Carpet glue residue on a concrete floor is something hard for me to deal with after removing a carpet. However, you will probably ask yourself “can I paint over carpet glue on concrete?”. Here I will share the methods that I followed and will answer your problem based on my experience.
I had to renovate concrete floors in my house after removing the carpets. Also, I didn’t want to install a new carpet or hardwood or any other flooring material on top of the concrete.
So, I was tempted to paint concreted flooring regardless of its condition after carpeting removal. But it was entitled with many hazardous effects on my concrete floor over time. Here are the main reasons why it didn’t work in the way that I expected.
Lack of paint adhesion to the surface
The paint was not get completely adhered to the surfaces on top of unremoved adhesive residue. It tended to be peeled off gradually after continuous use.
Appearing dark spots on top of the coat
My concrete floor that has old carpet glue did not give a smooth texture on paint coating after the application. The areas of glue residue were visible as dark spots on top of the paint layer.
Therefore, painting over carpet glue or carpet adhesive on the floor is something I recommend to you. Because you must remove carpet glue from concrete that is left after carpeting removal.
So, it’s worthwhile to put an extra effort into removing carpet glue from concrete as the first step. Here are some steps that I used to remove the glue effectively before painting over the concrete floor.
Steps that I used to free the concrete floor from carpet glue
I have experimented with several methods to initiate the process to remove carpet glue. You can choose a particular method, depending on the severity and type of old carpet glue adhesive on top of the cement layer.
Pre step of carpet glue removal
Most carpet glue products contain toxic fumes and VOCs. So, I recommend you to use a steamer or hot water first on glue if it’s your concern.
Scraping the glue out from the surface
I used this step as I encountered a concrete surface with a high amount of glue presented. Because the more you scrape old glue the more you remove them from the affected surface.
Now if you are worried about a tool to get started with this task, I recommend you to buy Red Devil long handle heavy-duty scraper. I consider this the best tool to do household scraping tasks on the floors without bending down to do the same job by hand.
I use this tool like a paint scraper in order to get rid of issues removing the glue completely.
What I Like in Red Devil long Handle Heavy Duty Scraper?
- The form pad in the handle makes it easy and comfortable to use during the process
- It helps to get rid of stubborn carpet adhesive residue on concrete floors that cannot be easily wiped out by an adhesive remover
- This is even ideal to remove residue from vinyl tile or wood floors
- A lightweight tool that is easy to use and handle
- The blade is sharp and tough enough to strip any type of adhesive residue from the surface
- It cuts down time remarkably by replacing hand scrapers
- It has the capability to cover up unreachable corners with its narrowed head
- A sturdy tool taking care of heavy tasks on rough surfaces
What I Don’t Like about Red Devil Long Handle Heavy Duty Scraper
Unlike hand scrapers or sandpapers, I was afraid that I cause damage to the cement layer if I put a lot of weight on the tool during the process.
How Much Does It Cost?
It is a highly affordable price compared to other similar tools like a reciprocating saw that comes with a scraping attachment.
Cleaning the remainders and dust
I used sandpaper to remove the remaining glue residue. This improved the surface by adding a smooth texture to adhere to the paint.
However, I still got stubborn carpet glue residue that is present on the floor. So, I applied boiling water to the affected area. Because heat helped to soften the bond between glued spots and concrete layers.
Then I scrubbed on them to clean away the remainders and let them air dry.
I made sure to remove all dust and debris that were left after the scraping process by mopping with water. The floor was ready to get a fresh look and a color!
Painting the concrete floor
I recommend you to use a primer as a topcoat for the paint that gets applied. I used Epoxy primer which did a great job as it particularly helps to seal the oxygen from metal to prevent corrosion on the surface.
Unlike a cheap spray, it was an excellent primer for the concrete floors. Because it provided a better adhesion for the paint with concrete.
I applied the primer using a paint roller and let it dry at least for 24 hours. So that it could work as a sealer right before the application of paint.
I recommend you apply two coats of epoxy paint over the primer. It is ideal to wait at least 2 hours to apply another coat of paint.
I let it for around three days to dry the paint completely before using it.
Can I paint over carpet glue on concrete – Final thoughts?
Painting over a concrete floor may seem a simple task to do as long as you don’t get old adhesives on top of them. If you have got a large amount of old glue on concrete floors, I recommend you remove them before painting.
Because residue of adhesive did not allow the paint to get adhered to the surface properly on my flooring in the home. So, painting over carpet glue will be counterproductive unless removing them.
I used several methods to wipe away the carpet glue or adhesive after the carpet removal. It is just a matter of you choosing the effective and most suitable method depending on the severity of the affected area on your floor.
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