Old tile adhesive

[doublebonus]

What is a good way to test if the old adhesive thats left after old tile removed is water soluable?

[rgfloor]

Put some water on it!!

[barrycarlton]

Maybe I'm being to simplistic, but, water soluable indicates that it breaks down or is reactivated with water. So if it were to get damp, wet, exposed to moisture, it would break down, soften, etc.
So dampen it, maybe with a dampened rag, let it set for a short period of time and see if it is reactivated, or softened.
Rest assured, if I am misinformed the others here will set us both straight.

barry

[barrycarlton]

RG said concisely what I wanted to say.

barry

[Demonseed]

dang it, I was waiting for some scientific way to figure this one out...Water meters, plastic wrap, poking holes in things, you know like an Alton Brown type explaination, and instead, it is pour water on it..theres gotta be a harder way to do this..

[rgfloor]

That's why they pay inspectors those big bucks, because we know all the secret tricks! Now that I have told you how to do it I probably will get kicked around by the other inspectors for revealing super secret knowledge.

But it has to be special water!! Let's see de-mineralized, super ionized, heavy type water sold only in bottles of 3.4 oz. or less and kept in a special 1 qt plastic Ziploc baggie. So ya see Demonseed there really is more to it that what it appears!

Oh!. I almost forgot it needs to be applied with the sterilized Australian cotton swab found only in Nieman-Marcus stores, or is that Wallyworld?
Then you gently scrape the residue with a French manicured fingernail and lick the residue to see if it has softened!!

There, Do you feel better now??

[Peter Kodner]

Roger, the bulls eye to wear on your back is in the mail...

[Bud Cline]

OK doublebonus, let's see if we can fix this.

First of all more information would be helpfull. The truth is not too many tile adhesives would be water soluable at the end of their life.

You don't say if this is vinyl tile or ceramic tile or what. So no one can offer you any help if you can't elaborate some.

Also......what is it you are trying to do?

[Demonseed]

Sterility is guaranteed until the product is opened (Johnson and Johnson Band aids) is the same true for Australian cotton swabs?

Talk about an easy customer service job.."the band aid isn't sterile".."How do you know?"..."I opened it".."Sir, once you open it, you are on your own"

[barrycarlton]

Generally speaking you will not find water soluable tile adhesives.

barry

[Peter Kodner]

Old time linoleum paste... Leaves a stain but was (is) water soluble.
We always kept it on hand for sticking sticking hair/jute pad. cheap and held that pad well.

[barrycarlton]

I said 'generally speaking' (this meant paste)

but I'm not that old
We used the white.

barry

[doublebonus]

I have some adhesive left after scraping. I want to find out if it will come up after putting a leveler over top of it , or it's bonded solid enough to go over it.
It's old vinyl tile adhesive.

[Floorguy]

Are you serious??


The adhesive residue must go. At least down to what is left in the capilaries, before you prime.

[doublebonus]

That is what I meant. I can get the stuff thats down in where I can't scrape it. My plan was to get off everything I can get to. I'm going to scrape and then sand.