Our kitchen is being stripped out and refitted. In preparation for this I'm currently hacking the ceramic tiles from the wall. Whoever fitted them used large quantities of glue.
What's the best way of removing tile glue? Soften it with a steam-stripper or just chisel it off? (I don't fancy sanding it due to the mess it will make. (We're still using the kitchen at the moment. The start of camping out is in March.)
I fear that any attempt to steam it off could result in more mess than sanding. Best to chisel it off and make good ready for the new tiles.
Assuming the tilers did not add a waterproofing agent to the tile cement, it goes all gloopy if you can get it wet enough. I've never tried using a steamer. My only experience is with resurrecting old tiles. I've left those in a bucket of water for a couple of days, and then the cement is so soft you can just use a scraper to remove it. It may well not be possible to get the tile cement wet enough if it is on a wall. Why not try a steamer and report back?
If it is indeed 'glue' the mess of sticky crud could be a mare to shift. A steamer may well soften standard tile adhesive but at a guess the time it would take would mean the plaster would soften too resulting in large pieces coming away?
IME the best tool is a 4" paint scraper. Yes, the blade is a bit too bendy, but it's thin enough to get right behind the tile, which a bolster or chisel can't. You develop the knack of hitting it with a hammer after a while :)
Yes that's exactly what I did to strip my bathroom some years ago.
Glue?
If they have used glue, IE impact adhesive or gripfast etc, then it will probably come off easiest with a sharp paint scraper. If it's tile adhesive, then this can sometimes be softened with water and scraped off, although depending on how hard/soft the plaster is underneath, there may be some slight damage, but if it's getting re-tiled then it's no biggy.
Angle grinder. Very dusty job though.
I'd bite the bullet, hack it all off and if its plaster board replace and re skim.
Or if there is space leave it and simply reskim anyway.
IME tile cement is pretty much like plaster anyway.
try an electric plane with a gash old blade.
Still need to reskim tho
If its hard & doesnt come off ok, just tile over the lumps using dot & dab.
NT
:)
Thanks all. I'm just going to keep hacking at it. The paint scraper is a good idea but getting the tiles off isn't the problem. They have used tile adhesive. Large chunks of plaster are coming away as I go along leaving patches of bare brick so it's going to need a complete recovering. Not all of it will be tiled. Joy!
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