Removing old tile adhesive - Or replaster over the lot?

[ziggy]

Hi folks,Just removed a load of ceramic tiles from my bathroom and most of the old tile adhesive is still on the walls.Does anyone have any tips on how to make the job of getting this off the plastered walls any easier as pure scraping will take me about a week!Regards

 

[david campbell]

if it's dispersion adhesive(creamy coloured) then try wash it down with water to soften it and scraping it off with a good paint scraper or something similar

 

[CDS]

Try going to your local Wickes store and look in their decorating section. They stock a scraper with a 4" blade on a 2ft long handle - I think they call it a 'super scraper'!

It's about 5-6 quid and 3 quid for a spare pack of blades..... they only last me a couple of jobs and then tend to fall apart but are excellent for removing adhesive and are worth their weight in gold in my opinion...

 

[brian c]

i use a simillar technique to Davy....soak adhesivewith warm water working in small areas then scrape off with a small stanley paint scraper.

 

[DHTiling]

Just removed the plaster board and replace it.....saves time and labour...

 

[Time's Ran Out]

If its that well adhered to the plaster skim over the gaps with the new tile adhesive and get a flat surface.

 

[ziggy]

Thanks folks,Most of the walls are plaster on render so I don't want to hack all of that off.I saw those 4" scrapers in B&Q but opted for a tungsten-carbide one instead!I have already tried vinegar (which I read about elswehere) and that seems to really help and make the scraping less hard work by softening the old adhesive, but I will try the warm water approach as that would be a lot more pleasant to work with!Many thanks for your responses.Ziggy

 

[ziggy]

Folks,Just an update ...Warm water works just as well as vinegar!CDS ... many thanks ... I got one of those 4" scrapers and all I can say is it is a "life saver" ! It has turned the job around for me.If anyone reads this thread in the future ... don't question ... get the 4" scraper. They have them in Wickes, B&Q, Homebase, etc. I got the Stanley one. Warm water and one of those scrapers is all you need!Many thanks everyone.