Remove Old Thinset From Concrete Floor

Remove a section of the thinset using the hammer.

Remove old thinset from concrete floor.

Thinset is used to install tile to concrete while adhesives and epoxies are used to install tile to wood subfloors. As usual i googled for answers on what to do for this next. This was difficult and dusty but it was definitely a diy able task. Today we learn how to take thinset off the floor with a nifty contraption i made.

Leave it for an hour then hold a sharp putty knife at a 45 degree angle and hammer the back with a hand maul to break up the thinset. Which meant removing tile and thinset from the concrete foundation. Since i m putting down new large sized floor tiles getting the old tiles off was just the first step. 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.

To prevent the tiles from cracking the floor also needs to be level. Yet when you need to remove it it can be a nightmare. But if you pull up old tiles it may be something you will have to contend with. The only negative to using the maintainer is that it created a huge amount of sand like dust on the floor.

Put on protective eye wear. It was a little sad to remove the last one from it s place. After the old tiles were removed there were still large areas of thinset stuck to the concrete that were obviously not level. The thinset on the floor.

Mortar is a cement based paste that is used for binding building materials like bricks tiles and stones. To remove thinset start by pouring boiling water over the thinset to weaken the material. Today we learn how to take thinset off the floor with a nifty contraption i made. I originally thought the task of removing tiles from concrete was a dirty thankless job but now that i ve moved onto separating the thin set from the concrete i have a renewed respect for the folks who do this sort of work for a living.

If you re unable to remove all of it smooth out the surface with an angle grinder and a diamond grinding wheel. And it s great for creating durable surfaces.