How to get thinset and cemented bricks off a concrete floor
Thinset and mortar bond aggressively to concrete, making masonry cleanup grueling physical work. Without the right technique or a proper scraper, trying to chip them away by hand leaves behind hardened residue that ruins new flooring installations.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using a small sledgehammer to tap along the bricksDid this help you?
- 2Using a cold chisel and a large hammer on the mortarDid this help you?
- 3Hiring a plumberDid this help you?
- 4Waiting for the contractors to potentially return and fix the messDid this help you?
- 5Trying to wash it off with a hose on a jet settingDid this help you?
- 6chipping them off one-by-one with a hammer and chiselDid this help you?
- 7using a homemade rebar and metal scraperDid this help you?
- 8trying muriatic acid or concrete dissolverDid this help you?
- 9using a floor scraper bit with a rotary toolDid this help you?
- 10prying up a brick near the edge with a flat bar to check if it's mortared or set in sandDid this help you?
- 11chiseling or renting a small breaker if it's stuck solidDid this help you?
- 12leaving the coating alone and addressing exterior water sources like gutters, grading, and drainageDid this help you?
- 13removing loose coating and applying a breathable masonry finishDid this help you?
- 14Renting a heavy-duty walk-behind floor scraper or grinderDid this help you?
- 15Pouring self-leveling compound over the remaining thin set instead of removing it completelyDid this help you?
- 16Using a larger demolition hammer with a wide chisel while standing upDid this help you?
- 17Using a rotary hammer with a specific tile bit and a hand scraper with replaceable bladesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'm trying to find the best way to remove the thin set that's still on the slab.”source ↗
“A friend loaned me a Bosch mini jack hammer, but honestly that thing is kicking my ass.”source ↗
“Popping them off one-by-one is killing my knees and back.”source ↗
“I worked for two hours today and feel like I barely made a dent in the project.”source ↗
“I bent a chisel on it earlier today.”source ↗
“The current piece I’m trying to unf*ck is where they mixed thinset on my front steps and left a big mess on the sidewalk.”source ↗
“Anyone have tips for getting thinset out of sidewalk concrete??”source ↗
“We inherited this from the previous owner: It is a few bricks cemented to the floor.”source ↗
“First time homeowner, love the house but there’s a back patio that I honestly don’t even know what the original plan was. I can’t tell if the brick is cemented or not, some areas look like it is but others there’s nothing between the bricks. What would I need to do to be able to remove this before starting fresh?”source ↗
“Since then I’ve read that Drylok will destroy concrete foundations by trapping moisture in. Thankfully this is the only wall he did, but would it be best to remove the Drylok, or just leave it alone?”source ↗
“So should I remove it as best I can?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 3Removing thousands of embedded staples from a subfloor