Sealer on tile

[realclean]

How can I strip all the sealer off the tile floor?

I did try some Home Depot stripper right out of the bottle, but no luck.

 

[Mikey P]

 

[Mikey P]

Looks like efflorescence trapped under the epoxy or lacquer sealer.

 

[dealtimeman]

Not going to be easy but it can be done.

While some might think mikey response was harsh or just to be funny, it was not.

It will most likely be cheaper to chip that floor out and install new tile than it would be to completely remove all of that coating especially if you hit it with a strong alkaline and it did nothing.

Give me a call and I can walk you how to do it but it is not for the faint of heart. The only reason to try to remove instead of replacing would be if the is a bunch of equipment like kitchen equipment( stoves, fridges, fryers) etc that would increase cost of replacement and time of project to a point at which the cost to remove the coating becomes a viable/ and or efficient solution.

 

[Ray Burnfield]

Did you try to dilute the stripper first?
Using stripper straight without diluting doesn't work.

 

[realclean]

Did you try to dilute the stripper first?
Using stripper straight without diluting doesn't work.

No I did not try that way, I though I would need as strong as possible.

 

[J Scott W]

No I did not try that way, I though I would need as strong as possible.

Most strippers will work better with some water. Basically the water serves to carry away whatever material is being loosened from the surface. No water and the process will stop very quickly.

 

[Shane Deubell]

When all else fails read the directions....

Get a better stripper too, betco, johnson,spartan, something.
Need some good dwell time, 20 minutes and some serious scrubbing action.

 

[Chet]

Paint stripper or floor finish stripper? Most paint strippers are used straight out the can and floor finish strippers are mixed with water. Either way, follow the instructions. I have just started a post about this so we can explain it to our customers before we start and to help educate my technicians to the proper sequence. First we will never tell a client that we can remove all traces of sealer and may need to recoat with floor finish or urethane when we done stripping. Ideally we only stone enhanced and or sealed. But there is no telling what is on a floor until you begin stripping it.
QUALIFY WITH THE CUSTOMER.
You will remove paint form baseboards and any splatter can leave marks on walls and appliances-
You cannot guarantee complete removal
Use a splashguard on your rotary scrubber
Charge by time and material- paint and urethane strippers are costly.

1. First we apply floor stripper liberally and dilute according instructions on bottle.
2. Allow to dwell 15-20 minutes, don't allow it to dry
3. Scrub with stiff brush- and or black pads. Stopping pads work well on smooth surfaces and brushes work better in grout joints or uneven tile (slate).
4. Extract and rinse off- spinner or tiles tools work the best.
5. Inspect and repeat
6. If there is another film left behind like polyurethane you will need to use a paint/ urethane stripper. They are more toxic and difficult to use.
7. Wear a RESPIRATOR AND GLOVES!
8. Apply to test area, (follow instructions on container)
9. Dwell (follow instruction)
10. Agitate with brush or scrape up or squeegee off the tile. You need a tool that won't scratch the tile and not dissolve from the paint stripper. Plastic squeegees will sometimes work if you must use metal putty knives be very careful.
11. You will want to scrape the loosened mess up and into a bucket or garbage bags, most of these products are solvent based and won't rinse off with water.
12. Wipe up remaining slurry and mess with disposable rags- old terry cloth work well.
13. You can try to rinse remaining residue with Odorless mineral spirits and wipe it up.
14. Inspects and repeat as necessary

 

[Mikey P]

Thanks Chet!!!!

Great post!!$

 

[kingjoelking]

Paint stripper or floor finish stripper? Most paint strippers are used straight out the can and floor finish strippers are mixed with water. Either way, follow the instructions. I have just started a post about this so we can explain it to our customers before we start and to help educate my technicians to the proper sequence. First we will never tell a client that we can remove all traces of sealer and may need to recoat with floor finish or urethane when we done stripping. Ideally we only stone enhanced and or sealed. But there is no telling what is on a floor until you begin stripping it.
QUALIFY WITH THE CUSTOMER.
You will remove paint form baseboards and any splatter can leave marks on walls and appliances-
You cannot guarantee complete removal
Use a splashguard on your rotary scrubber
Charge by time and material- paint and urethane strippers are costly.

1. First we apply floor stripper liberally and dilute according instructions on bottle.
2. Allow to dwell 15-20 minutes, don't allow it to dry
3. Scrub with stiff brush- and or black pads. Stopping pads work well on smooth surfaces and brushes work better in grout joints or uneven tile (slate).
4. Extract and rinse off- spinner or tiles tools work the best.
5. Inspect and repeat
6. If there is another film left behind like polyurethane you will need to use a paint/ urethane stripper. They are more toxic and difficult to use.
7. Wear a RESPIRATOR AND GLOVES!
8. Apply to test area, (follow instructions on container)
9. Dwell (follow instruction)
10. Agitate with brush or scrape up or squeegee off the tile. You need a tool that won't scratch the tile and not dissolve from the paint stripper. Plastic squeegees will sometimes work if you must use metal putty knives be very careful.
11. You will want to scrape the loosened mess up and into a bucket or garbage bags, most of these products are solvent based and won't rinse off with water.
12. Wipe up remaining slurry and mess with disposable rags- old terry cloth work well.
13. You can try to rinse remaining residue with Odorless mineral spirits and wipe it up.
14. Inspects and repeat as necessary

What he said. I will also add that Hillyards Arsenal stripper (which is a water based stripper) mixed at 10oz to the gallon mopped on then left with a 20 minute dwell time has broken down topicals that Johnson's pro strip and a few others would barely even touch.
When up against something like this I also like using a 110 Nylogrit brush to break up the goop worked really well also.

 

[Chet]

Totally agree with the Nylogrit brush, (but test first, there are some clay tiles and many stones that it can damage which would normally cover the damage if using floor finish when done), it works into the grout and uneven areas better than a strip pad. I'll try some Hilliard Arsenal on the next tough one.
Thanks.