Getting old tile adhesive off tiles

[Mickey]

Has anyone got any ideas how to get the adhesive off old tiles? Prefer tried and tested methods, not.."you might do it with", no offence intended like :-).

Thank You

[Tony Bryer]

Try soaking overnight - won't work with genuinely waterproof adhesive of course.

[Lobster]

This has come up here before; IIRC the answer depends on the type of adhesive?? Try searching the newsgroup archives via Google.

David

[ben]

Does it matter? new ideas are valuable regardless of the posting, IMHO.

Depending on the size of your tiles, buy/borrow a wallpaper steamer and fit as many tiles as possible on a flat surface with tile adhesive uppermost fit steamer over tiles and leave for a couple of minutes i.e about 2/3 should do then scrape of adhesive.

[Lobster]

Wasn't meant to be a dig, I was just pointing the OP at the source of the answer to his question (cos I don't have the time or inclination to do the search myself...)

David

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If it's the normal white stuff sold ready to use, simply put the tiles in a bucket of water to soak for a few hours. It will fall off. Cement based adhesive - haven't a clue. ;-)

[Ian Stirling]

I found putting them in an oven, and heating to ~1000C worked well. (Intended to reflow the glaze over cracks, which worked)

[Lobster]

Does that just work with plain tiles? Would you end up with a muddy merged mess if you tried it with patterned ones?

David

[Ian Stirling]

I don't think so, after all, it doesn't happen when they are fired.

However, the temperature may well be more critical, and some experimentation may be needed. It is quite possible to do this, if you have a controllable kiln, but time consuming. Simply ramp up to say 600C, hold for half an hour, and ramp back down. Check if cracks have fused. If not, repeat with the temperature 20C higher.

These were tiles that had been in situ for maybe 15 years, cracked. The cracks have not totally dissapeared, but the glaze has melded over them, so that instead of being fine black lines, they are slight depressions in the glaze. I wouldn't have bothered, if I diddn't have the kiln already - it was more of a "I wonder if this will work", than a practical measure - as they were plain white tiles, and a box of 10 would have been plenty to replace the tiled area.

[Stuart Noble]

Try soaking the tiles in a bucket of boiling water with some sugar soap or similar. The waterproof adhesive takes slightly longer to dissolve!

[Owain]

But my oven doesn't go up to Regulo 40

Owain

[Ian Stirling]

Small kilns can actually be quite cheap. And handy for all sorts of tasks. Also DIY-able for practically nothing.

[Keith]

In message , Mickey writes

Angle grinder & coarse sanding disk. (Messy, very quick, clamp the tile!) (I had to replace some removed to fit new window surround, none left at the tile warehouse where I bought the originals)

[ben]

What if the OP has 30/40 tiles or more? hardly going to be quick is it. :-)

[Keith]

Nobut, if he's only got a couple, it'll be a lot quicker than soaking overnight.

See your :-), raise you a :-P

[The Natural Philosopher]

I can't believe that no one has actually come up with the correct answer.

Soak them in a bucket or plastic tank full of brick acid.

When they stop fizzing, wash them.

End of story.

If some is still left, throw brick acid away and get some more.

[Lobster]

I'm guessing that's just for cement-based adhesive, rather than, erm, adhesive-based adhesive? Or will that work for anything?

David

[Stuart Noble]

Because it isn't the "correct" answer.

No, it isn't "end of story". Don't be so bloody dogmatic. Acid does not attack pva or acrylic which most tile adhesives are based on and, while it may work by action on the filler, it's hardly an elegant solution given that hot water and detergent works just fine. I know this because I always re-use adhesive tubs and often the residue is rock hard by the time I get round to cleaning them. Hydrochloric acid is dangerous and unpleasant to use. Any kind of scrubbing in your bucket flicks tiny splashes everywhere. Don't wear your 501s

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Oh, I dunno. Do a search on Ebay for 'bleachers' and see how much they cost. ;-)