Tile Adhesive reaction to Lino adhesive

Oh I need to know this too, I got most of the glue up but some of it is really difficult to remove

remove with a concrete grinder, shouldnt take long

I'd roll with Heavytrevy.

I always aim for full mechanical clearance as I have trust issues. It's not that I don't believe all the boffins with their chemical formulae, but I figure if there's no residue then there's no problem.

But make sure you use the right grinder.

Drum sander like below will definitely clog up and be next to useless:



Get a concrete grinder but NOT one with blocks like below, as blocks will also clog, then "float" and get anoying:



The grinder needs to have diamond teeth like below:



Depending on the concrete composition and the amount and type of glue, it may still take a bit of time, but let the machine do the work, don't try to rush it. If glue clumps, it doesn't reduce the grinding ability much, and it's very easy to remove clump if it occurs anyway. Just scrape off the front of the tooth. A few sweeps will work better than one long go, as it will grind more effectively as more glue is removed.

A good test of readiness is to dribble a little bit of water on the concrete. If it soaks into the concrete fairly well in a few minutes (i.e spreads like spill on tablecloth), then there should be enough grab for any cement based adhesive. If it still pools in bubbles and doesn't soak in (i.e. spill on plastic sheet), then you're not looking good.

Well laid tiles will be there for decades, if not the rest of your life. It's worth taking a few hours time to get the substrate as clean and raw as possible. Aim for 100% clean, but if you're struggling, about 80% clean will do it. Avoid large unclean patches as they will increase possibility of druminess. i.e. not more than 20% in total under whatever tile size you will be using. If you are using 200x200 tiles, then a 200x200 unclean spot is 0% adhesion for that tile. So 40x40 is maximum recommended in any 200x200 area, preferably not all in one spot.

Hope that makes some sense?

If you are using a grinder sprinkle some dry cement over the floor first it will reduce the tackiness of the old glue

Wow thats some very informative advice thankyou. It makes sense to prep properly to ensure the work lasts. Because this is my very first go at laying tiles, all the information I get is helpful.
I would say that the surface is close to 95% clean. There are just a few small areas where the old lino glue just won't come up. No area is bigger than, say, the circumference of a coke can. If the adhesive will not be bothered, I'll go ahead and lay. But if those little patches have the potential to compromise the adhesive, I will have to grind it off I guess.

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I had a similar problem with the floor i need to tile atm. Took ages with a scaper getting the lino off but still had areas with glue and paper type stuff..

My slab was the smooth finished concrete as well which i hear can give issues as well. (new to tiling as well)

I went over the whole area with a angle grinder with a diamond blade and roughed up the whole area. Took a while but it looks like it should work

Originally Posted by Duff5000

I had a similar problem with the floor i need to tile atm. Took ages with a scaper getting the lino off but still had areas with glue and paper type stuff..

My slab was the smooth finished concrete as well which i hear can give issues as well. (new to tiling as well)

I went over the whole area with a angle grinder with a diamond blade and roughed up the whole area. Took a while but it looks like it should work

As long as it has plenty of clean rough floor to key into it should be fine. Washing of the dust from the grinder
is important.