I'm ripping up the carpet in my basement and putting down vinyl tiles. I'm having a hell of a time getting the carpet glue off the cement floor. Does anybody have any tricks? It must be water based glue because hot water is breaking it down some,but then I have to scrape it by hand,and it's a big area. Any ideas????
:smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash:

You might be able to pour a self leveling mix on it, but that stuff can add up $$$ in a big space.

try pouring a solvent (wall paper stripper?) on it and scrape it up with a shovel?

good luck

Have removed glue with propane tourch.Once you heat it usually can be scraped. Heat and scrape just have fire extinguiser handy and try not to burn house down.My celler is done with really thick old vinal tile by my father back in the 60*s and if floor isnt perfectly level it looks like what underneath but your only going to walk on it.Its cold compared to rug on floor also.The notty pine walls help some but still work with ceramic heater next to wrapper bench.Definately gonna be a lot of work hope it wasnt done with the old asphalt black stuff to waterproof.I remember him doing when I was a kid every tile had to be heated and rolled and then the glue that got on tiles had to be taken off with polishing compound for cars.I remember him paying me like 5 cents a tile to polish them GOOD LUCK

Bawana is dead on.

Other wise use the thinset for the tile to level in between the left over adhesive.

Oh yea,

another thing that you might want to do is wash the floor to help pick up any fine dust. The thin set or whatever you choose will bind to the subfloor better.

I would use a hose attached to a water supply and then wipe down the floor with a bunch of old towels.

Good luck :)

beachwalker, your brain needs to thaw out now;) thankfully it is getting warmer :)
He said it was in a basement, not many basements have subfloor, and he said vinyl tiles, ya don't put those down with thinset, ya use mastic or buy the self adhesive ones, thinset is for ceramic oc porcelin or marble :smash: :laughs: ;)

fishaholic, good luck with that glue.

:o I'm just as bad, I called him fishsmith:smash:

)ok slip mastic. I thought ceramic tile.

subfloor = concrete slab. It becomes a subfloor after the tiles are applied.

Fishaholic, the mastic (thanks slip :) ) will not allow you to level between the glue with a vinyl tile :(


really. i am just making all this up. never done any work like this before.

:D

:D neither have I:smash:

drink some anti-freeze :)

hehe

i had to quit, got addicted to it last winter ;)

Thanx guys. I guess I'll get a 12 pack and a scraper and get to work. I've got about 350 sq. feet or this crap to scrape. Maybe I better get a 30 pack.:smash:

scrape up the tiles what ever glue is left behind leave it there . as long its adhered well . only have to remove what is loose . put down your mastic and tile from the middle out to each wall and dont use self stick tiles as they wont stay down for very long .

if that doesnt work hire a pro .
oh and it may take you 2 30 packs

and a bottle of prestone :cheers: :yak4: :yak5:

there is a solvent I got at home depot to remove vct tile from a commercial application. Even with the solution, it sucks. (It was a demo/rebuild of an architects office that had gotten flooded from above.) The demo, mostly the removal of the vct (vinyl tiles) was the wild card and ended up being more than 60% of the overall demo and disposal. Good luck. Hire some young inexpensive arms to grind that job out.

I used a garden edger and scraped the glue off. It worked fine but was physically demanding.

Way to go duke !

If you still have the energy spray the fllor down and wipe up any dust with some old towels.

The adhesive will stick way better...