Concrete floor prep for ceramic tile

[Padeye]

After months of stretching TheLadyLion's patience I'm finally preparing to retile the downstaiars bathroom. It will be ceramic tile on concrete and I'm a bit concerned about the adhesive from the old vinyl flooring. I can scrape off the bulk of it but won't be able to completely remove it from the concrete. Will it intefere with the mastic for the certamic tile.

On a related note the little bathroom wasn't so bad but I'm dreading the kitchen area. How can I speed up this job. Heat?

[Padeye]

BTT anyone?

[Philster]

Padeye, on a floor you are looking at using a thinset mortar, not a 'mastic' in the white sticky wall tile sense. Mortar is usually better at dealing with setting on old vinyl adhesive if it's just here and there, but if it is generally all over, you'll need to strip it.

Local Home store should have a product to help and you can provide the elbow grease.

I'd get rid of 95% of it before I'd sleep peacefully.

[Phlosphr]

Yep I agree with Philster - Get rid of as much as you can before you place the mortar. Do you have a heat gun? If not Home Depot will have them for $12. Good ones too. They should come with different bits nozzles. Once has a scraper that heats up with the hot air nicely. Get as much up as you can. Also what kind of tile are you using?

[Philster]

Oh, you can skim coat the residue instead of stripping it with a product like this:

http://www.custombuildingproducts.com/onlyproducts/speedfinish.htm

the short of the story is to coat the adhesive or get rid of it. skim coat might be easiest.

[Padeye]

4" square glazed ceramic tile. This is an incredibly small space, only about 15 sq feet but my real concern is the kitchen and dining area which are covered in the same vinyl flooring. I'll get a heavy duty heat gun and see how that goes.