In the video above I am using a Hilti DG150 diamond grinder with a vacuum assist to remove carpet adhesive from a concrete sub-floor. The prepared concrete was to be stained and coated so it had to be prepared in such a way as to remove a thin layer of the concrete itself and open the pores to receive the stain.
Often ceramic, porcelain and stone tile can be popped off the floor with little effort or special tools. The degree of removal difficulty is usually dependent on the quality of the installation and setting material (thinset). The tile comes through the manufacturing process and is packaged with a coating of clay dust on the back side. This dust acts as a bond breaker and should be cleaned off prior to setting. Skipping this step is great when it comes to removal but not so much if you desire a floor with longevity. In the video above I’m cleaning the remaining thinset mortar from a concrete sub-floor after the tile was removed.
My Hilti grinder has a specially designed diamond disc that will remove contaminants from wood sub-floors. In the preceding video I’m removing a portland cement based patching compound from a very commonly used wood sub-floor product called oriented strand board (OSB).
Here’s a time lapse video where I clean contaminants from a concrete subfloor.