Tile adhesive is very strong it would take a lot of time and effort to sand it down.
Scrape tile adhesive off wall.
Usually you can get a few bits of the adhesive off from scraping the tiles.
Once the mortar softens up scrape it off with a 4 scraper or a wallpaper stripper.
Repeat the process until all tile adhesive is removed.
Scrape off the adhesive.
Thinset is a cement based product and mastic resembles thick glue.
The critical aspect is to scrape the adhesive off the wall surface as much as possible by using a wide chisel and a hammer.
Make sure to pva the wall before tiling again.
Scrape the surface of the adhesive with a stiff bristle brush.
If any adhesive gets stuck to the brush remove it by hand and continue until no more adhesive remains on the wall.
The best solution is to skim over with bonding creating a nice flat surface.
By working with patience and with great care you will remove the largest amount of the wall tile adhesive.
This may take a while depending on the size of the wall and the amount of adhesive you need to get rid of.
But other parts of vinyl tile adhesive may take more time to come off completely.
The two most common wall tile adhesives are thinset and mastic.
Step 3 wipe some tile adhesive remover over the surface of the wall.
If you damage the wall significantly you have to repair it before installing the new tile.
Answered 20th jul 2011.
Or as an alternative depending on the strength of the adhesive is using a good strong scraper.
The first step is to use a putty knife to scrape off the adhesive while applying heat to the adhesive to soften it up.
Gently grind off thinset with an oscillating tool equipped with a.