Removing Adhesives From Hardwood Flooring: What You Need To Do

As soon as I invested in my dream home, my friends started coming out of the woodwork to explain how I could make the space more beautiful. Fortunately, one of my friends is an interior designer, and she helped me to learn a few different techniques for improving the aesthetics of my home. It was incredible to work with her to find out all about the different decor trends, and I was able to find a few designs that really worked with my lifestyle. This blog is all about understanding and applying basic home decoration techniques so that your home can be more beautiful than ever before.

Removing Adhesives From Hardwood Flooring: What You Need To Do

5 October 2018
 Categories: Home & Garden, Blog


If you've recently pulled up your linoleum or tile and found beautiful, original hardwood flooring below, don't cover them back up again. Those floors can be refinished to their original beauty. If there is adhesive stuck on the floors, you'll want to remove that first to give you a good look at your floors. Don't let the adhesive stuck to the floors scare you off of this task. You can refinish those floors by following the tips below to help you remove the adhesive.

Scrape It Off

You can use a natural method of scraping off the adhesives by using a scraper. Hold the scraper at a 90-degree angle to prevent gouging or scratching the floors further. Scraping may not work if the adhesive is still sticky. The adhesive should be dry and brittle if you're going to try to scrape it off. A long-handled scraper will help save your back a bit.

Use Paint Thinner

Paint thinner will work to remove adhesives, but it can create a lot of fumes in your home, which may be dangerous to you. Be sure to keep your home well-ventilated and wear a respirator. Spread a paint thinner on the floors and then wipe away the adhesive or try to use a scraper to scrape the adhesive. 

Use Detergent

Try using laundry detergent on your floors to loosen the adhesive. The detergent will break down the adhesive, and you'll be able to wipe away the adhesive with rags or with a scraper. You can use cheap detergent, or even mix a solution of half detergent and half water if you have a lot of hardwood floors.

Use A Floor Sander

A floor sander is going to be needed to refinish your floors, and it can also be used to get rid of the adhesive on your floors as well. You may need to use coarse grit sandpaper, which may scratch or damage your floors. If you're using a floor sander, be sure you use it slowly and go over your floors evenly. If you aren't sure how to use this type of machine, hire a professional to refinish your floors for you. You could cause a lot of damage to your floors.

Hardwood floors beneath your tile or linoleum can be salvaged. If you aren't sure how to refinish the floors, hire a professional floor refinishing company rather than attempting to do this job yourself. 

About Me
Understanding Home Decoration Trends

As soon as I invested in my dream home, my friends started coming out of the woodwork to explain how I could make the space more beautiful. Fortunately, one of my friends is an interior designer, and she helped me to learn a few different techniques for improving the aesthetics of my home. It was incredible to work with her to find out all about the different decor trends, and I was able to find a few designs that really worked with my lifestyle. This blog is all about understanding and applying basic home decoration techniques so that your home can be more beautiful than ever before.

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