How Do I Remove Carpet Glue From Concrete Stairs?

Use certain supplies to remove carpet glue from concrete stairs.

Many homeowners carpet their concrete stairs for style, comfort and safety purposes. Although carpets are durable, they eventually become shabby from foot traffic, and require removal. Since carpet glue is used to adhere carpeting to concrete stairs, sticky glue residue often remains on concrete after carpets are removed. Carpet glue residue interferes with new flooring installation and ruins the appearance of bare concrete. Fortunately, certain supplies are effective at removing carpet glue from concrete stairs.

Things You'll Need

• Floor scraper
• Broom
• Work gloves
• Soy-based adhesive remover
• Paintbrush
• 1/4 cup trisodium phosphate
• 1 gallon warm water
• Mop bucket
• Nylon scrub brush
• Sponge mop
• Industrial wet vacuum

Instructions

1. Using a floor scraper, scrape off as much of the glue from the cement as you can. Use a scraper with a long wooden handle and a straight-edged blade.

2. Sweep the cement with a broom to remove loose debris. Inspect the cement for remaining glue residue.

3. Open the windows in the room to allow adequate air ventilation. Put on work gloves to protect your hands.

4. Using a paintbrush, apply soy-based adhesive remover over the remaining carpet glue. Read the manufacturer's directions to determine the specific amount of adhesive remover to apply over the area.

5. Allow the adhesive remover to sit for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. In most cases, soy-based adhesive removers can soften carpet glue in about 30 minutes.

6. Using the floor scraper, scrape up the remaining carpet glue from the cement stairs. Once the carpet glue is completely removed from the cement, mix 1/4 cup of trisodium phosphate with 1 gallon of warm water in a mop bucket.

7. Using a nylon scrub brush, scrub the concrete stairs with the solution. Once the cement is completely clean, rinse out the mop bucket, and fill it with warm water.

8. Using a sponge mop, rinse the cement with the water. Once the cement stairs are thoroughly rinsed, remove all water and debris from the stairs with an industrial wet vacuum.

Tips & Warnings

• You can substitute a nonflammable chemical stripper for the soy-based adhesive remover.

References

• Concrete Network: Cleaning Floors Before Concrete Staining--Tips From the Pros
• All Things Concrete: How to Remove Carpet Glue From Concrete