How To Remove Thin Set From Plywood | DIY Video Guide

Removing THIN SET off plywood can take many hours, if you do it with a chisel or a flat bar. However, there is a much more efficient way to do this.

PRO TIP: Using Diamond Cup Wheel for Angle Grinder + Dust Shroud attachment, will make your job easy, fast and safe!

Learn how to quickly and easily remove Thin-Set (mortar / grout) from plywood by following this video guide:

I did try removing thin set from plywood substrate with flat-bar and hammer – it took me 3 hours to clean 3 sq. ft. of thin-set, and it wasn’t perfect. I also damaged plywood in some areas.

Here are the TOOLS you will need (also don’t forget SAFETY goggles and gloves)

DIAMOND CUP WHEEL (I recommend 4.5″ size):

OCR 4″ (shown in this video) – this is the one I have. I think 4″ is too small and recommend 4.5″ blade.
Dewalt 4.5″ (recommended / expensive) – recommended size, more expensive, but cheaper that at Home Depot / Lowe’s
SUHA 4.5″ (recommended / cheaper) – this one seems to be made in Japan (at least it has Japanese text on the blade).
Integra Tools 7″ (need 7″ or bigger Shroud) – same brand as my 4″ blade

DUST SHROUD ATTACHMENT:

PRO TIP: Dust Shroud helps to virtually eliminate dust, and reduce your exposure to harmful Silica Dust! It also protect your hands from injuries.

5″ HERZO Universal (shown in this video) – this is the one I used and recommend. However this one MAY have incompatibility with DeWalt/Boshe angle grinders.
5″ DeWalt – most likely only works with DeWalt, and is expensive.
7″ Makita – most likely only works with Makita, NEEDs 7″ cup wheel blade, and is expensive.

ANGLE GRINDER:

Hitachi G12SR4 – my preferred brand. I have G12SR3 model which is discontinued, but is virtually identical to this one.
Bosch 1375A (will not work with HERZO shroud):

SMALL SHOP VACUUM:

Armor All 2.5 Gallon Shop Vac – best seller on Amazon. There are 100s of other brands/models, and there isn’t one I can definitely recommend, because they are mostly similar in cost quality. This armor-all has over 3000+ customer reviews, 4.3 star rating, and as of publishing this guide, costs only $37!

HOW TO REMOVE THIN-SET FROM PLYWOOD:

PRO TIP: Use duct tape to attach vacuum hose to Dust Shroud, to make sure it doesn’t fall off.

We highly recommend that you also use SAFETY GOGGLES and Heavy Duty Gloves!

STEP 0: Use adequate safety practices and equipment!!!

STEP 1: Attach Dust Shroud and Cup Wheel to your angle grinder.

STEP 2: Remove tile to expose thin-set.

STEP 3: Sweep up/remove all loose debris

STEP 4: Attach shop vac hose to dust shroud. Secure with duct tape.

STEP 5: Use extension cords, to plug in your grinder and shop vac. Make sure, cords are not in the way.

STEP 6: Turn on you shop vacuum and grinder, and slowly start removing thin-set. Make sure you use grinder handle, and hold grinder with both hands!

PRO TIP: Open “edge shield” on your dust shroud, to perform flush edge grinding. A 4.5″ cup wheel will extend exactly to the open edge of dust shroud

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