Removing Bitumen From Concrete Floor

Asphalt is some nasty oily stuff.

Removing bitumen from concrete floor. Layer of latex thin set mortar over the floor. Trowel to apply a 1 8 in. Then use the flat side of a 12 in. Angle grinders fitted with disks or brushes make a serious mess and the smell lingers.

Tar is probably the last substance you d expect to come up easily from any surface let alone concrete but you re about to be pleasantly surprised. When removing an existing floor bitumen is easily identified as a black substance that is firmly adhered to the screed remaining behind after the floor covering is removed. Concrete floors aren t the eyesore they used to be. Remnants and residues left over aren t pleasant to look at and make it impossible to add new decor or refinish to the concrete.

Before you begin make sure you read the label directions and wear protective gear including. However if you do this odds are that some adhesive will be left behind in the process. And if the people applying it aren t careful it can get onto concrete and create an unsightly difficult stain. You can leave bits of adhesive up to 1 8 in.

The floor does not have a screeded surface but is power floated to a smoothish albeit uneven finish the reason for removing the bitumen is so i can re level the. Job as it takes a fine top layer of the concrete finish off but it s tedious and hurts. A word of advice. 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.

If you can t get it all don t worry. You can achieve professional results with relative ease by following this advice for cleaning virtually any mess from concrete.