How to finish removing linoleum adhesive for tile on concrete floor?

We just finished tiling our floors and had this exact same problem. Sorry to say, there is no easy way. We tried commercial adhesive remover with limited to no results. We had the most success by pouring hot water on a small section, allowing to soak for approximately 5 min (time will vary depending upon thickness/strength of adhesive), and then scraping with a 4" metal scrapper. I know - very labor intensive, but, eventually we had clean concrete.

Try using Goo Gone instead of hot water in sections. Let it sit for a while to soften the glue, the scrape off. Use a lot of newspaper to clean the scraper. Good Luck.

Not so sure about the Goo Gone as it is very greasy and leaves a strong citrus smell. But have you ever thought of trying a hot paint remover gun? Less messy than hot water and it should bubble up the glue for easy scraping with a wide putty knife. I have one and use it for many things other than removing paint. Just a thought.

A floor sander is what we use on remodels. You can rent one.

Okay, so I ended up using a heat gun, which is working pretty well, but I realized that I may have another issue making removing the glue more difficult. The cement underneath the glue is pitted, which is why I think I was having such a hard time with the scraper. Do I need to resurface the cement? Should I remove all the the left over glue before doing this? Thanks!

Personally I found that preparation is key, you will only get a great end result if your preparation is completed ie. Remove all the glue, clean thoroughly, I would use a primer to seal the floor before using a self levelling compound if the floors are very pitted. Otherwise if you dont have much pitting, apply a primer coat which will give you a bond before applying tile adhesive and your new tiles. Experience has taught me, hard as it is, that unless you put in the groundwork you will not be happy with the finish, particularly with tiling which is very unforgiving. Good luck with your floor I hope you find the right solution for you.

We just finished doing my sons basement floor and what we did was lay hot wet towels on the floor and leave them for about an hour. Then we used a sonic tool with a scrapper on it. That worked best for us. We got the blades off of Amazon for a lot less than in the store. If you are doing a large area you will need a lot of them.

You can Tile right over it and the old Linoleum also.

Your welcome Angie, I hope your floor turns put brilliantly.

Have you contacted a tile company for their recommendation? I'd suggest vacuum it completely, priming over it with a water based primer, and then use a self leveling concrete mix. Read and follow all manufacturer directions on the leveling compound first. Best of luck.

Your welcome Angie ,I hope your floor turns out exactly as you want, beautiful and so satisfying because you have done it yourself :-)

I've had 2 contractors and a flooring guy tell me to go right over it. However, they did say to use a high-quality thinset. I am using Versabond LFT thinset you can get from Home Depot. The tiles are 12x24. I became convinced it was safe to tile over the linoleum adhesive on my concrete slab after pouring water on the adhesive, leaving it soak for over an hour, and then using a demolition hammer with a 6" flat blade to try to take it up. Even then it was difficult. Without using water to soften the adhesive it was nearly impossible to take up with a demo hammer. Therefore, I am convinced that I am safe to go right over the adhesive with tile...