by Ethan Schneider
Removal of carpet glue or tile mastic is a very important step in the installation process. Failure to remove glues and mastics from the surface may cause
de-lamination or wicking of the glue back through the product once the sealer is applied.
Consider removal of either glue or mastic is going to require more time and resources and therefore must be accounted for when you price the job.
Whether you are dealing with carpet glue or tile mastic, it must be removed before CTI products can be applied. Often times removal of mastics is either over looked or under estimated.
The first step when pricing a job that involves mastic removal is to examine the glue underneath to determine the state of the glue whether it is old and brittle or soft and elastic. If the mastic is old and brittle mechanically abrading with a diamond grinding wheel will usually remove it. However, if the mastic is soft or gummy then using a chemical stripper may be the method of choice.
Chemical strippers such as Strip All, Dad's, Strip Ease, etc. are recommended to first eliminate all the surface glue. After following the manufacturers application instructions, scrape off as much of the glue or mastic as possible and then allow the surface to dry. Once this is done, mechanically abrade the surface to remove the remaining mastic from the pores of the concrete using a diamond cup wheel.
Some customers may object to the use of toxic chemicals. There are alternative "green" products such as BEAN-e-doo Mastic Remover from Franmar Corporation.
Citrus King mastic remover
Another very useful tool for mastic removal are ZEC™ Silicone Carbide Grinding Wheels. These grinding wheels are designed to remove adhesives, paint, glue, mastics, epoxies, etc. from concrete surfaces without loading the disc or melting the coating.
Swirl-Off grinding wheel Removes Paint, Rust, Scale, and other hard coatings.
The first step when pricing a job that involves mastic removal is to examine the glue underneath to determine the state of the glue whether it is old and brittle or soft and elastic. If the mastic is old and brittle mechanically abrading with a diamond grinding wheel will usually remove it. However, if the mastic is soft or gummy then using a chemical stripper may be the method of choice. more
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