Replies

1. 
   nkhandyman | Apr 27, 2005 02:56am | #1

   I have had sucess with letting the tiles soak in acetone overnight. A little scrapping and a rinse in fresh water and they look like new.

2. 
   nikkiwood | Apr 27, 2005 03:00am | #2

   Any paint or flooring outlet will sell adhesive remover. Have you tried that?

   I've had pretty good luck using that kind of stuff for mastic, which I assume is what you have here. You work it a lot like paint stripper.

   Sometimes a heat gun will soften it up enough to scrape off.

   "I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
   -- Bertrand Russell

   
   

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   Edited 4/26/2005 9:23 pm ET by nikkiwood

3. 
   DanH | Apr 27, 2005 04:11am | #3

   Try a hot air gun or torch.

   Try paint remover.

   Try tossing the tile into the trash and buying all new.

   Lye will likely damage the tile.

4. 
   BruceT999 | Apr 27, 2005 10:06am | #4

   I'm with Paul on the solvent idea.  I doubt that boiling NaOH would damage your tiles, but why would you even consider working with anything so dangerous?  Talk about scary stuff!  Industrial users need full rubber suit, rubber gloves and a helmet with splash hood to work even with cold caustic.

   Heating with a torch is likely to crack the tiles or damage their glaze.

   An organic glue will be soluble in either ketones, like acetone and  MEK, or aromatic solvents like xylene or toluene.  A wire brush may help also.

   (Soak them overnight in a bucket, preferably right next to the water heater pilot light so the ensuing explosion will disperse the waste materials as widely as possible)

   BruceT