glue removal

[Mike in Calgary]

Just a quick question. I recently had to have a basement carpet removed from some rental property I have and, as you're probably aware, when some carpet is removed the rubber backing and the glue holding it to the concrete is left behind. I have managed to get to rubber backing off the concrete but the glue is left behind. Does anybody know of a quick, easy way to remove the glue so I can either replace the carpet or, preferably, put down lino or tiles? A salesman at the local Revelstoke store suggested I use a citrus-type of cleaner and a lot of elbow grease but that seems like way too much work for my lazy butt. Any suggestions?

Mike

[Bob Hamilton in Forest, O]

No suggestions, but a warning. Whatever you do, _do not_ use a solvent based chemical to remove the adhesive. A close friend of mine lost his house when the fumes found the pilot light on his propane stove while doing exactly that. He was just lucky not to lose his life.

Good Luck!
Bob

[Kelly Dukes , Rosetown Sk]

Mike: I woulg try some heat, like with a hair dryer ,or heat gun. I have had good results this way. It's slow and a might stinky , but short of solvent (dont' go there) It works .Kelly

[Mike in Sarnia]

Flooring installers use a heavy duty scraper to remove glue residue after a carpet has been torn up. It has an extendable handle 4'-6' long and the business end is about a 10" blade. It's fast, relatively easy and does a good job. I had the same problem when I removed my basement carpet and I rented one of these scrapers from a local rental store. If you can't rent one, you may be able to strike a deal with a flooring installer that does some work on the side. I would avoid using any type of solvents.

[Alain from Aylmer QC]

Hi Mike,

I had the same problems a while back with vinyl flooring on a cement floor... Except I had 2 layers to remove...

Anyways, do not use solvent or anything like that! I had called Armstrong for help and they said that there is a product that exists but would basically fry the paint on your walls...

use a straight edge hoe, it works pretty good except for the areas where your cement might not be even where you would need to use a small scraper.

Good luck!

[Jim O'Connor]

Hi Mike, I had the same project awhile back. I agree with others, STAY AWAY FROM SOLVENTS. I got some T.S.P. and mixed with hot water. You can mix it to a light/heavy paste. Spread it on and leave for awhile. Scrape and rinse. CT will have it. Read all instructions on the box carefully.

My penny's worth
Jimo

[Wayne]

Tool Rental stores have both manual and electric floor scappers.
Regards,
Wayne