HELP!!!! Removing old flooring (vinyl, phone, refinish, paint)

[cynwldkat]

Okay..I got up the linoleum but now there is a bunch of old glue left on the floor. And it doesn't want to come up. Any good ideas on how to remove this glue sure would be appreciated.

[carolinadreamin]

I'm sorry I can't advise you on how to remove it but can caution you to be aware that there could be asbestos in the glue, or other toxic substances that would make it hazardous to deal with.

When I took up our linoleum floor it was the sheet kind and not squares and had none of the black glue you're talking about. Still, we got nervous and had a sample of the flooring and paper backing tested. It came back positive for asbestos but not the friable kind, so with proper techniques we could remove it safely ourselves.

I'd suggest having your tile and the glue tested before you do anything. If it comes back as containing toxic chemicals you can ask the poeple who test it how you should proceed. We found someone to test our samples in the phone book. I believe it was listed under engineering or environmental services. It cost around $25 and was well worth doing to give us peace of mind we weren't poisoning ourselves.

Good luck on your project!

[cynwldkat]

This is an off-white glue. The floor is only 10 years old so I don't think it would contain the asbestos you are talking about...but I could be wrong.

[carolinadreamin]

I can't comment on whether you should have it tested or not. That's a personal choice. But how we removed our floor was inch by inch with a handheld scraper, using a water sprayer to soften the paper backing and decrease the chance of the asbestos from becoming airborne.

Even if it has no asbestos, most flooring adhesives are manufactured using chemicals and aren't all natural or inert, so I would find a way to hand remove it so you can be careful and not use any kind of power tools/sanders or other aggressive means that would kick up lots of dust and unknown things contained in the glue.

They don't call it resilient flooring for nothing. It's not installed with a mind to easily removing it. We saw that when we picked up our carpet and found swirls of glue needlessly applied to our beautiful terrazzo floor. It could have been installed using tacking strips alone, but they are hired to lay down a new floor as securely as possible.

[cynwldkat]

I hear you! And I am trying putting a towel over a small area and putting very hot water on the towel and leaving it for a little while. I'm using a tool made specifically for doing this sort of job..with a razor blade in it. It's not really doing much but as you said they didn't put the floor down for easy removal! Guess I wanted some magical method to make it less difficult. It's not happening!!

[carolinadreamin]

I heard about all kinds of glue-softening methods including using a hot iron over a towel. That did nothing except make me sweat. (The floor I worked on was in the garage!) I tried Goo Gone and it did soften up the tacky backing but took forever and it's expensive if used on large areas. It also has chemicals in it and I was wary of mixing up more of a chemical cocktail to handle.

I also used a plain ol' single edge razor in a standard holder and with lots of elbow grease that worked well for almost half the floor. It was quite time consuming and only brought up thin ribbons at a time. I also injured my thumb and it still hurts a year later! My husband must have felt sorry for me and brought home a larger, stronger hand scraper with a good handle that was like going from a donkey to a wild mustang as far as speed goes. After that I was getting it off the floor very fast (in comparison to the razor.)

It looks like a paint scraper but metal and much sturdier. The edge is sharp when you buy it and ours got dull by the time I was done, so if you choose this method, buy two.

Unfortunately you're right about this task: there's no quick fix. Hopefully the end result is worth the pain.

[cynwldkat]

I had to laugh at your post because I can so relate! I tried the plain razor and my husband came in and said that was like taking a water pistol to a gun fight! He was right. That's when I went to the kind of tool you ended up using. And yes, it's still a slow process but faster then the razor. Getting the glue wet only made it sticky but not easier to remove. I tried goof-off too but the cost and those vapors worried me as well so decided not to even try that any further. Well, I have about an 8" strip done so far....ugh! I'm always looking for an easy way out but there just is no easy way out here. Thanks for the laugh and for feeling like I have company in this job. Horray you finally did get it done. I will post to let you know when I too complete this work.

[cdelena]

I scrapped off two layers of vinyl flooring and associated glue and leveling material. It was a terrible job that took a full week but there was no other was to accomplish it in that particular area. If I had any ventilation I would have tried some of the chemical solutions but in a closed area it was not feasible. I went through about fifty scraper blades!

[carolinadreamin]

TWO layers plus glue!? You have my respect!
Congrats on finishing that awful job. Yay!
Just curious: what type of floor was underneath the vinyl and what did you do to refinish it or replace it?
We have the terrazzo as I said but it's chipped in spots and has an overall yellowish staining from the adhesives. Even looking this way I still greatly prefer it over that horrible vinyl. That stuff should be outlawed!

[Threestep]

Friends of ours gave up and sanded. They rented a commercial sander and it worked fine.