"Tim Fischer" wrote in
:

Hi all,

We're just about to start a small tile job (45 sq ft bathroom). Last
night we tore up the ugly vinyl tile floor. It came up pretty easy
with a heat gun. The concrete slab underneath is in great condtion,
but is noticably "tacky" from the vinyl tile adhesive. We're not
talking globs of adhesive or anything, in fact it isn't really visible
at all, except for a little bit of gloss here an there and some other
discoloration of the concrete. But nothing like big black or
yellow/gold blobs of adhesive like I've seen elsewhere.

So my question -- will my thinset stick to this, or should I attempt
some sort of chemical strip? We used some household cleaner (409) and
a wire brush, then mopped with a strong floor-cleaner solution, and
that helped a little, but it's still quite tacky when you feel it or
walk on it.

I'm guessing the original floor is circa mid-80's if that matters.

Thanks much for your help -- I'd apprecate any replies as we hope to
do some work on it yet tonight.

-Tim




If the adhesive becomes an issue, a possible option is to put 1/4" cement
board over it? Gives you a fresh start. Not sure if this raises hell with
your fixtures and floor transitions.

But by now you are probably into trying all kinds of solvents and are
high as a kite! :-)