My husband and I have been renovating our home since we bought it in 2016, tackling various updates like the HVAC and plumbing, and even putting on a new roof. Now it's time to deal with the flooring! We successfully removed the upstairs carpets and found some beautiful hardwood floors underneath, but we've hit a snag with the carpet in our basement. This particular carpet is a teal color that was glued directly to the concrete when the house was built in 1968, likely in the mid-late 80s, and it shows no signs of coming up easily—after a couple of hours, we've only managed to cut up a small section of about 3x3 feet! We've used several tools, but it's been much more challenging compared to the other areas where we dealt with tack strips. I'm curious if anyone else has faced this issue with glued carpets and could share their experiences. We plan to use muriatic acid for the residue once the carpet is gone, but any advice on getting this stubborn carpet up would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
It’s important to check if that glue is mastic. If it is, just be cautious since it might contain asbestos. A simple trick is to pour boiling water on it to help loosen it up, then scrape it off.
Thanks for all the suggestions! Looks like I have some options to explore. Fingers crossed it goes more smoothly than it has so far!
Have you tried using a long-handled floor scraper? It’s designed for this kind of job and can make removing glued carpet much easier. If you're up for it, rent a floor stripping machine from a local Home Depot. They have great tools for this kind of flooring project!
You might want to look into renting a machine specifically designed for scraping up carpet—it could save you a ton of time and effort! Those machines can tackle glued carpets pretty effectively compared to manual efforts.
Totally agree! That's how professionals do it—skip the chemicals and just get the right tools. If it's rubber-backed, you can try to strip the face off, and then use the machine or scraper for the backing. But if it’s jute-backed, just stick with the manual scraper.