But if you pull up old tiles it may be something you will have to contend with.
Removing thinset mortar from concrete floor.
Which meant removing tile and thinset from the concrete foundation.
Once dry the mortar turns into a material that s as hard as concrete.
It is usually used to attach tile to cement.
Thank goodness for my good friend chelsey who loves doing demo and is willing to get dirty and work hard in exchange for a good meal cooked by chef powell.
After the old tiles were removed there were still large areas of thinset stuck to the concrete that were obviously not level.
If the subfloor is concrete you can take off the thinset with a floor maintainer and a concrete coating removal tool such as a diamabrush disk.
Today we learn how to take thinset off the floor with a nifty contraption i made.
Removing mortar from concrete slab floor can be tricky.
Thinset is used to install tile to concrete while adhesives and epoxies are used to install tile to wood subfloors.
However if the subfloor is plywood you ll probably have better luck with a hammer drill or demolition hammer with a scraper tool attached.
I did tons of research online and read a bunch of forums and everything i read said to rent a chipping hammer with a scraper attachment so thats exactly what we did.
And it s great for creating durable surfaces.
Yet when you need to remove it it can be a nightmare.
To prevent the tiles from cracking the floor also needs to be level.
The mortar used to install ceramic tiles creates a fast and strong bond between the tiles and the installation surface.
Thinset is an adhesive mortar made of cement fine sand and a water retaining agent.
Mortar is a cement based paste that is used for binding building materials like bricks tiles and stones.
Since i m putting down new large sized floor tiles getting the old tiles off was just the first step.
The thinset on the floor.
Put on protective eye wear.
Remove a section of the thinset using the hammer.