Can anyone tell me how to remove glued down carpeting? I would like to remove kitchen carpeting and replace it with another type of flooring other than carpeting. I'm not sure how to do this and get all the glue off to recover this area.

 

Lady (is that really your name?),

Removing glue down carpet can be done with some effort and the right tools. You didn't say if the carpet had a rubber/foam backing or not. You'll have to remove all the baseboards if they were installed after the carpet. Take up the transitions too. Using a sharp utility knife, cut the carpet into managable strips or squares. Pry up a corner and start pulling (wear gloves). Some carpet may require narrower strips to get them up with less strain.

If the carpet had an attached cushion, it's prob'ly left on the floor now. You can buy replaceable blade scrapers that will help get this up. Try to keep the beveled edge of the blade parallel to the floor and scrape with glancing motions against the edges of the foam/rubber. If the blade tends to gouge the floor a lot, flip the scraper over and try it. The heads are angled and sometimes work one way better than the other.

You will undoubtedly gouge the floor under it in some places and this will need to be patched if you are installing a hard surface flooring over it. You may also want to consider installing an underlayment. If there is already an underlayment, you can try to smooth and level that or take it up (which means you don't have to scrape the rubber/foam) and put new down.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Jim
JMFloors

 

Hi Jim:

Mind if I step in? Good points as usual, and I thought I'd add another as I've had my share of removing carpet. I guess the type is important and I'm sure some of that rubber backed stuff is everywhere, as I recall my mother had it in a kitchen back in '74.

Leveraging a gluedown carpet tearout with the use of vise grips works well on plywood. I guess I've been lucky as nearly all of those applications have been easy

If it comes up rather easy and in chunks like 2' X 10' I just clamp on those vice grips and let my weight do the job. If lady has an easy tearout she should have "the big guy" do this.

Cya

 

Hi Ken,

Works just as good on concrete floors too. I guess I left out the part about using a tool to give you the advantage of leverage. I use a couple of clamping tools designed just for this operation. I don't know if they are rentable or not. But, pliers, channel locks and vice grips should make the job easier.

Thanks,

Jim
JMFloors
PS: I know some old posts from some guy (who'll remain nameless to protect the rest of us) advocated renting a power stripper (hmmm) -- don't bother. These machines have a tendency to get away from you if you're not careful and, before you know it, you're paying for a cabinet refinisher.

 

Removing the carpet adhesive and the foam backing is no longer a major problem The PEEL AWAY 5 product will do both jobs in about a 2/4 hour time frame. It is safe to use and large areas can be done at one time.