Question from Reenie
A friend recently had carpet put down to replace another one that was floored. The installer used an adhesive to glue the carpet to the house’s cement foundation. She has had a negative reaction, from either the carpet or the adhesive or both. Several week have gone by and she is still very sensitive to the outgassing odors. So she is going to remove the carpet and have ceramic tile installed.
First, what is the safest way to remove any adhesive left on the cement foundation.
Second, are there ways to green up the ceramic tile installation? Should there be a cementboard subfloor installed over the concrete, before the “mud” is put on and the tiles laid. Is there a green grout that can be specified. People often say they will be using green products, but it isn’t always what happens.
Thanks to all of you for any sharing of your experiences or advice about this!
Debra’s Answer
If you are installing ceramic tile, you don’t need to remove any carpet adhesive that remains, unless it makes the surface of the floor uneven. In the past, I’ve removed adhesive residues from floors by scraping it with a putty knife.
You don’t need to put a cement subfloor over the concrete. You can lay the ceramic tile right on the concrete.
My husband and I have laid a lot of tile. We just use the standard mortar and grout that is sold in home improvements stores. Be sure to get a plain powdered grout and not one that contains latex.
The most toxic thing about a tile installation is the grout sealer. We use the grout sealer sold by AFM Enterprises. It is completely odor-free and nontoxic.
