scraping up old flooring

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  • kramer katt
    Established Member
    • Aug 2004
    • 375
    • SO CAL, USA
    • BT3100 and Craftsman 100

    scraping up old flooring

    We have just started on a big (for us) kitchen remodel. I was trying to do as much of the work myself to keep costs down. I had planned to strip off the old floors and install a new oak strip flooring to match the dining and living room. After doing a test area I was reminded of why back in the 80's we put the new vinyl flooring over the old floor leaving all in place. The original linoleum is adhered very well to the fir t&g subflooring with black mastic. After 60 some years it has really stuck on there. I know such old floors are notorious for having asbestos so I already sent a sample out and the test was negative.
    My question is how to get the black mastic up off the subfloor. On the sample area I got all the vinyl and linoleum up with sharp flat bars and chisels but the last layer, the mastic stays stuck on the wood and only partially came up using paint scrapers. Scraping the entire floor (220 sqft) would be possible if I dedicated about a week to it but the real problem is damage to the subfloor. It is real hard to scrap off the mastic with out now and them gouging into the wood. I'm thinking the mastic needs to be softened first either with a solvent or be heat. But I am reluctant to jump into this without a little advice. So if anyone out there has successfully done this I would appreciate you sharing you experience.
    kk
    Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler
    --Albert Einstein
  • Ken Weaver
    Veteran Member
    • Feb 2004
    • 2417
    • Clemson, SC, USA
    • Rigid TS3650

    #2
    You may be faced with the situation of having to put down a new underlayment. My son had a similar situation when he recentlyl rehabbed his house. It wasn't nearly as bad as yours sounds, but he put down 1/2" under ply then paper on top of that, then the new hardwood. Although he tried, there was no way to reasonably get up all the old glue/mastik. It turned out well, the important thing being that things were level and didn't move with the new flooring.
    Ken Weaver
    Clemson, SC

    "A mistake is absolute proof that someone tried to do something!

    Comment

    • bigstick509
      Veteran Member
      • Dec 2004
      • 1227
      • Macomb, MI, USA.
      • BT3100

      #3
      Try This

      I've had success with this product.http://www.jasco-help.com/products/prod_ar.htm

      Mike

      "It's not the things you don't know that will hurt you, it's the things you think you know that ain't so." - Mark Twain

      Comment

      • trams

        #4
        You can either use the sealer/ adhesive remover previously recommended or dry ice. If you have a supplier of dry ice, you only need to place the ice on the floor. It will harden the adhesive and will be able to come of in big sections. I've used this process on a couple of oak floors and the scraping causes very little damage that was removed in the sanding process.

        Comment

        • cwsmith
          Veteran Member
          • Dec 2005
          • 2737
          • NY Southern Tier, USA.
          • BT3100-1

          #5
          It's a bear of a job! We bought a house back in late August 05' and we're still not there. Part of the rehab was a new kitchen and of course the removal of the existing vinyl floor. I used a heat gun and even then it was an overwhelming task. Some places you could just lift off several feet at a time and in others, it took a relentless amount of effort to remove just a couple of inches.

          After two days of back breaking effort, we found that the underlayment was little more than ill-fitted scrap ply with far too many seams and mated corners. We decided to just pull up the underlayment with the remaining vinyl still attached. Though not at all easy, the work was done in just one morning. Unfortunately that only revealed several more layers of tile, linoleum, who knows what. Taking only one small area for exploration, we found that the base were very nasty looking old boards.

          So, long story, short... we decided that trying to get the kitchen down to the level of the dining room was going to add too many days (time is $$) and far too much expense at this time. Bottom line, we layed down new subfloor on top of what we had and are now waiting for the laminate to arrive.

          So, maybe someday we'll get ambitious or rich and then gut the kitchen floor right down to the joists and do the job right. For now, time and money just aren't there.

          I wish you much better luck,

          CWS
          Think it Through Before You Do!

          Comment

          • lkazista
            Established Member
            • Jan 2004
            • 330
            • Nazareth, PA, USA.

            #6
            1/4 plywood everywhere!

            Comment

            • Jeffrey Schronce
              Veteran Member
              • Nov 2005
              • 3822
              • York, PA, USA.
              • 22124

              #7
              Originally posted by bigstick509
              I've had success with this product.http://www.jasco-help.com/products/prod_ar.htm
              Highly second that. I know few folks that have been very happy with this Jasco adhesive remove in a variety of situations.

              The 1/4" ply every where may be an option and as other state check and make sure this subflooring is worth saving to begin with.

              Of course this is coming from someone who just used 12 x 12 stick down tiles to cover the 6 year old flooring in my house cause I was too lazy to remove the old stuff! :-)

              Comment

              • DUD
                Royal Jester
                • Dec 2002
                • 3309
                • Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA.
                • Ryobi BT3000

                #8
                I used heat in bath and kitchen to remove it, along with a long handled scraper. It was a job, but we did it. Bill
                5 OUT OF 4 PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND FRACTIONS.

                Comment

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