How To Remove This Foam Pad And Adhesive

in-too-deep · Mar 3, 2012

I'm cussing the guy that did this to my wood floor. 1/4 inch thick foam crap with adhesive that looks trowel-applied. I tried heat gun and scraper but it kinda just pushes the mush around. Any ideas? Maybe a really aggressive sander that won't plug? Liquid adhesive remover after scraping the foam off? Room is about 11x20. Thank you.

Brian Dan · Mar 3, 2012

Maybe easier to remove the plywood and replace it.
Brian

Kirk Grau · Mar 3, 2012

Can"t really offer any advice other than be as sure as you can that the floor is in good enough shape to warrant all the work going into it. I love hardwood floors, but often they were carpeted over for a reason and you might be time and money ahead just to go back with carpet.

Good Luck,

Kirk

Jason the Red · Mar 3, 2012

You may find a chemical such as lacquer thinner will dissolve it. From there you can refinish the wood floor as desired. Be careful of fumes though!!!

Another thought is to use a razor scraper to scrape it off, then sand down the wood floor and refinish.

in-too-deep · Mar 3, 2012

It's a finished hardwood floor under this crap. I'm trying to save that. Otherwise, yeah i'd probably just say the heck with it.

in-too-deep · Mar 3, 2012

That's a good point Kirk. Planning on sanding and refinishing if we can...but I hafta get rid of the black to see if I can save it. Thanks

Lesformore · Mar 3, 2012

I had a similar problem with our house, only the previous owner had glued some asphalt lino tile to the hardwood floor. After many trials I found out that a heat gun and a dull putty knife for a scraper worked the best.It meant go slow and be careful not to gouge the wood,but I saved the floor.

Lurch. · Mar 3, 2012

I had that same stuff. I made a straight scraper. Almost like a garden hoe straightened out. I Sharpened it and fastened it to a 6Ft chunk of well pipe. When you fire that up it takes everthing down to bare. It is so heavy it takes nail heads off too! Have loaned it to many friends and family.

Sean Feeney · Mar 3, 2012

12/24/36 grit drum sander one of them will work
keep sander moving

rustyfarmall · Mar 3, 2012

Went through the same thing several years ago. Found out that a heat gun and a scraper is the best way to get rid of MOST of it. Mineral spirits will clean up what is left. Make sure you have ample ventilation.

Kirk Grau · Mar 3, 2012

I understand.

Had some carpet directly adhered to hardwood floors at a previous house of ours. Carpet was in bad enough shape that we pulled it up to explore the option of sanding floors. Not sure if it was a good thing or not, but it was obvious once the carpet was up even with all the glue residue that the floors were in awfully rough shape (missing sections, patches, splits, etc.) so we just went back with carpet.

Current house had carpet over the wood floors as well, but it had been stretched as usually done. Pulled it up and all the staples holding the pad down, rented a sander for a weekend and have some really good looking floors in my opinion. Have a couple of other rooms we want to do the same with, but who knows what we will find for floor under the carpet.

Kirk

rrlund · Mar 3, 2012

Rototiller?

in-too-deep · Mar 3, 2012

Scrape as much foam off as you can and use adhesive remover. Probably a couple applications. ... Hmmm... I should get some knee pads.

in-too-deep · Mar 3, 2012

: )

If that doesn't do it...explosives.

Janicholson · Mar 3, 2012

Very sharp garden Hoe pulling keeps it from diging in, down pressure gets to the wood.
Then a disk or drum floor sander with 40 grit for the first pass to get at the glue. Wear a mask for the sanding. Jim

Unruh · Mar 3, 2012

I've found that a sharp wood plane works pretty good for taking up the hard glue. Keep it sharp, though.

in-too-deep · Mar 3, 2012

I can't wait til I get to use a sander! It seems so far away right now.

Paul from MI · Mar 3, 2012

Carpet installer have a machine to remove this kind of stuff, I think. Might check with one about it.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 3, 2012

I removed some tile from a kitchen floor once. There was a glue residue. I accidently spilled a little cola on the floor. It cleaned the spot considerably.

Janicholson · Mar 3, 2012

I will ad that any solvent that melts the glue/pad, might allow the rsulting juice to penetrate the wood, making it stained and unusable. Jim

Fritz Maurer · Mar 3, 2012

A cup wire brush on a 9" grinder?

OH Boy · Mar 3, 2012

I wonder what a power planer would do to it?

in-too-deep · Mar 3, 2012

I kinda thought of that too. Thanks.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 3, 2012

Harbor freight 42" air scraper, item # 37073, then break out the floor sanders.

Robert in Md. · Mar 3, 2012

Have done several kitchen floors like this. I took a 1500 watt electric heater and disconnected the tip over switch. I then turned the heater so it faced the floor and built a stand so the heater was about 10 inch from the floor pointing the heat down.
This heated an area about 14 by 8 inches until it soften. I moved the heater along and scraped like crazy on the heated area. Worked pretty well.

I also made a long scraper out of a car leaf spring about 20 inches long so I could really push on the scraper.

How To Remove This Foam Pad And Adhesive

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