How to Remove Glued-Down Carpeting
Very often, new homeowners can remove glued-down carpet to reveal beautiful hardwood or stone floors beneath. Finding beautiful floors beneath old carpet is a wonderful discovery, but removing the carpet and glue that often binds the carpet to the floor can be frustrating and difficult. To remove glued-down carpet you need a few store-bought materials, but the process itself is relatively simple and straightforward. It is important to do the job correctly to avoid damaging the floor beneath the carpet. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Adhesive remover
- Rubber gloves
- Sponge or paintbrush
- Cloth or rag
- Putty knife
- Fan
Instructions
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1
Pull as much of the carpet up with your hands as you can, working gently to avoid damaging the floor beneath.
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2
Test a small patch of your flooring with your adhesive remover. This is to ensure that the chemicals won't damage the floor while they are working to remove the glue. It may take off the sealant on the stone or wood, but that can be replaced. What are you trying to do is prevent damage to the actual wood or stone.
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3
Put on your rubber gloves, turn on any available fans and open all the windows in the room to encourage good ventilation. You may want to wear a disposable face mask during this process.
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4
Chip away at some of the excess glue on the floor. Use the handle of a paintbrush or the sharp edge of a screwdriver.
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Dampen your sponge or paintbrush with the adhesive remover, closely following the instructions written on the bottle or packaging.
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Allow the solution to settle in until it loosens and softens the glue. Use the information on the packaging as a guide when considering the time the adhesive remover is likely to take.
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Pull up the carpet slowly, section by section, as you remove the glue binding it to the floor.
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Work gently to avoid damaging the floor surface underneath. Pry slowly and deftly at the glow as you work it away from the surface of the floor. Try to avoid ripping up large chunks of the carpet at once, as that can pull up the finish on the wood floor beneath.
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9
Scrape off all the glue you can remove with the putty knife.
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10
Apply some adhesive remover to a cloth or rag and rub it over the remaining glue residue. Repeat these steps as necessary until all of the glue has been removed.
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