardened mastic and leave on for several hours. The main purpose of this step is to rehydrate the mastic to make it more manageable.
Stir with A Spatula
After absorbing some of the moisture from the cloth, the mastic can be easily removed using a spatula.
Conclusion
By following these useful tips, you can remove the hardest adhesive from any surface with very little effort. By applying logic, you can find simple solutions to complex problems.
Make sure you have all the necessary materials nearby to avoid delays. Follow the procedure carefully to get the expected results.
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