Glued Down Wood Floor Removal from Concrete or Subfloor – Step by Step Guidelines
Glued down wood flooring removal process needs caution. The adhesive is extremely strong and if you try the wrong technique then this can damage the subfloor permanently.
Glued down hardwood flooring removal – Step by step process
It doesn’t matter if the wood floor needs to be updated or is worn out, you will have to remove it before the new installation. The process is labor-intensive and complex, especially when the floor is glued to concrete or subfloor.
Step-by-step guidelines to make the process a little easy.
Materials needed
- Chisel
- Hammer
- Putty knife
- Pry bar with long handles
- Circular saw
- Scrapers
- Reciprocating saw
Personal protection equipment
- Work gloves
- Breathing mask
- Protective goggles
- Close-toed shoes
- Constructive knee pads
Step 1: Prep the work area
Remove furniture and other things from the site. If you cannot move items then cover them with sheets to protect them from dust.
Step 2: Mark the area
Mark the location you plan to strip off. Mark wood portion that will stay or come out.
Step 3: Start cutting
Use the circular saw and cut the floor every 2” to 3”. The cuts have to be perpendicular and directly beside the marking line in the flooring direction. The circular saw blade must have the same thickness as the flooring.
Step 4: Pry the floor glued to a wood subfloor
When you finish cutting the old flooring into a small section, pry it up. It is a laborious task because the flooring is glued down firmly. If the engineered hardwood is nailed down to the subfloor then the task is easy than pulling out glued planks.
You may need several tools to help you pry up the floor. Use hammer and chisel for stubborn parts. A pry bar with a long handle is perfect to lift the wooden floor. Wedge the pry bar under the loose board and push upwards.
In case, there is trouble cut a square with a circular saw. The depth must be a little less than the floor thickness. Use the chisel and pry the board up.
Step 5: Chisel out the floor glued to a concrete subfloor
The chisel is ideal to remove the wood floor from concrete. If wood is glued to concrete then removing glue and floor is time-consuming and complex. The wood can break into pieces because the adhesive is strong.
Use a hammer and chisel to scrape wood pieces off the subfloor. An oscillating tool including a scraping attachment is helpful for large spaces or removing stubborn glue. The tool helps when there is lots of glue left on the concrete subfloor. Wedge scraper under the glue and push forward.
Step 6: Remaining glue removal
Use a long handle hand scraper to handle the remaining subfloor glue. Use scraper attachment on the reciprocating saw for complex sections. The glue that is stuck in large sections has strong adhesion, which is hard to remove without a power scraper.
You can even use adhesive remover products that loosen the glue. In some areas, you will need to apply a couple of times to work. The only issue is that the residue left may bleed onto the new floor and change its adhesion.
It is a task that takes many laborious hours, so is better to hire professional flooring removal services!