Recently I pulled up the old carpet attached with glue in the basement to install Vinyl planks. However, I was puzzled by the question, “do I need to remove carpet glue before laying Vinyl?”. I will share my experience for you to get through for a perfect Vinyl plank installation.
Vinyl flooring is always a good choice over other types of flooring to fight against excess moisture and spills. That was the reason for redoing the floor of the basement of my house with new Vinyl planks.
However, I ended up with glue residue spread all over the floor under the old carpet. But you don’t have to necessarily get rid of all adhesive remainder just to install a new Vinyl flooring successfully.
But I recommend you remove them as much as you can, just to ensure a tight bond between the new Vinyl plank, subfloor, and adhesive layer. Also, you need to level up uneven spots on the surface of the subfloor to increase the life span of the new flooring.
Whether the subfloor is concrete or wood, there are several methods for you to try out to remove carpet glue residue and make the floor debris-free. For this, you don’t need to start with pricy chemicals like adhesive removers, which should be the last option.
Instead, I started scraping the old carpet glue from the wood surface. Yes, you need a specialized tool to do this job, and for me, it was Bahco 665 Carbide scraper that went well on my wood subfloor.
The reason that I recommend Bahco 665 Carbide scraper is simply because it removed glued counterparts without taking much wood off the surface.
What are the things that I love about Bahco 665 Carbide scraper?
- Simply because the scraper helps to preserve the patina and make sure only the carpet glue residue is removed. Unlike other heavy-duty scrapers, it doesn’t damage the wood finish during the process.
- It provides a 2 component handle which is convenient to scrape for a longer period.
- The plastic knob attached to the tool enables two-handed operation, which was easier to use for me to remove stubborn carpet glue residual in some spots.
- This is a multipurpose scraper that guarantees paint, wax, and varnish removal on any surface but specializes in hardwood flooring.
- The three-sided blade ensures fast work on the surface, removing more carpet glue residue with less effort.
- The heavy-duty blade can be replaced and provides a smooth and clean area with a perfect finish.
How much does it cost?
This wonderful scraper costs only a few dollars and is worth every penny you would spend. I highly recommend you invest in this tool to rip off any surface, and it will surely save your time and effort in return.
However, I advise you not to scrape over nails as carbide blades are hard and sharp at the same time. So, you won’t probably find any alternative in your local store as this is the best tool to shape the wood surfaces in your home.
However, if you have got a cement subfloor, I recommend that you need to have a hand scraper or a long-handled scraper to remove carpet glue or adhesive residue easily from the surface.
You need to remove carpet glue residual that is stuck in low spots on the surface as well. In that way, you can ensure an even, old-carpet-glue-free floor before laying vinyl flooring.
I couldn’t somehow conquer the whole area that was full of old carpet glue. This is how you need to remove carpet glue residuals that remain on the floor.
Softening Old Carpet Glue Adhesive Using Heat
This was another best remedy to remove remaining carpet glue residue that cannot easily wipe away. I could easily soften the spots using this method, where I encountered some dried carpet adhesive spots on the existing flooring.
You need to use either steam or boiling water on the floor, depending on your choice.
First, I used boiling water to cover up those carpet adhesive spots on the floor. Then leave it for about 10 minutes. Now you are good to go with your scraper again to remove the softened adhesive spots and make them glue-free.
You need to work in smaller areas gradually as the water cools on the adhesive spots faster. However, even you can apply steam on the adhesive spots for a faster turnaround and as a safety measure.
Using Rough Grit Sandpapers
Once each spot dries after the heat application, the surface is likely to have debris left after scraping old carpet glue spots. So you need to remove the remaining residue and glue before laying Vinyl flooring.
I made sure the surface of the floor was dry enough to proceed further. Then I used sandpapers to sand the surface to remove carpet glue before laying Vinyl flooring on top of it.
Now you will need to remove the debris and sand off old glue by sweeping them away. Then you are free to use suitable adhesives used to install new Vinyl planks on the floor.
Using High-End Tools Or Products
If you ever want to redo the flooring specifically for commercial or heavy-duty purposes, I recommend you use s reciprocating saw directly to remove carpet glue before laying new Vinyl flooring. This tool is attached to a special scraper that you may use for scraping on a larger area within a short period.
A steam cleaner is another perfect tool that can use to soften the hardened adhesive spots by replacing boiling water application. It provides a strong lift of glued particles that removes almost from the attached surface with less effort.
Final Thoughts: Do I Need To Remove Carpet Glue Before Laying Vinyl?
You probably may need to do restoration for old carpeting by replacing Vinyl planks based on your preference. However, removing old carpet glue on the floor that you will find after pulling up the carpet is not a must task.
But it’s ideal to get rid of them as much as you can before installing the new vinyl flooring.
