Removing Bitumen Adhesive From Concrete Floor
Remove as much of the glue as possible from the concrete using a concrete floor grinder.
Removing bitumen adhesive from concrete floor. Common in homes built in the 20th century black mastic was used as an adhesive for ceramic tile linoleum and other flooring materials. Asphalt is some nasty oily stuff. When removing an existing floor bitumen is easily identified as a black substance. However if you do this odds are that some adhesive will be left behind in the process.
When you remove that floor covering to make way for new flooring you may encounter the mastic and wonder whether it is safe to remove the main concern surrounding this question is that black mastic often contains asbestos. Run the grinder over the glue in rows overlapping each row by about 3 inches to ensure complete coverage. Concrete floors aren t the eyesore they used to be. Keep the grinder moving to avoid taking off a layer of the concrete along with the glue.
In the past many types of flooring including semi flexible tiles sheeting and wood floors were installed using bitumen based adhesive. Fortunately there are some good strong concrete cleaners on the market that can cut the oils in asphalt and lift the discoloration from your concrete walkway or drive. Remnants and residues left over aren t pleasant to look at and make it impossible to add new decor or refinish to the concrete.