Adhesive remover for Concrete

[TimT]

Best way would be to shot blast slab, which would remove the adhesive and the laitance (top layer of concrete). This requires specialized equipment which is not easily available for a homeowner to rent..

Hiring a contractor who has the equipment will be quite expensive, as shot blasters make there money on square foot/day... you probably have a tiny slab..it will cost a fortune to have a blaster come to your house

I'd buy the smallest size of any of the chemicals/products mentioned, and test and see which one works best... The go with that..

[javadog]

I'd strongly suggest you try to get most of it up with a scraper. It's fast and often you can get it all up. The adhesive removers will make a bigger mess and you'll get some adhesive, and god knows what, into the pores of the concrete. That isn't what you want under new paint.

JR

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by wcc

How many sqft does that 1 gallon cover? I'm leaning towards this method. I'll probably put it on thick and not cover it, like Tim mentioned.

I don't remember the coverage, but the instructions is to cover with plastic.
Seems like 2-300 ft per gallon. ( i'm guessing )
It's super-easy.
You plop out the stripper onto the floor and cover with the plastic. You can spread it around from above. ( the dry side )

Work in 3 foot wide swatches.
Cut the plastic first, roll it back up and go for it!



KT

[trekkor]

Best way would be to shot blast slab

Yes, indeed!

How many square feet is your project?


KT

[wcc]

Originally Posted by trekkor

Yes, indeed!

How many square feet is your project?


KT

It's only about 350sqft. Maybe I should see how much this shot blast costs before I spend the time and energy. May be worth it?? Do you guys know what this runs roughly?

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by wcc

It's only about 350sqft. Maybe I should see how much this shot blast costs before I spend the time and energy. May be worth it?? Do you guys know what this runs roughly?

Seems like that would make a mess inside your house?

[javadog]

Originally Posted by wcc

It's only about 350sqft. Maybe I should see how much this shot blast costs before I spend the time and energy. May be worth it?? Do you guys know what this runs roughly?

It's overkill, if all you are trying to do is get the glue off. If you want to do it to promote adhesion of the new paint, then it's a good idea. I'm in a different end of the country than you, so what it costs here may be quite a bit different but here it would cost the better part of a grand, to do it right.

Try a scraper to see how well the glue is stuck, and how "dry" it is. If it's too hard to scrape, or it is still pretty tacky, call a flooring company that does commercial work and get an estimate for them to scrape it off and sand the floor for you. With their equipment, it's less than an hour's work.

JR

[TimT]

Seems like that would make a mess inside your house?

Not really, most shot blasting set ups are equipped with a dust collection system, which is a high cfm vacuum and filters. You do get some stray shot escaping and some dust emissions it the rig crosses uneven surfaces..

Since the area to be prepared is only 350 sf.. even some of the smaller shot blast units could barely maneuver in that space... And getting a contractor to come and mobilize his equipment for such a small space would cost beau coup dinero..

We use shot blast subcontractor to prep thousands of square feet pf bridge decks for overlays.....

It is the best method for surface prep if you have huge areas...and its the best if have a small area.. maybe not the most economical in that instance...

[trekkor]

The shot blaster we used was very maneuverable: Think two large shop vacs connected together.

We only used it once to remove cutback asphalt adhesive over slab that had radiant heat.

Check with any number of rental outlets. They will have hourly or daily fees. Not expensive.
Be aware:
1. The blaster will not get in tight areas or close along walls.
2. If you sit in one place for too long with in blasting you will start to bore a hole in the slab.

Those 'flakes' they broadcast into epoxy garage floors aren't just for decoration!
They cover up all the funk they create.


The key to a good mechanical bond is the porosity of the surface you intend to apply to.

Like I said, rinse several times after using the adhesive stripper.
Then let it dry. Take a wet sponge and wipe over a test area. If it turns 'dark', water is penetrating. Your paint will too!

This is also good test to see if your grout/stone sealer is still effective. If it doesn't turn dark, or better yet, the water beads up, it's still working.


Get to work!

It will take you about six hours... and less beers!


KT