If you’re considering How To Remove Hardwood Floors That Are Glued Down, it’s essential to be careful. The glue is vital; if you do it wrong, it could make a big mess and ruin the surface. So, if you want to know how to do it right, keep reading.
You can remove glued down wood flooring from a wooden subfloor or concrete by cutting the boards into smaller pieces and using tools like a pry bar, chisel, hammer, or scrapers. Afterward, you can reuse the wood or get rid of it.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps to safely How To Remove Hardwood Floors That Are Glued Down from a wooden subfloor and concrete without causing any damage. We’ll also share some tips to help you finish the project faster and hassle-free.
Things you need
If your wooden floor is old or you want a new look, remove it. Sometimes, you need to add more than just a new layer. It can be a tough job, especially if it’s stuck to the floor or concrete. These steps help make it easier.
Before you start How To Remove Hardwood Floors That Are Glued Down, gather these things:
- Hammer: A hammer is a tool for driving nails into or pulling them out of surfaces. When removing glued-down hardwood, use a hammer to gently tap a chisel or pry bar to help lift the planks.
- Chisel: A chisel is a sharp-edged tool with a flat blade. It’s used for cutting, shaping, or splitting materials. In this context, a chisel can carefully lift and separate the hardwood from the adhesive.
- Long-handled pry bar: This tool has a long handle and a flat, forked end. It’s designed to provide leverage for lifting or prying objects. When removing glued-down hardwood, a long-handled pry bar is used to lift the planks from the subfloor.
- Putty knife: A putty knife is a flat-bladed tool with a wide, flat edge. It’s typically used for spreading putty, but in this case, it’s employed to scrape off any remaining adhesive after the hardwood planks are removed.
- Scrapers: Scrapers are tools with a sharp edge for removing material from a surface. In this context, scrapers remove any excess glue or residue from the subfloor.
- A circular saw is a dominion instrument with a rotating circular blade. It’s used for making straight cuts in various materials. When removing glued-down hardwood, a circular saw may be used to cut the planks into manageable sections for easier removal.
- Reciprocating saw: This power tool uses a back-and-forth motion to cut through materials. It can help cut through tough or thick hardwood planks that are difficult to remove by other means.
- Safety goggles: These glasses protect your eyes from dust, debris, and potential flying objects. They are essential when using tools that generate dust or work in a potentially hazardous environment.
- Breathing mask: Wearing a breathing mask, also known as a respirator, is an effective measure to safeguard against inhaling harmful substances. Against inhaling harmful particles or fumes. It’s crucial when working with adhesives or materials that may release airborne irritants.
- Work gloves protect hands from hazards and maintain a firm grip.
- Construction knee pads are protective pads worn over the knees to provide cushioning and support when kneeling or crawling on hard surfaces. They help prevent discomfort or injury to the knees during the removal process.
- Closed-toe shoes: Sturdy, close-toed shoes protect your feet from hazards like falling objects or sharp materials.
- Painter’s tape (optional): Painter’s tape is a low-adhesive tape used to mask off areas when painting. In this context, it might be used to protect adjacent surfaces or walls from accidental damage during the removal process.
How To Remove Hardwood Floors That Are Glued Down
Here are the steps for How To Remove Hardwood Floors That Are Glued Down:
Step 1: Prepare Your Work Area
Get your work area ready before removing your wood floors; get protective goggles and work gloves. Wear close-toed shoes to keep your feet safe. Remove furniture from the space and cover things you can’t move with plastic sheeting. This shields them from dust and debris. Also, remember to cover up light fixtures, appliances, and furniture.
Step 2: Measure and Mark the Area
Begin by measuring the area you want to remove. If you’re only replacing a part of the flooring, mark it off with painter’s tape. This way, you can do the job without harming the rest of the hardwood floor. Tape shows what to remove and keep. Align tape on joint for marking.You can also keep the boundaries where you’ll cut. The tape protects the edge of the remaining piece on the floor.
Step 3: Cut the Flooring
Unless you have parquet flooring, which comes in small square tiles, you must cut the flooring to remove it from your space.
Use a circular saw to cut the flooring every two to three inches. The cuts should be perpendicular to the direction of the flooring, and right next to the line of tape you marked on the floor. Adjust your saw blade to the flooring thickness to avoid damaging the tongue.
Step 4: Pry Up the Flooring
Removing old flooring requires some muscle and various tools. If the flooring is glued down, it might be more challenging to pry it up. However, removing an engineered hardwood floor that is nailed down is easier.
Remove baseboards, lift pry bar around wood board’s edge to remove flooring. Wedge pry bar underwood and cut sections with a circular saw for leverage. Start at loose board or carpeted area.
Cut a 1′ x 1′ square of flooring with a saw. Pry up the board with a chisel and remove it entirely. Use a hammer, chisel, and long-handled pry bar for stubborn flooring.
Step 5: Chisel Concrete
A handguard chisel is ideal for removing difficult sections and lifting wood floors off concrete. Removing glued wood flooring from concrete is the most challenging for DIY beginners.
Remove hardwood flooring and adhesive from a concrete subfloor using a chisel and hammer. Use an oscillating tool with a scraping attachment for hard-to-remove glue or large spaces.
Step 6: Get Rid of the Glue
Now, let’s deal with any leftover glue. You can use a long-handled hand scraper to tackle most of the glue on your subfloor. However, you might need to attach a scraper to a reciprocating saw for those tricky spots. This can handle glue stuck on or in significant areas where it’s hard to remove by hand.
If the glue is stubborn and won’t come off, consider using an adhesive remover or stripper. These products help loosen up the glue on your subfloor. Just pour it on and spread it around with a putty knife. In some spots, you might need to use the stripper a second time. Remember to leave it on nice and thick for it to work correctly.
Conclusion
We’ve covered a lot about how to remove hardwood floors that are glued down. It might seem harsh, but it can be done if you follow these steps. Remember to prepare your work area, measure and mark the area you want to remove and cut the flooring carefully. When prying up the flooring, use the right tools and be patient. If the glue is stubborn, try using an adhesive remover. Just pour it on and let it do its job. With a little effort and the right tools, you’ll have that old flooring out in no time! Good luck!
FAQs
How do you remove hardwood floors glued down without damage?
If you want to keep your wood flooring intact for future use, like when renovating or fixing water damage, it’s essential to be very careful. Use a sturdy pry bar and lift each board one by one. Be gentle to avoid any splitting.
After removing the hardwood, clean each board with a slightly wet cloth. Keep the wood in a dry, cool place until reuse. Repurpose it for another project, sand and refinish, or sell to a local company.
Is Taking Glue off Concrete Harder than Off the Subfloor?
Getting rid of wood floors stuck to concrete is messier and requires more effort than when the wood is nailed into the subfloor. The glue usually sticks well to the concrete.
However, how tricky the job is depends on a few things. For example, if you or someone else did the installation, it might be easier to remove than if a professional did it. Also, some types of flooring are more straightforward to take out than others.
But don’t worry; there are also plenty of tools and products out there that can help you get the glue off a concrete subfloor.