Removing
old carpeting can reveal a hidden treasure of beautiful flooring underneath. Unfortunately, if your carpet was glued down, this beautiful treasure is covered with a layer of hard, crusty crud. Luckily, this is removable, from virtually every surface, with the right tools and a good dose of patience and hard work.
Stone, Tile or Concrete Flooring
This method can be used on marble, granite, or other natural stones, as well as tile or concrete flooring.
What You Will Need:
- Adhesive Remover (such as TileGuard, available at home improvement stores)
- Paintbrush or Sponge
- Plastic putty knife (wider ones will work faster)
- Plastic Dish Scrubbers
- Rubber Gloves
- Old towels or rags
- Fan (for ventilation)
- Sealant for your floor type
The Removal Process:
- Begin by testing a small area of your flooring with the adhesive remover to be sure it does not damage the flooring in any way. Adhesive removers are acidic, which is not a friend of some natural stones. It may take off the sealant, which can be replaced, but make sure it does not damage the actual stone or you may have a larger problem on your hands.
- If the test spot is undamaged, then you are ready to start with the entire room.
- Begin by putting on the rubber gloves to protect your hands. You can place a fan in the room or in a nearby window to help with circulation. Sometimes adhesive removers can have strong or unpleasant fumes.
- Using a paintbrush or sponge, dampen the glue with the adhesive remover according to manufacturer’s guidelines.
- Let the solution set on the glue and soften it. You will need it become sticky before it is removable.
- Use the plastic putty knife to gently scrape away the old glue. Be careful not to damage the stone surface or crack the tiles. It is not recommended that you use any type of sharp blade due to the increased chance of damage.
- When you have scraped off as much glue as possible, apply a small amount of adhesive remover to any remaining residue and wipe away with an old towel, rag, or plastic dish scrubber.
- Repeat this as necessary, monitoring the stone closely for any damage.
- Once your floor is free of all the glue, you may need to reapply the sealant.
- Begin by thoroughly cleaning the floor (for information on cleaning floors, see our articles on cleaning marble and granite)
- Apply the sealant following the manufacturer’s instructions on the package.
- If this job is too daunting to complete by yourself, you may want to have a professional remove the glue and/or reseal the floor.
Wood Flooring
What You Will Need:
- Adhesive Remover (available at home improvement stores) or
- Mineral Spirits (good choice if you don’t want heavy fumes)
- Paintbrush or Sponge
- Plastic putty knife (wider ones will work faster)
- Rubber Gloves
- Old towels or rags
- Fan (for ventilation)
- Sealant for your floor type
The Removal Process:
- Begin by looking closely at the glue to find out what type it is. If it’s tan or dark brown in color, then it’s probably tar based. For this type of glue, mineral spirits will work to remove it. If it’s yellow color, then it’s probably general carpet adhesive. This is removable with some chipping and scraping and adhesive remover.
- Begin by putting on the rubber gloves to protect your hands. You can place a fan in the room or in a nearby window to help with circulation. Sometimes adhesive removers can have strong or unpleasant fumes.
- You may want to try and chip away some of the glue prior to applying anything, especially if it’s general carpet adhesive.
- Then, using a paintbrush or sponge, dampen the glue with the mineral spirits or adhesive remover according to manufacturer’s guidelines.
- Let the solution set on the glue and loosen it. You will need it become loose before it is removable.
- Use the plastic putty knife to gently scrape away the old glue. Be careful not to damage the wood surface. A blade can be used to remove stubborn areas, but be sure to use it cautiously, protecting both yourself and the floor from accidents.
- When you have scraped off as much glue as possible, apply more mineral spirits or adhesive remover to an old towel or rag and gently scrub away any remaining residue.
- Repeat this as necessary, until all the glue is gone.
- You may want to mop the area with plain water and let dry completely.
- Before sanding or using any electrical equipment in the room, let the flooring dry and the room air out for 24 hours.
- If this job is too daunting to complete by yourself, you may want to have a professional remove the glue and/or refinish the floor.
Removing the Glue from Carpet Pile
If you want to remove the glue from the carpet itself, for example if the glue has spilled onto the carpet or soaked up through the carpet, we have a special guide just for that. Here is the link: How to Remove Carpet Glue from Carpet Pile.
Additional Tips and Advice
- When looking for adhesive removers, first check the companies that make the adhesives. They often make a remover as well.
- Adhesive removers are generally solvent-based. This means they are highly flammable and the fumes are toxic so you may want to wear a face mask and ensure good ventilation.
- Many site readers have commented that using steam is an easy way to remove the glue. However, even though no chemicals are used, the steam will heat the glue and may still cause fumes. If you don’t have a steam cleaner, you may have success with just hot water instead. Keep in mind that water should not sit for very long on some types of floors, especially wood.
- Many site readers have also commented that they had success using Easy Off Oven Cleaner. However, we recommend testing this in a small hidden area first. One site user said they tried it on their wood floors and it not only removed the finish, but also damaged the wood.
My sister-in-law swears by using a plastic putty knife and a heat gun – she recommended to me to buy the Black & Decker one – it is inexpensive and she still uses it today (10 years later). She did both her dining room and living room with this method and stated it worked great. If you have issues with fumes as I do, there is a brand of Orange adhesive remover that you can use for the tougher spots and it is a little easier on the nose, but I still would recommend using a mask.
If the glue is yellow, use ammonia at full strength. Just pour it on and let it level itself out, do not spread it thin. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then scrape off with a heavy duty scraper. Tungsten carbide scrapers are available at Lowe’s and Sherwin Williams and are worth the investment. Push/pull scrapers also work well. Ammonia is much cheaper than industrial adhesive removers. If you decide to use paint remover or industrial adhesive remover, put it on very thick and cover it with wax paper, this will prevent it from fuming as bad and drying out. It can even be left over night in this state. Use adequate ventilation and a canister type respirator when using ammonia or any industrial solvent. Once the majority of the glue is removed you can sand. Hope this helps.
I have been told that a commercial type round sander would sand the glue off, is this possible? I am just going to lay down a vinyl floor.
I had carpet glue on my boat seats and on my porch floor. I did everything, guess what really worked? Oven cleaner – Easy Off! I sprayed it on, waited overnight and the next day I was in shock! I took a scraper and up it came, like butter! This saved me days of work and did not take the paint off.
I see several references to wearing a mask to protect yourself from fumes. The masks that you would find in the hardware store offer NO protection from fumes or asbestos (found in pre-1990’s floor and ceiling tiles). The canister masks mentioned can also be dangerous if not fitted properly or not equipped with the proper canister. These respirators also can trigger a heart attack if you have underlying heart problems, so just keep this in mind when using toxic or flammable solvents indoors.
The oven cleaner worked great! Some idiot carpenter glued carpet with no padding all over my cherry wood floor!
I am absolutely amazed – I tested the Easy Off Oven Cleaner on a tile (our toilet floor area was covered in carpet glue from a mat we were using) and within ten minutes it was coming off like butter – just like Fred said!
Can the oven cleaner be used on carpet glued to vinyl tile?
On larger areas, before going down the chemical roads, try a decent steam stripper on the old, yellow carpet glue. It’s worked countless times for me. Environment friendly and not expensive.
Can I use oven cleaner on linoleum flooring?
Tricky job that many think may be impossible without a professional, but your instructions are spot on.
I removed the carpet because it got wet. One thing I noticed is that on the areas the carpet was still wet, the glue came off along with the carpet, it stuck to the carpet, but in the areas where it was dry, it stuck to the floor. Therefore, I would like to advice everybody to do as Peter says: use a steamer as your first choice, mainly because is environmentally conscious.
When I first removed the carpet, some areas of the concrete floor had glue and some others didn’t and I (being the mediocre person I am) painted over the glue… but now I would love to remove the glue along with the paint over it, is there any advice on that?
Oscar,
You can try removing both the paint and glue at the same time. To do that, you will need a solvent that is safe for the concrete and can be used to remove both the type of paint that you have and also the glue. Mineral spirits might be a good choice. General paint thinners, such as Lightening Strip, also might be good options. If needed, you can always remove the paint first, then the glue.
Source: HowToCleanStuff.net – How to Remove Paint from Concrete
Source: HowToCleanStuff.net – How to Remove Paint from Wood Trim
Source: HowToCleanStuff.net – How to Clean Old Carpet Adhesive Off Brick
WOW!!! The Easy Off worked wonders. Husband and I just purchased an older home; the bedrooms have this ugly hard-feeling shag carpet and the rest of the house has beautiful original hardwood. So, last night we started our journey to rip out the carpet in the office, and discovered the floor was awesome, but had that nasty black hunky glue. Was using hot rags and a brush, got tired and did my “Google Queen” search, as my husband calls me. Lol, who would of thought EASY OFF. I use it on my drip pans and the BBQ grill and they look new. Thank you, Fred, for your comment. One room down and two too go. And the oven cleaner is under $4.00 guys.
Did the floor finish get ruined? Yes, tackled two bedrooms today and got all the carpet and padding done and ugh, sticky junk all over. 🙁 The floors are decent so I don’t want to ruin them.
Will the oven cleaner work to remove carpet glue from concrete?
I’m thinking of installing a vinyl floor over hardwood floors (rental). My worry is…will the glue from the vinyl floor damage the hardwood floors? Will the glue get embedded into the wood and it won’t come off even after I sand the floors? Advice?
Will Easy Off oven cleaner work on concrete tile? I need to remove brown glue in front of the entrance door.
So pleased with the tip about using oven cleaner to remove old glue on the floor. It worked like a charm.
To any of you that have used oven cleaner to remove yellow carpet glue from wood floors…
How long did you leave it on for before you scraped it off? Any damage or discoloration to the wood floors? Thanks in advance for your time and advice!
I am taking my carpet up in my spare bedroom. It was glued down about 36 years ago. I cut out sections of carpet, then use a long handle ice scraper to take off most of the foam padding. I then take hot water and a rag, and soak the floor, wait for about 10 of 15 minuets, then use a paint scraper to scrape off the rest of the foam and glue. You have no fumes to worry about and everything comes up fairly easily.
Baby oil is the best way to remove carpet glue.
So, I tried using Easy Off oven cleaner to remove the adhesive from my wood floors. I don’t recommend it to anyone. The varnish came up with the glue and then the wood turn black wherever the oven cleaner touched. After trying everything on this site, I found that using a wet dish cloth and hot iron worked the best. Steam the glue through the wash cloth and it will loosen up enough to scrape off easily. Hopefully this helps anyone else starting their project.
Started this project not really knowing what to expect. Glue and bits of carpet stuck all over my stairs. Disaster! I tried scraping what I could off. Tried the Easy Off with no luck. That didn’t seem to do anything at all. I have a steamer mop, I steamed, scraped and repeated this process until I got the majority of the glue off. The steam worked the best, but is still labor intensive and it stinks!
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your comments. We are renovating our church here in Belfast, Maine and are removing one floor and putting two new ones into the huge brick edifice. We discovered a varnished Douglas Fir tongue-in-grove wood floor under the old wall-to-wall rug. We carefully took up the tongue-in-grove pieces (5 ft to 15ft. or so long strips X 3.5 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. Each piece is varnished (circa. 1926 — based on the signed and dated pieces we found) and then is covered with dark yellow adhesive. We want to use the old flooring for the floor of the new sanctuary. About 20 people volunteer and pulled the old tongue-in-groove slats up and pulled all the old rectangular head, tapered nails out of each board during this three-day Labor Day holiday weekend. Whew! Tough & incredibly dusty work.
So now, what is the best way to proceed? Sounds like putting wet dishcloths over the boards and using a hot iron to intensely “steam” each section of plank and then scrapping it off is the best way to go. I’m worried about trying to recruit enough volunteers to do all this scrapping. Before we move forward, are there any other easier ways? Would it be better to hire a professional floor restorer at this point? Also concerned about toxicity (asbestos, etc.) of the steam and/or dust if the floor is sanded after it is laid down. Any more ideas? Suggestions? Thanks for taking the time and effort to respond?
Baffled in Belfast
My carpet, which is inside/outside type, is attached to both wood and carpet so hard I could not remove 2″ square in five minutes. I need more help, something that goes through the carpet to the glue to loosen it some so I can remove it.
Deeb,
The mineral spirits can be poured over the carpet. If enough is used, it will soak through. If the carpet is thin, you could also try using steam; the heat will loosen the adhesive so the carpet can be pulled off. Good luck!