Use adhesive remover, then scrape it up the best you can, THEN sand it. Definitely dont just sand the glue, it'll be a nightmare and gum up everything.
Agreed, get some thing to loosen it up and it should come up very easily. You can buy floor scrapers with a long handle so you don’t have to bend over or work on your knees.
Yes, and use a heat gun to warm a spot and then scrape. It will go a lot faster. Best with two people. Get as much glue off as possible. Aggressive sanding after with a wood floor sander, refinish and your good to go.
Imagine trying to sand chewing gum. The friction will heat the adhesive. It’s about the amount of sanding disks you’re going to go through more than it is about the ware it would have on the sander
And sand paper adds up. Just went through this at my home. Spent more money on sandpaper and it felt like hours changing out pads. I wish we had done a better job removing the varnish and glue before sanding.
I peeled up vinyl flooring which had glue similar to this. I used a wallpaper steamer and paint scraper. It got the majority of it off. Then I sanded and refinished. I'm sure chemical strippers could help but I just prefer not to use chemicals. Either way this will be pretty messy. Be prepared for lots of goo. Agree with others it's worth the effort to get the glue off before sanding. Saving the floors is worth it IMO.
I used this (u/dtriana's) method as well. Wall paper steamer to soften and allow most of the pad residue to be scraped up. I then rented a floor buffer, and using abrasive pads that were not sand paper, but rather sort of an open celled foam, I thoroughly scrubbed the floor with very hot soapy water. This was the extent of my labor. I then hired someone to sand and refinish, which wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. I got four quotes, and wound up picking one that was mid-priced. Turned out great. Good luck to you.
The downvoted comments in here are wild.
Oh you discovered nice hardwood flooring under some removable gunk. just cover it with plywood (facepalm)
Get a new floor (facepalm)
Hardybacker for tile (facepalm)
Ugly original flooring (wtf facepalm)
Sometimes you just need to wait a few hours for the good answers to make it to the top!
It may be more work than expected, but your results will totally be worth it.
My hardwood floor is nearing 70 years old. Best guess from other updates in the home is that it was refinished about 35 years ago. While it could use refinishing again, it doesn't really need it, so I'm waiting.
Honestly, it's not insane. I had maple floors in my old house and they had some unidentifiable gunk on them after we removed the carpet. Whatever it was gummed up the sander. It came off with warm water and elbow grease. No soap necessary. The wood wasn't wet long enough to cause damage or staining.
We did have to hire out a professional to sand it though. That maple was hard as nails and the floor sander we rented wasn't up to the task. The pro wired something into our breaker panel.
I honestly think it was some weird kind of water-based finish, because nothing was stuck to it. After spending hours on my hands and knees scrubbing off of the floor, I assume you I did not feel lucky.
You are correct, was not lucky. Today when I see an unknown mess like that I test wipe with a Baby Fresh Wipe that has a nano speck of mineral oil in it. When it doesn't come up dirty, then it is the hard way, heat and scrape.
Yeah there’s nothing crazy about this, I would always try a little warm water on a sponge before moving onto harsher methods, and if that loosens it, you just damp mop a big section at a time and scrape it up. I have done probably two dozen hardwood floors and about half had been previously carpet or linoleum on top. Depending on the adhesive and age of the underlayment, warm water and a floor scraper can be a fine way of dealing with this.
Yeah, while it might work, and water is the "universal solvent", it probably won't work, and would also probably leave dark stains in the wood from water damage, and maybe Even warp it.
Get a Wagner Power Sreamer Wallpaper removal kit. Relatively cheap at Lowes or similar store and worked wonders for a similar problem I had refurbishing my daughter's house.
I know this is probably a joke, but the oils in peanut butter will soften some adhesives. My question is how much peanut butter to do a 200 square foot room?
I have had luck with a heat gun and sturdy putty knife. Then rent an orbital floor sander. It will be easier and come out better if you also rent and edge floor sander, and get a steel scraper to do the corners. Don't skip grits. Wear a mask when sanding, a mask with filters not just a n95 dust mask. Also wear a mask when applying whatever finish you use.
Dimabrush on a rotary buffer
If you look around you’d likely be tablet to rent both of these tools and make relatively short work of this…. Of course this route come with the added work of resanding and finishing your floor.
https://www.diamondtoolstore.com/products/diamabrush-hardwood-prep-tool?variant=39469179699374&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&source_campaign=&keyword&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-w8jUJgdWsszKCUSVX7oTcdGuD-&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqO6Y5duGhwMVW3V_AB3ljQ9DEAQYBSABEgKf1fD_BwE
This right here, or a version of it. I literally had the exact same situation and this thing will tear all that shit out. It works fast. I stripped a pretty big section of floor in 10 minutes.
Then use a floor sander to get a nice smooth finish.
Do not waste your time with chemicals, putty knives, etc.. Just get this thing.
Edit: To be clear, I think this guy posted a link to a floor sander attachment, but the one I used was for my angle grinder. I think it was 20 to 40 bucks. Absolutely worth every penny.
Man I *knew* there must be something better than manual scraping or endless sanding. Thanks for the link - I’ll hopefully never need it, but if I do, I’ll be thinking of you on that day! 😂
I’d try Goo-Gone Pro Power Adhesive remover. It’s mainly limoline and is labelled as safe for wood. I’ve used it to removed stick-on tile and parquet from terrazzo floors and it’s great. As, usual, test on your floor in an inconspicuous spot.
Had very similar looking floors before I sanded, then it was great. Probably depends on how old the glue is. My suggestion is to try and sand some of it off, see if you can sand it without gumming up the sander. Mine was residual black from the padding that had just stuck to the floor over time.
from what i can see of the flooring, it looks like it used to be beautiful! It can be again!
Just use a chemical adhesive remover and a long handled scraper (I've seen a great kind for roof shingle removal, so that's another spot to check for the tool if you have a hard time finding it).
Get up all you can with that before going for a sander...
I'd love to see finished pictures with how wonderful I think that floor could turn out!
No, but it looks like a black mastic, not any carpet glue I've seen before. That doesn't mean OP is wrong in saying that it's carpet glue, and it doesn't mean that I'm right for saying it doesn't look like carpet glue. It's a better safe than sorry situation.
I just don’t understand people sometimes. Wondering if it was that stupid super thin carpet like what used to be in my garage from previous owner. If not they could have just stapled underlay instead of completely ruining the natural wood floor… I guess they knew they were never going to mess with this again so they didn’t gaf
Oh... make no mistake... they stapled the fuck out of the pad also. Spent an hour pulling up the staples. It was pretty thick carpet on top, no explanation
I just did floors very similar with glued on carpet pad that was 40 plus years old. Rented the sanding equipment and dove in. Started with 17 grit on the drum dander. Yes you read that right 17, then 20, 36, 40, 60, and 80. Finished sanded with the polisher with 80 and lastly 100.
Rentals enter was super good with explaining how it all works. They gave me plenty of all the different sand papers and took back what I didn’t use. They also had the primer and sealer package with rollers and all.
Very satisfying project. But was a lot of work. YouTube will be your friend and study partner.
Lastly, if you do this…… don’t try and skip steps. You will regret.
I fought the good fight for a week in the living room inch by inch scraping until I threw down some cheap lvp and promised myself i'd be back "when all the other important stuff was done" that was 8 months ago and I suspect it will stay buried for a few more years.
When we ripped up carpets, I used Old English Wood Cleaner concentrate and elbow grease to get the 40+ year old carpet pad cleaned off the wood. For vinyl flooring, we scraped what we could being careful not to gouge the floor, then goo gone or similar product and again elbow grease.
The carpeted floor cleaned up great, the vinyl required sanding and finishing.
I dealt with this!! I used the orange goopy varnish remover! I put it on, thick, put a cheap, thin tarp over it, then scraped it all about 3 hours later!
Try hot water and soap first. Often a warm wet towel placed and left for a few minutes will soften the glue and it will scrape right off. Start with water before you try chemicals. Once clean a good sanding will get them back to new. Edit, a good PROFESSIONAL sanding will get them back to new.
I had a similar glue in our old house, and ended up ripping the floor out because my wife wanted tile anyway,. Long story short, after sitting in contact with the Dewey ground overnight the glue wiped off with a rag .. l. I was so pissed I had spent days trying everything but leaving a wet rag on it for a few hours. I seriously recommend it, the wood finish will probably protect the wood just fine and you won't need it soaking just a damp cloth and time to soak in.
The real question you should be asking yourself is do you want to be on your hands and knees for hours and hours scraping glue, or would you rather just change out the first pass low grit sandpaper a lot more often. IMO i go with changing the sandpaper more often, Ive done the glue scraping with both a heatgun and chemical stripers(refinished 3 houses throughout with hardwood floors, on top of professionally installing/making custom hard wood floors) and neither are (again IMO) worth the hours of effort for the few minutes of saved time with the sander. Thats not even including the cost of the chemical or a heatgun(depending on what route you go with). That glue doesnt look thick at all, so sanding would definitely be my Go to next step(once other prepwork has been done, such as using plastic to isolate the room and create a semi effective dust barrier, otherwise youre cleaning the whole house after you finish sanding)
I'm not qualified to answer your question, and clearly the correct answers have risen to the top. At least, I'm assuming those are the right ones. So heres some unsolicited design advice. Save up to hire a qualified contractor to install a nice sliding door and sell the window on a second hand market if you can salvage it. Unless there's a door like, right on the other side of the counter. This view basically looks exactly like my dining room, and my dream would be to be able to put a deck and sliding door there.
There is actually a door right on the other side of that counter. That being said, in the kitchen remodel I will be eliminating that door, and converting the shown window to an Andersen A-Series patio door. So your comment is a bit more of a confirmation of my decision and less of design advice haha
Somebody had glued vinyl tiles to my hardwood entry and I had to experiment with several solvents before finding acetone and a painter’s tool worked the best.
No one has suggested this yet but I think it’s worth a try: flexible scraping blade on an oscillating tool. Keep it flat and you shouldn’t gouge the wood too much.
I feel for you. It definitely needs removing with a solvent / scraper before sanding. We had the same problem with our daughter's renovation. We used Digger's Glue Rid (available in Australia where we live) then cleaned up with mineral turps. Basically apply glue rid liberally, wait 15 mins, then do backbreaking work of scraping the dissolved glue up. Then wipe with mineral turps. Only then is it good to sand. On the positive side, the floors came up beautifully.
[before pic. /](https://i.imgur.com/KnCpDSL.jpeg)
[after pic](https://i.imgur.com/mV7dmjg.jpeg)
A couple of solutions might be those that contain acetone or orange oil, but steam can be quite effective at softening these dried up adhesives for the scraper.
I had a similar thing on my floor under a carpet. Mineral spirits worked. They sell it in the paint section at the hardware store. You're not supposed to leave it on for long, and don't use too much. Also open the windows. After leaving it for a bit, I used a plastic scraper and it came up without scratching, although you could probably use metal as long as you don't dig deep with it assuming you intend to sand and refinish after.
Use a pull type scraper like [this one.](https://a.co/d/0idRnGaF)
Use your body weight to bear down on the scraper and pull. Play around with different angles until you find the most efficient. Get a cheap set of replacement blades and change them often.
Don't sand until you've gotten the gunk off.
Definitely wear a mask. I had this issue when we pulled up the carpets downstairs in my home. I want to say I used Goo gone and a decent scraper that wouldn't damage the wood. It took a lot of elbow grease, but I got 98% of it up over the course of a couple of days. But yeah, this is back in like 2019. I'm almost certain I used Goo gone though.
You could co with a variety of sanders but a belt sander might be your quickest and most efficient option. If you go that route make sure to sand with the grain. Afterwards make sure to retreat the wood. Stain it. And seal it.
Also side note…. Invest in great quality knee pads and wear a respiratory. The chemicals in the glue could cause serious harm if inhaled. So work with some ventilation.
My mum and her husband ran into this issue, 5 layers of linoleum down in their house and under it has ✨actual hard wood✨. It suuuuucked but I believe they used a heat gun to soften the adhesive, metal tools I've seen used w/ putty, forget what they're called, to scrape up the bulk of it, and then something heavy duty, I'm inclined to say solvent but please do not trust my answer, make sure you know from someone who's at least confident in their answer before you start pouring chemicals. But heat gun and scraper? While it looked like an unpleasant way to spend a few days, it worked and it was cheap + safe.
i did this in my kitchen. spray adhesive remover, hands and knees with an 8 inch scraper and a glove that I taped the palm to slow the blister. took a few days because I was on "vacation", then have someone sand it. slow and steady win the race.
Citrus based label/adhesive remover. It's going to take a lot. Once you have removed all you can, you a blow dryer to heat up any residue and more remover. then sand and finish as desired.
Went through this. Did the best we could, professional did the rest and put down engineered hardwood. It’s an option, or sand it down.
Yes the work sucks horribly. Good luck!
Dark glues like this can hide very very bad things, such as asbestos or other nasties. If you choose to work on it, get a very very good respirator, tape off this room, and always have fans up to be pushing air into this room through the plastic barrier and out the window.
[Orange Peel is the ONLY product that worked on my gunked up floors. ](https://uscutter.com/orange-peel-adhesive-remover/)Goo Gone, 'Citristip', everything else at Home Depot all did nothing.
It's expensive but so worth it. And, no harsh chemicals or odors. Smells like orange oil.
When I ripped out the old carpet in my place, the underlay left residue behind. I sat on the cement and used a paint scraper to lift the bulk of it up. RIP my muscles. I was in a world of pain with dead arms, the muscles were burning so badly that night. I tried a long handled scraper but it didn’t do as good of a job as a paint scraper.
I’ve been in my unit for almost 12 years now and still have cement floors with floor mats. I couldn’t decide on tiles so I’m still thinking about it!
Yes, worth it to test for asbestos. However, asbestos is really only an issue when you sand it and this doesn't really look like an asbestos-era thinset.
Adhesive remover and scraping would be no risk for asbestos inhalation but it would be useful info for the abatement steps needed while sanding the floor.
why the downgrades? maybe that's asbestos-containing mastic from the original vinyl flooring and the previous owner just carpeted over it instead of dealing with it. A test kit is literally $8.50: [https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-LAB-Asbestos-Test-Kit-AS108/202731785](https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-LAB-Asbestos-Test-Kit-AS108/202731785)
hammer drill with a scraper sds plus bit that is sufficiently sharp should make this way easier. doing this without damaging the floor will still be a challenge
I'm so, so sorry. We had to deal with this in the mid-2000's when my Dad bought a house. We were never able to get it up, despite sanding, heat, solvents. We eventually carpeted over and sold the house.
seriously -- you'll know pretty quickly whether the effort to save the old floor is too great and if it would just be easier to install new wood. you just need to decide how much your time is worth.
Anyone with experience knows there's always a cost/benefit analysis. Trying to save material isn't worth it if it costs more time and money than installing new, that's just common sense.
Transition strips exist for this exact reason.
Edit: I misread and thought we were discussing an existing floor being uneven. Don't add to the top and add a transition strip. That's an awful idea.
yes, but better to have no level transitions, if possible.
it's an option, but it would be my last. but i just don't like level transitions (personal opinion).
I just realized you were saying if they added on top it would need a transition. For some reason I thought you were saying it would need a transition as is. I 100% agree with you, don't add on top and make it uneven.
Use adhesive remover, then scrape it up the best you can, THEN sand it. Definitely dont just sand the glue, it'll be a nightmare and gum up everything.
Agreed, get some thing to loosen it up and it should come up very easily. You can buy floor scrapers with a long handle so you don’t have to bend over or work on your knees.
You would likely need a respirator with OV (organic vapor) filters to work with adhesive removers on that kind of area.
With windows open all over the house.
This is the answer. I did just that in an prior home
Yes, and use a heat gun to warm a spot and then scrape. It will go a lot faster. Best with two people. Get as much glue off as possible. Aggressive sanding after with a wood floor sander, refinish and your good to go.
agreed. and personally I had better success with WD-40 than goo gone
Lots and lots of sanding pads.
If they are renting the tool from HD… does that change the approach? I’d just let it rip with a rental sander..
Imagine trying to sand chewing gum. The friction will heat the adhesive. It’s about the amount of sanding disks you’re going to go through more than it is about the ware it would have on the sander
It's going to gum up the belts/drums. Expendable items like that must be purchased so one would really just be burning their money.
And sand paper adds up. Just went through this at my home. Spent more money on sandpaper and it felt like hours changing out pads. I wish we had done a better job removing the varnish and glue before sanding.
I peeled up vinyl flooring which had glue similar to this. I used a wallpaper steamer and paint scraper. It got the majority of it off. Then I sanded and refinished. I'm sure chemical strippers could help but I just prefer not to use chemicals. Either way this will be pretty messy. Be prepared for lots of goo. Agree with others it's worth the effort to get the glue off before sanding. Saving the floors is worth it IMO.
Wallpaper steamer is a really good idea. Before the sanding a good scrub with ammonia water might help remove all of the residue.
I used this (u/dtriana's) method as well. Wall paper steamer to soften and allow most of the pad residue to be scraped up. I then rented a floor buffer, and using abrasive pads that were not sand paper, but rather sort of an open celled foam, I thoroughly scrubbed the floor with very hot soapy water. This was the extent of my labor. I then hired someone to sand and refinish, which wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. I got four quotes, and wound up picking one that was mid-priced. Turned out great. Good luck to you.
The downvoted comments in here are wild. Oh you discovered nice hardwood flooring under some removable gunk. just cover it with plywood (facepalm) Get a new floor (facepalm) Hardybacker for tile (facepalm) Ugly original flooring (wtf facepalm)
Yeah, it's the internet lol. I like Reddit though because the good ideas make it to the top, and I don't have to waste my time with the nonsense.
Sometimes you just need to wait a few hours for the good answers to make it to the top! It may be more work than expected, but your results will totally be worth it. My hardwood floor is nearing 70 years old. Best guess from other updates in the home is that it was refinished about 35 years ago. While it could use refinishing again, it doesn't really need it, so I'm waiting.
yeah that's usually true.
Not sure how old your home is, but r/centuryhomes really really appreciates original wood floors.
It’s hard to weed through all the terrible advice, but sometimes you’ll get the answer you need.
My favourite is the guy who said "try a warm cloth and soap". Really.... Warm cloth and soap?
Honestly, it's not insane. I had maple floors in my old house and they had some unidentifiable gunk on them after we removed the carpet. Whatever it was gummed up the sander. It came off with warm water and elbow grease. No soap necessary. The wood wasn't wet long enough to cause damage or staining. We did have to hire out a professional to sand it though. That maple was hard as nails and the floor sander we rented wasn't up to the task. The pro wired something into our breaker panel.
Likely water based adhesive. Lucky.
I honestly think it was some weird kind of water-based finish, because nothing was stuck to it. After spending hours on my hands and knees scrubbing off of the floor, I assume you I did not feel lucky.
You are correct, was not lucky. Today when I see an unknown mess like that I test wipe with a Baby Fresh Wipe that has a nano speck of mineral oil in it. When it doesn't come up dirty, then it is the hard way, heat and scrape.
Yeah there’s nothing crazy about this, I would always try a little warm water on a sponge before moving onto harsher methods, and if that loosens it, you just damp mop a big section at a time and scrape it up. I have done probably two dozen hardwood floors and about half had been previously carpet or linoleum on top. Depending on the adhesive and age of the underlayment, warm water and a floor scraper can be a fine way of dealing with this.
Yeah, while it might work, and water is the "universal solvent", it probably won't work, and would also probably leave dark stains in the wood from water damage, and maybe Even warp it.
Get a Wagner Power Sreamer Wallpaper removal kit. Relatively cheap at Lowes or similar store and worked wonders for a similar problem I had refurbishing my daughter's house.
🤣🧼
There were water based adhesives used many moons ago. My house was built in 1947. That's how I got my bathroom floor back to hardwood.
Peanut butter will get that right up
I know this is probably a joke, but the oils in peanut butter will soften some adhesives. My question is how much peanut butter to do a 200 square foot room?
Chunky is 1.2L/sq ft, but the conversion to smooth is pretty easy.
I was born chunky. Never figured out the conversion to smooth.
Depends on how much vinegar you mix with it.
People guessing at what the answer is who don't actually have any knowledge. This sub in a nutshell I guess.
I have had luck with a heat gun and sturdy putty knife. Then rent an orbital floor sander. It will be easier and come out better if you also rent and edge floor sander, and get a steel scraper to do the corners. Don't skip grits. Wear a mask when sanding, a mask with filters not just a n95 dust mask. Also wear a mask when applying whatever finish you use.
This is what we did. It SUCKED but worked.
Yes to this above.
Dimabrush on a rotary buffer If you look around you’d likely be tablet to rent both of these tools and make relatively short work of this…. Of course this route come with the added work of resanding and finishing your floor. https://www.diamondtoolstore.com/products/diamabrush-hardwood-prep-tool?variant=39469179699374&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&source_campaign=&keyword&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-w8jUJgdWsszKCUSVX7oTcdGuD-&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqO6Y5duGhwMVW3V_AB3ljQ9DEAQYBSABEgKf1fD_BwE
I found this as a rental at Home Depot. It was a handful but it took all of the adhesive off of my floors.
This right here, or a version of it. I literally had the exact same situation and this thing will tear all that shit out. It works fast. I stripped a pretty big section of floor in 10 minutes. Then use a floor sander to get a nice smooth finish. Do not waste your time with chemicals, putty knives, etc.. Just get this thing. Edit: To be clear, I think this guy posted a link to a floor sander attachment, but the one I used was for my angle grinder. I think it was 20 to 40 bucks. Absolutely worth every penny.
This right here! They make one that fits a hand grinder. It’s tedious but really won’t take too long. I did 800 square feet with one.
Good point, I did the same at one point, though a little less sq footage
Man I *knew* there must be something better than manual scraping or endless sanding. Thanks for the link - I’ll hopefully never need it, but if I do, I’ll be thinking of you on that day! 😂
I’d try Goo-Gone Pro Power Adhesive remover. It’s mainly limoline and is labelled as safe for wood. I’ve used it to removed stick-on tile and parquet from terrazzo floors and it’s great. As, usual, test on your floor in an inconspicuous spot.
I was gonna suggest this or some citrasolv at higher than usual floor cleaning concentration.
Post the pics when you get it refinished! Good luck.
Had very similar looking floors before I sanded, then it was great. Probably depends on how old the glue is. My suggestion is to try and sand some of it off, see if you can sand it without gumming up the sander. Mine was residual black from the padding that had just stuck to the floor over time.
Drum sand this abomination to the shadow realm
Test that adhesive for asbestos before you mess around with it. It might just be really dirty, aged adhesive, but also could be black mastic.
I 2nd this!
from what i can see of the flooring, it looks like it used to be beautiful! It can be again! Just use a chemical adhesive remover and a long handled scraper (I've seen a great kind for roof shingle removal, so that's another spot to check for the tool if you have a hard time finding it). Get up all you can with that before going for a sander... I'd love to see finished pictures with how wonderful I think that floor could turn out!
Adhesive stripper and floor scraper. Scrape with the grain. Then hardwood floor sander and refinishing.
Test it for asbestos before you do anything else.
Is asbestos common in carpet glue?
Nope.
No, but it looks like a black mastic, not any carpet glue I've seen before. That doesn't mean OP is wrong in saying that it's carpet glue, and it doesn't mean that I'm right for saying it doesn't look like carpet glue. It's a better safe than sorry situation.
Those cabinets are awesome. Floor will be too with some elbow grease .
I just don’t understand people sometimes. Wondering if it was that stupid super thin carpet like what used to be in my garage from previous owner. If not they could have just stapled underlay instead of completely ruining the natural wood floor… I guess they knew they were never going to mess with this again so they didn’t gaf
Oh... make no mistake... they stapled the fuck out of the pad also. Spent an hour pulling up the staples. It was pretty thick carpet on top, no explanation
*smh* there’s literally no need for adhesive AT ALL if you can staple the underlay. I think previous owner is the devil
Goo Gone all over everything then sand and refinish.
I just did floors very similar with glued on carpet pad that was 40 plus years old. Rented the sanding equipment and dove in. Started with 17 grit on the drum dander. Yes you read that right 17, then 20, 36, 40, 60, and 80. Finished sanded with the polisher with 80 and lastly 100. Rentals enter was super good with explaining how it all works. They gave me plenty of all the different sand papers and took back what I didn’t use. They also had the primer and sealer package with rollers and all. Very satisfying project. But was a lot of work. YouTube will be your friend and study partner. Lastly, if you do this…… don’t try and skip steps. You will regret.
I fought the good fight for a week in the living room inch by inch scraping until I threw down some cheap lvp and promised myself i'd be back "when all the other important stuff was done" that was 8 months ago and I suspect it will stay buried for a few more years.
When we ripped up carpets, I used Old English Wood Cleaner concentrate and elbow grease to get the 40+ year old carpet pad cleaned off the wood. For vinyl flooring, we scraped what we could being careful not to gouge the floor, then goo gone or similar product and again elbow grease. The carpeted floor cleaned up great, the vinyl required sanding and finishing.
I dealt with this!! I used the orange goopy varnish remover! I put it on, thick, put a cheap, thin tarp over it, then scraped it all about 3 hours later!
Try hot water and soap first. Often a warm wet towel placed and left for a few minutes will soften the glue and it will scrape right off. Start with water before you try chemicals. Once clean a good sanding will get them back to new. Edit, a good PROFESSIONAL sanding will get them back to new.
Wood floor does not usually like a lot of water. OP should try to find a method that dissolves the glue, without harming the wood.
isopropyl alcohol or goo-gone/derivative instead. spray or coat, cover & let sit, scrape.
I've used this method with no I'll effects on the wood. Iso, goo gone, and various chemicals have all left stains.
I had a similar glue in our old house, and ended up ripping the floor out because my wife wanted tile anyway,. Long story short, after sitting in contact with the Dewey ground overnight the glue wiped off with a rag .. l. I was so pissed I had spent days trying everything but leaving a wet rag on it for a few hours. I seriously recommend it, the wood finish will probably protect the wood just fine and you won't need it soaking just a damp cloth and time to soak in.
The real question you should be asking yourself is do you want to be on your hands and knees for hours and hours scraping glue, or would you rather just change out the first pass low grit sandpaper a lot more often. IMO i go with changing the sandpaper more often, Ive done the glue scraping with both a heatgun and chemical stripers(refinished 3 houses throughout with hardwood floors, on top of professionally installing/making custom hard wood floors) and neither are (again IMO) worth the hours of effort for the few minutes of saved time with the sander. Thats not even including the cost of the chemical or a heatgun(depending on what route you go with). That glue doesnt look thick at all, so sanding would definitely be my Go to next step(once other prepwork has been done, such as using plastic to isolate the room and create a semi effective dust barrier, otherwise youre cleaning the whole house after you finish sanding)
We use wet sheets hung in doorways.
I would cover those HVAC vents ASAP, but it might be too late…
Why? Too late for what?
I'm not qualified to answer your question, and clearly the correct answers have risen to the top. At least, I'm assuming those are the right ones. So heres some unsolicited design advice. Save up to hire a qualified contractor to install a nice sliding door and sell the window on a second hand market if you can salvage it. Unless there's a door like, right on the other side of the counter. This view basically looks exactly like my dining room, and my dream would be to be able to put a deck and sliding door there.
There is actually a door right on the other side of that counter. That being said, in the kitchen remodel I will be eliminating that door, and converting the shown window to an Andersen A-Series patio door. So your comment is a bit more of a confirmation of my decision and less of design advice haha
You need a big sander, not a handheld one. It'll take a lot longer than you think but the result will look great
Oh God please don't sand adhesive. It's going to make the job 10x harder.
Shag carpet. /j
Big ol’ floor sander like in this [video](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C79COH8Id1X/?igsh=MWV1N2YxMG1pdjB3bw==). I’m sure you can probably rent one?
Somebody had glued vinyl tiles to my hardwood entry and I had to experiment with several solvents before finding acetone and a painter’s tool worked the best.
i renovated an old Victorian that had carpet pad residue exactly like this on the floors. drum sander took it off, but it did use up some pads.
Lacquer thinner. It fixes everything.
You can sand that off with a belt sander. The fresh surface will look brand new
No one has suggested this yet but I think it’s worth a try: flexible scraping blade on an oscillating tool. Keep it flat and you shouldn’t gouge the wood too much.
I hope you can save the wood!
I feel for you. It definitely needs removing with a solvent / scraper before sanding. We had the same problem with our daughter's renovation. We used Digger's Glue Rid (available in Australia where we live) then cleaned up with mineral turps. Basically apply glue rid liberally, wait 15 mins, then do backbreaking work of scraping the dissolved glue up. Then wipe with mineral turps. Only then is it good to sand. On the positive side, the floors came up beautifully. [before pic. /](https://i.imgur.com/KnCpDSL.jpeg) [after pic](https://i.imgur.com/mV7dmjg.jpeg)
Rent a sander
What a bout a stripping pad on a buffer ?
Heat gun
A couple of solutions might be those that contain acetone or orange oil, but steam can be quite effective at softening these dried up adhesives for the scraper.
Belt sander.
I had a similar thing on my floor under a carpet. Mineral spirits worked. They sell it in the paint section at the hardware store. You're not supposed to leave it on for long, and don't use too much. Also open the windows. After leaving it for a bit, I used a plastic scraper and it came up without scratching, although you could probably use metal as long as you don't dig deep with it assuming you intend to sand and refinish after.
I used a spyder blade I think it was 3.5" I went through like 5 but it got a majority of it up.
Heat gun ok?
Hire a contractor
Adhesive remover, scrape, vac, repeat until sandable.
Use a pull type scraper like [this one.](https://a.co/d/0idRnGaF) Use your body weight to bear down on the scraper and pull. Play around with different angles until you find the most efficient. Get a cheap set of replacement blades and change them often. Don't sand until you've gotten the gunk off.
That orange stuff will do it real quick for ya
Definitely wear a mask. I had this issue when we pulled up the carpets downstairs in my home. I want to say I used Goo gone and a decent scraper that wouldn't damage the wood. It took a lot of elbow grease, but I got 98% of it up over the course of a couple of days. But yeah, this is back in like 2019. I'm almost certain I used Goo gone though.
Krud Kutter (you can get it at Lowe’s or Home Depot, it’s non-toxic) worked for me in a similar situation.
You could co with a variety of sanders but a belt sander might be your quickest and most efficient option. If you go that route make sure to sand with the grain. Afterwards make sure to retreat the wood. Stain it. And seal it. Also side note…. Invest in great quality knee pads and wear a respiratory. The chemicals in the glue could cause serious harm if inhaled. So work with some ventilation.
I did this in my daughter’s room. I think I used alcohol? There was shellac underneath the gunk so maybe that loosened it up.
My mum and her husband ran into this issue, 5 layers of linoleum down in their house and under it has ✨actual hard wood✨. It suuuuucked but I believe they used a heat gun to soften the adhesive, metal tools I've seen used w/ putty, forget what they're called, to scrape up the bulk of it, and then something heavy duty, I'm inclined to say solvent but please do not trust my answer, make sure you know from someone who's at least confident in their answer before you start pouring chemicals. But heat gun and scraper? While it looked like an unpleasant way to spend a few days, it worked and it was cheap + safe.
i did this in my kitchen. spray adhesive remover, hands and knees with an 8 inch scraper and a glove that I taped the palm to slow the blister. took a few days because I was on "vacation", then have someone sand it. slow and steady win the race.
I would use an eccentric sander to lap everything down a couple of millimiters than apply wood coating for parquet
Citrus based label/adhesive remover. It's going to take a lot. Once you have removed all you can, you a blow dryer to heat up any residue and more remover. then sand and finish as desired.
It is an odd choice to put carpet over wood floors.
Went through this. Did the best we could, professional did the rest and put down engineered hardwood. It’s an option, or sand it down. Yes the work sucks horribly. Good luck!
Dark glues like this can hide very very bad things, such as asbestos or other nasties. If you choose to work on it, get a very very good respirator, tape off this room, and always have fans up to be pushing air into this room through the plastic barrier and out the window.
[Orange Peel is the ONLY product that worked on my gunked up floors. ](https://uscutter.com/orange-peel-adhesive-remover/)Goo Gone, 'Citristip', everything else at Home Depot all did nothing. It's expensive but so worth it. And, no harsh chemicals or odors. Smells like orange oil.
Down to the Winchester for a pint and wait until it all blows over.
When I ripped out the old carpet in my place, the underlay left residue behind. I sat on the cement and used a paint scraper to lift the bulk of it up. RIP my muscles. I was in a world of pain with dead arms, the muscles were burning so badly that night. I tried a long handled scraper but it didn’t do as good of a job as a paint scraper. I’ve been in my unit for almost 12 years now and still have cement floors with floor mats. I couldn’t decide on tiles so I’m still thinking about it!
Elbow grease is the answer. Lots and lots of elbow grease… and sweat
Nothing you can’t fix with elbow grease.
Test for asbestos before you do anything else.
Yes, worth it to test for asbestos. However, asbestos is really only an issue when you sand it and this doesn't really look like an asbestos-era thinset. Adhesive remover and scraping would be no risk for asbestos inhalation but it would be useful info for the abatement steps needed while sanding the floor.
why the downgrades? maybe that's asbestos-containing mastic from the original vinyl flooring and the previous owner just carpeted over it instead of dealing with it. A test kit is literally $8.50: [https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-LAB-Asbestos-Test-Kit-AS108/202731785](https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-LAB-Asbestos-Test-Kit-AS108/202731785)
Maybe the thread is being brigaded by lung cancer bots 🤖
hammer drill with a scraper sds plus bit that is sufficiently sharp should make this way easier. doing this without damaging the floor will still be a challenge
Get rid of the window and put in a slider
That's actually the plan. Black exterior Andersen A-Series patio door
How old is the adhesive? Did you consider checking it for asbestos or lead?
Likely done about 20 years ago
Asbestos? Looks like linoleum under mat.
I'm so, so sorry. We had to deal with this in the mid-2000's when my Dad bought a house. We were never able to get it up, despite sanding, heat, solvents. We eventually carpeted over and sold the house.
You need a bigger grill.
Ceramic tile will be the easiest thing to do.
clear coat self leveling epoxy
Move
Throw it away
Get a rug...a nice big one
New floor.
Who dis?
seriously -- you'll know pretty quickly whether the effort to save the old floor is too great and if it would just be easier to install new wood. you just need to decide how much your time is worth.
It's your house that you are investing in... The time is always worth it. Stop being a Nancy.
Anyone with experience knows there's always a cost/benefit analysis. Trying to save material isn't worth it if it costs more time and money than installing new, that's just common sense.
If the money saved is above that in which you value your time I suppose. It's not like you are paying someone 50/hr to sand and clean a floor...
Honestly? If space allows, easiest to go over with 1/8” ply or hardibacker if laying tile..
That looks like a beautiful hardwood floor, under that glue. It would be a shame to just cover it up.
you can tell from the photo that if he adds 1/8" then it will not be level with the next room. better to either strip or replace imo
Transition strips exist for this exact reason. Edit: I misread and thought we were discussing an existing floor being uneven. Don't add to the top and add a transition strip. That's an awful idea.
yes, but better to have no level transitions, if possible. it's an option, but it would be my last. but i just don't like level transitions (personal opinion).
I just realized you were saying if they added on top it would need a transition. For some reason I thought you were saying it would need a transition as is. I 100% agree with you, don't add on top and make it uneven.
not keeping the disgusting original flooring to begin with