Lenht1951 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Hope someone out there can help. Currently renovating house in Deux Sevres in which the previous owner covered the ceilings with polystyrene tiles. Removing the tiles was easy, unfortunately the remaining hard glue on the ceiling is a pain in the a**e to remove. Have tried a solvent bought from Hyper U without much success. Anyone out there got any ideas of how to remove the glue in order to restore the ceilings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 The guy who removes our ceiling tiles has found several types of glue holding the tiles on - he uses a low energy hair dryer to get the more stubborn stuff off but you could use a low energy paint stripper also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 I'm not sure there is any such thing as a low-energy paint stripper. Mine runs at 400 degrees C, and I wouldn't like to put that amount of heat onto potentially flammable materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gluestick Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 I would agree strongly with Dick on this: even if the stuff doesn't catch fire, it can melt and injure you quite severely. I still have the scars on the back of my neck, thanks to a burning pastic sheet dripping...............Easiest way would be to find which liquid solves the hard adhesive. At the end of the day, there aren't many different solvents for synthetic material. Try nail polish remover and if this works, then obtain some commercial acetate. Use carefully in confined space and ventilate well!Or try a good steamer and scraper. You only have to plasticise the stuff to remove it: not melt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 And to quote Norm, there is nothing so important as these, safety glasses...My son lost a few days' work from stripping ceiling tiles wearing just his vision glasses. And it was painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maude Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 I would forget removal and either lightly skim,or fine crepi over the top,after a light sand down just to rmove the lumps.Dont the French just love these uk 1960 tiles,or even carpet on the ceiling-alors-donc,mais oui! Maude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surgeonofsteel Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 We have the same problem and have bought a sander for the worst blobs of glue.Then we will artex the ceilling hopefully covering the mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 I asked my brother in law about the tiles and glue; he knows a thing or two having just retired from the fire brigade. The glue is only dangerous when it’s a liquid and being applied as it contains a solvent. Once the solvent evaporates the glue goes hard and is no longer dangerous. That’s not to say it won’t burn of course but the temperature required to burn it and for it to set fire is quite high. The tiles however are a totally different matter he tells me, very, very nasty things and if most firemen had their way they would be banned. If you have them in your kitchen in particular you should remove them as quickly as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 So, Chris, you are saying that whacking it with a paintstripper would be OK. How would your mate stop the melt dropping, then? What does he think about the fumes? And if it does burn? Ever tried putting out a fire above your head?Think about the advice you give. Someone might believe you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Don't be silly Dick, read what I said, where did I mention using a paint stripper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Crikey, nail files at 10 paces!!!?If you do try acitate then EXTREME ventilation is needed. That stuff will blow your mind in a few seconds flat and leave you with a huge headache and a sick stomatch..... If it's a large area I would be very carefull with it. A hair drier may well be the tool for this, but make sure the better 1/2 don't see you.Is it a rubber type glue that was used? If so then warm it with the hair drier and use a wide paint scraper. If it is a rubber type then it will quickly clog a sander. The sander will heat the glue, make it soft and clog very quickly. I tried using my belt sander on my neighbours wooden floor after a stuck down carpet was removed. What a mess... If it is an Evostick type then try a phone call to their 'help line'. They are very good!Good luck,John.P.S. These web sites may give some help? http://www.diynot.com/ http://www.diynot.com/pages/de/de013.php looks quite interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Chris - either you do not understand what you have written or, again, you are dissembling.We are discussing using extreme heat, you say that is OK, I point out that it isn't, you say 'when did I mention extreme heat'?Uh, yeah, Chris, OK, whatever you say... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 I had these tiles in my French kitchen and because of the fire hazard, removed them. The decorator said that there was no chance in removing the glue - he has tried in other houses several times. He sanded the blobs with sandpaper as much as he could with his strained neck and then painted the whole ceiling several times. Now, you can't see the blobs that much unless you are really being fussy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 We had these in the bathroom here in the UK.I used a heat gun, (paintstripper, hot air gun, call it what you will).What you do is to use the gun on it's lowest setting, and NOT too close to the offending blob.....about 150mm was OK for mine. If the one you use has NO low setting, increase the distance accordingly. DO NOT use a naked flame heat gun, they aren't controllable enough.You work on ONE blob at a time, working always in FRONT and above you, rather than diectly overhead.Gently warm the blob...........and I MEAN warm it, waft the hot air over it until it's warm to the touch. Then use a wide wallpaper scraper to scape it off. It DOESN'T drip, It DOESN'T catch fire, and doing one at a time is safe. Bag the remains, and work in a well ventilated area, (otherwise the room gets awfully hot!)It took me about two hours to do the bathroom here, which is about 20 sq m in total. I was left with a ceiling that needed a light sanding, then it got painted, and has been OK since.Alcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Sounds dodgy to me. Advice I have had is either to avoid the job altogether, or to use a long-handled scraper, possibly using a hairdryer to soften the worst bits. I still think that advising people you don't know to use hot-air paintstrippers on ceilings is irresponsible. Quite apart from anything else you will end up with a layer of seriously hot air immediately below the ceiling, in which there will be lighting cables etc, and not everyone will have your ability to work with finesse. This is not just my opinion but also that of a builder with experience of the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Korrigan Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Hello,My four penny worth of advice is to either pull down your ceiling or over board it. Masking the glue with a skim may could possibly leave you with a visible trace even after painting. The cost of plasterboard is little and but the result is as new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 HiWe have had some success using a scraper and steam wall paper stripper in the past; no matter what the glue is, it is only stuck to some old plaster, you might find you need to polyfill parts of the ceiling after [:)] the long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience… [8-|] John & Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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