M-i-l has a Stove fire in the lounge - free standing with a flue to the external. At the rear of the fire are some slate like tiles and I have no idea what adhesive has been used to fix them to the plaster wall.
I know I can remove "wall tile adhesive" using gentle steaming to soften it up and scrape if off. However, does anyone know if it's usual to use wall tile adhesive for the tiled area to the rear of a fire or is something more suited to the heat generated? If so does anyone know a way of removing it please?
Acetone?
Thank you
AiY(D)
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Tiles Stuck to Plaster Wall - Rear of Stove Fire
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Tiles Stuck to Plaster Wall - Rear of Stove Fire
In my experience most of the heat resistant tile adhesives are cement based similar to rapid set cement. They don't soften when wet.
I would suggest using a scraper to get behind it, it can be hard work. Any that is left after a first going over with that will probably need attacking with a bolster and club hammer. I used to keep an old chisel for the really hard to remove bits, it's sharper than a bolster and not as wide so you can get more force on a small area. It can be tedious and time consuming.
I may be out of date ,something new might have come out since I did that type of work but then again any adhesive you want to remove was probably not applied recently. I doubt solvents will have any impact but there is no harm in trying it on a small area.
I would suggest using a scraper to get behind it, it can be hard work. Any that is left after a first going over with that will probably need attacking with a bolster and club hammer. I used to keep an old chisel for the really hard to remove bits, it's sharper than a bolster and not as wide so you can get more force on a small area. It can be tedious and time consuming.
I may be out of date ,something new might have come out since I did that type of work but then again any adhesive you want to remove was probably not applied recently. I doubt solvents will have any impact but there is no harm in trying it on a small area.
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: Tiles Stuck to Plaster Wall - Rear of Stove Fire
If it is cement based, I suggest the simplest way of removing the tiles and hopefully most of the cement would be an SDS drill with a broad flat chisel attachment.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Tiles Stuck to Plaster Wall - Rear of Stove Fire
I've had to remove a couple of dozen glazed tiles that had been fixed with exterior tile cement (as used, for example, in swimming pools). Probably not exactly the same as heat-proof cement, but by gosh, it had set diamond-hard, and its adhesive powers were extraordinary.
I tried wielding an angle grinder on the tiles, but I might as well not have bothered beyond getting the first chisel in behind the tiles. (Knackered but sharp wood chisel in my case, not a masonry bolster.) They defied my hopeful attempts to get them to crack away all in one piece, but broke into small pieces, they were that well glued down.
That's the bad news. The good news was that the whole lot were off in a couple of hours, and a light touch with the diamond wheel dealt with any stragglers. Helluva lot of glass splinters, though. Gloves and goggles a must!
BJ
I tried wielding an angle grinder on the tiles, but I might as well not have bothered beyond getting the first chisel in behind the tiles. (Knackered but sharp wood chisel in my case, not a masonry bolster.) They defied my hopeful attempts to get them to crack away all in one piece, but broke into small pieces, they were that well glued down.
That's the bad news. The good news was that the whole lot were off in a couple of hours, and a light touch with the diamond wheel dealt with any stragglers. Helluva lot of glass splinters, though. Gloves and goggles a must!
BJ
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- Lemon Half
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Re: Tiles Stuck to Plaster Wall - Rear of Stove Fire
BTW, I forgot to ask. How old's the house? I've encountered Victorian/Edwardian plaster that was closer to hard cement - they used it in heat-sensitive locations, I think, and a good thing too, considering that there would have been wooden laths buried down there in the plaster. (It was passably effective against penetrating damp, too.)
Ruddy hard stuff, though. And ours had a strange sulphurous smell as it struck sparks off my chisel! (Did I mention that it was hard? )
BJ
Ruddy hard stuff, though. And ours had a strange sulphurous smell as it struck sparks off my chisel! (Did I mention that it was hard? )
BJ
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