silent technique for removal of kitchen tile cement?

Question

i recently i pulled the livingroom carpets and kitchen tiles to expose the underlying concrete in my melbourne second level apartment. my intentions is to polish the concrete.

the cement used to hold down the kitchen tiles is still visible and about 3mm raised from the underlying concrete surface.

owing to ongoing problems with my neighbours, using an industrial grinder to remove the cement is not an option, hence this request.

i have tried using hydrochloric acid (33%) with some success but this is an ugly process.

what advice could you offer me here? basically i'm looking for a silent way of removing the cement in preparation for final polishing.

thanks and regards,

the material used to hold down the tiles resembles cement...... i'm also wondering if petrol will help loosen it up?

Answer 1

Could you pay for them to go away for a couple of days?

Answer 2

Even if you're able to remove the cement silently, in order to get your concrete smooth enough to be polished to a shiny finish, you must have them sanded and buffed. We built our home about 2 years ago and did the concrete stain and high gloss finish on the floors. We told the contractors this when they were finishing the slab, and they buffed it. However, the areas right next to the front and back doors where the sander/buffer was unable to get all the way close to the edges due to the frame of the house, the concrete is still more dull and roughly textured no matter how many coats of sealant and high gloss wax we've put on them. Also, if you're planning on staining your concrete, you need to strip it of any type of plumbing glue or paint that got on the concrete before it was overlayed. The stain is merely a reactor with the concrete chemicals and NOT a stain that will cover imperfections (such as a wood stain, for instance). Kemiko stains are wonderful and it's an EASY process for the "do-it-yourselfer". Check out this website for pics. Hope this helps ya. Good luck! :)

http://www.kemiko.com/

Answer 3

I wouldn't recomend using any solvents or petroleum products as this will cause future bonding problems in case you or whoever should buy your place in the future decide to reinstall tile.The best and most silent way is to use a four inch razor scraper and wet the thinset.If it is a cheaper grade thinset it should come up fairly easily if not your in for a workout.The grinder really is the best way and shouldn't take more than a couple hours.

Answer 4

Don't use petrol. It is lethal. The fumes will ignite with explosive force if the come into contact with a spark such as a light switch.
With cement the only completely silent method is acid.

Answer 5

Try a heat gun and cheap 1.5" or 2" wood chisel. This is a really hot messy job but usually works. The wood chisel is stronger than a normal putty knife/scraper and lets you push hard on it, Get a cheap chisel because you will probably throw it away when you are done unless you are good enought to re-shape it.
I also suggest you get a fan to blow the fumes away from you and open all the windows.

Answer 6

I removed linoleum from a kitchen floor, and I used a specific type of gun cleaner. If you can find it, you want gun cleaner or any solvent that contains a compound called 1,1,1 Trichloroethylene.

This chemical is an industrial solvent and it will remove several different types of adhesives.
It smells bad, and you should keep the area well ventilated while using it.