Any idea how to remove glue from wooden floors

tash08 · 10-25-2008, 08:45 AM

Hello, I am after pulling up a carpet from one of the bedrooms to find that the carpet was glued to the floorboards! I hired a belt sander and am trying to remove the glue with that but it is proving really slow and not very effective. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to get the glue off the wood...?

iMisspell · 10-25-2008, 05:19 PM

More then likely if you are tying to sand it off, its just "gumming" up on the sand paper (disc or belt).

Scrapping or finding some kind of solvent that will remove the glue but not damage the floor would be something which i would look in to.
If you start to scrap, i would try and move in the same direction for as long as possible, scrapping back and forth might just "roll" the glue around.

If you state what kind of wooden floor (hardwood, plywood, etc.) the glue is stuck to it might help people answer a little better.

joed · 10-25-2008, 08:43 PM

You need a floor sander not a belt sander. Use course paper to remove the glue and work down to finer grits for finishing.
If the finish is still on the floor then paint stripper might work. It will loosen the finish and the glue will come up as well.
Heat gun is also an option.

hostchecker · 10-25-2008, 10:54 PM

Either a sander or a glue remover

wilderstyle · 10-28-2008, 01:29 AM

HI, sorry. I think you need to de-glue before sanding. If you sand first, especially with a belt sander you may damage the floor. I live in a very old house. My favorite safe floor cleaner is WD-40 and steel wool. You can try Goo Gone, but whatever you try, try it in a not so obvious area. Oily stuff is messy but won't damage the floor. Be careful with the word Solvent.

Brik · 10-29-2008, 07:24 PM

I agree with the folks that say a scraper is the way to go.
See this post for some scraper recommendations and some before and after pictures. Scraping old adhesive