Remove Tile Mastic From Plaster Walls

The quickest way is to use a commercial mastic remover.

Remove tile mastic from plaster walls.

Scrape the surface of the adhesive with a stiff bristle brush. Start at the far end of the room and work back to the door. Once it becomes soft scrape it off the surface with a putty knife. The two most common wall tile adhesives are thinset and mastic.

Apply a thin layer of mastic remover. If you re only trying to replace 1 2 tiles because they re cracked use masking tape or duct tape to tape off the tiles you want to remove. Patch any holes or cracks with spackling compound and sand the entire surface with medium grit sandpaper. Rub your plaster walls for days with a wet sponge and nothing happens except for you getting blisters and sore muscles.

Dissolve the tile adhesive which is also called mastic. Then tap the tiles with a chisel starting in the middle and working your way out. 4 mix a batch of joint. This adhesive is a portland cement product commonly used in wall and floor tiles.

Follow the directions on the bottle for application. If any adhesive gets stuck to the brush remove it by hand and continue until no more adhesive remains on the wall. Once you get some of the tile pulled away use your chisel to get behind the tile and tap it sideways to remove the rest. Vacuum to remove dust.

Usually the remover is applied to the remaining clumps of adhesive with a rag brush or sponge then left to sit for a few minutes. Plaster is waterproof and it bonds tenaciously to just about anything. Sand the walls with sanding block to smooth it out lightly and remove any traces of mastic. Remove any remaining dust oils and grease from the wall with tsp tri sodium phosphate or an ammonia based cleanser.

If you are applying it to mastic that is above wood flooring use rags instead. Once it s dried it s water resistant but brittle in strength. Load the mastic remover into a sprayer if possible or apply it to the top of the mastic with a mop. When trying to remove tile glue mastic soak a cloth in water and lay it over the compound.

Wipe the walls down and survey the area for any cracks holes or uneven areas. Scrape the wall to remove any texture and to create a flat surface. Thinset is a cement based product and mastic resembles thick glue. Removing thin set mortar.