How to Remove Glued Down Carpet Tiles From Concrete

Carpet tiles are a do-it-yourself home improvement project, but removing them from concrete can be challenging. If the tiles are newer, they may lift with little effort and leave almost no glue behind. A good scrubbing afterward is all you’ll need. If the tiles are older, or if spreadable adhesive was used, removing the tiles is an arduous process that requires at least a day, possibly a weekend. Remove a few tiles to determine whether the glue is stubborn.

Things You Will Need

• Knee pads
• Work gloves
• Putty knife or metal scraper
• Pliers
• Trisodium phosphate
• Long-handle floor scraper
• Broom
• Carpet tile adhesive remover
• Painter’s tape
• Chemical-resistant gloves
• Eye protection
• Respirator-style face mask
• Sponge or paintbrush
• Paint scraper
• 2 buckets
• Stiff scrub brush
• Wide floor squeegee
• Wet / dry utility vacuum

Pull Up Tiles

1. Put on knee pads and work gloves.
2. Pull up one corner of a carpet tile. The first tile is often the most difficult to lift. If you can’t lift any corner, push the edge of a putty knife or metal scraper under the edge to pry the tile loose.
3. Peel the tile off the floor with gloved hands or pliers.
4. Assess the adhesive. If it is clear and sticky with little remaining on the concrete, peel off the remainder of the tiles and scrub the concrete afterward with trisodium phosphate diluted in warm water according to the manufacturer’s directions. If the glue is hard and stuck to the concrete, peel off the tiles and proceed to scraping the floor.

Scrape the Concrete

1. Push a long-handled floor scraper along the floor at an angle with the blade pointed away from you, removing as much glue as possible.
2. Sweep the floor to remove the particles.
3. Inspect the floor for stubborn glue. If you cannot scrape it off, proceed to dissolving it with carpet tile adhesive remover.

Remove Adhesive

1. Apply painter’s tape across the baseboards.
2. Put on chemical-resistant gloves, eye protection and a respirator-style face mask. If you took off the knee pads to scrape the floor, put them back on.
3. Apply carpet tile adhesive remover to a 12-inch square area of the floor with a sponge or paintbrush.
4. Let the adhesive remover sit on the concrete until the adhesive softens, then scrape it off the floor with a handheld paint scraper.
5. Drop glue scrapings into an old bucket for disposal. Continue around the room until the glue is removed.
6. Sweep the floor and proceed to cleaning it.

Clean

1. Fill a bucket with warm water and trisodium phosphate, known as TSP, in a dilution that the TSP manufacturer recommends to clean floors.
2. Dip a stiff scrub brush into the bucket to wet it, and scrub the floor with the solution. Mix more solution as necessary to scrub the whole floor.
3. Pull a squeegee across the floor and deposit the residue in one location in the room.
4. Vacuum up the liquid and residue with a wet / dry utility vacuum.
5. Fill a bucket with plain warm water. Wet a sponge in the bucket and wipe the floor to remove the last traces of cleaning solution. Empty the bucket and refill it with clean water frequently until the floor is fully rinsed.

Warnings

• Aggressive scraping can break the floor scraper and chip the concrete.
• Some flooring adhesive removers require a well-ventilated room.

Source: HomeGuides.sfgate.com