How do you remove flooring adhesive from cement

Removing floor adhesive from concrete can be a very difficult task. Besides ur tools, u will need a lot of elbow grease. Remember, the flooring was meant to be there permanently, so the adhesive wo not give up easily. Patience & perseverance is the name of the game when it comes to this project. If u have those, u will eventually win the war of the stubborn adhesives.

step 1-Use a floor scraper & scrape, scrape, scrape. You can rent an electric floor scraper or u can use a manual one. Electric floor scrapers r a little hard to control. You may want to ask to try one before u pay to rent it to see if it is a tool u can use. Get as much off as u can. It will be a lot of work & make ur muscles hurt, but keep scraping until you've gone over the whole floor.

Step 2-Take a 4-inch razor scraper & go back over the floor, trying to get right down to the concrete. You may have to go over it a couple of times. Keep the blade sharp by changing it every once in a while. You will be able to feel when it starts to get dull.

Step 3-Try Krud Kutter or acetone. You can buy both of these in ur local hardware or home improvement stores. They r solvents & should be used with care. Use gloves, protective clothing & make sure u wear eye protection. It can easily splash & get into ur eyes. Read the manufacturer is directions on how long to let it sit on the adhesive. Pour it on, let it sit & scrape it off with the razor scraper. You can use a wire brush attachment for ur drill if it is really stubborn. If u need more leverage, use a 5-inch putty knife & get down on the floor & scrape with it. Make sure u rinse the floor well & get all of the chemicals off of the concrete when u r done.

Step 4-Use some boiling water. Sometimes the glue will soften when boiling water is placed on it, & it will be easier to remove. If u have already tried the chemical solvents & there is still some adhesive left, try boiling water. Make sure to put a towel around the area to keep the water from going everywhere & do small sections at a time. The chemicals may have loosened it some & the boiling water may finish the job. Most of all, just keep at it. It will eventually come up.

Hand floor scraper is ur best bet. The glue from the Parquet will be very hard since these old glues almost crystallizes . Getting the high stuff off & then use a grinder if u need to get it to cement again. VERY dusty though..There r no solvents safe to use in a residential setting that will work .
Depending on what u r going to put down again will determine just how clean u need to get the flooring.
Any flooring questions u can e mail me through my avatar.GL