How do you get carpet padding off the floor when it is glued to the wood floor underneath?

Question

Our house was built in 1930 and there are beautiful hardwood floors under the carpet that we would like to get to. However, carpet was put down sometime in the 60's and they glued the carpet padding to the floor. We got the carpet up, but we are having to slowly chisel away at the padding. Someone please tell me there is an easier way.

Answer 1

The easier way is to call a floor sanding professional. It will be a little more expensive than slowly scraping away with your fingernails, teflon spatular or anything else that is not harder (thus leaving scratches) than your hardwood floor.

An experienced professional will use the proper grit sandpaper to "melt" the glue off the floor without the fire/explosision danger of stripping chemicals. They will then provide a "like new" finish after additional sanding. (I recomend 2 sealer and two finish coats for residential floors).

One thing to pay attention to, (besides the number of years of experience of the contactor) is the cut marks made by the previous carpet installers. I've seen razor knife cuts in floors that were all but impossible to get out. I've done it and gotten good results, but I've been doing this for a long time.

good luck!

Answer 2

Most of the pad should come up when you pull it and the rest will come up with pretty much any kind of scraper. I would know because i do it every day.

Answer 3

Try using a heat gun (or hair dryer) to loosen the glue.  Scrape with a wide putty knife (carefully, to avoid scratches).  You can heat the putty knife & see if that helps.

Be careful not to start a fire.

Answer 4

use a big scraper to get rid of most of the glue, I really think that you should rent an industrial floor sander to do this sort of job. You can rent them at Home Depot. And wear a mask!

Answer 5

You will never get the glue up, but there is an easier way to chisel up the padding.  See if you have or try to borrow a long handle ice scrapper.  I am talking about the flat metal blade ones used to scrap ice from sidewalks.

Answer 6

I am afraid I don't think their is an easier answer.  We just put new carpet in a duplex we own and when my husband pulled up the old carpet we had the same thing.  For us he just got up as much as he could, all the pad came up but left a thin layer of the glue yuck.  We just had the carpet installer go over it, no big deal.  When the carpet installer was there he made a comment about "don't you just hate how they used to put pad down with glue?".  

One idea I do have if you need to refinish the floors anyway.  Try that DIF stuff you can get to take down wallpaper?  It is messy to work with but it just might loosen the glue on the floor enough to make it easier?  

Hope this helps.....