Removing Carpet Adhesive

[i386]

One of the hoops I have to jump through in preparing my workshop space is the floor. Currently it's covered in 18" carpet tiles that much come out. They are glued down to the concrete slab with some sort of sticky adhesive. The tiles peel up pretty easily but leave a sticky mess behind.

Anyone familiar with getting this goop off?

EDIT: A little more info that might be useful.

I think these carpet squares may be the peel and stick kind. When I peel off a square all the sticky is on the floor. I'm able to get a good bit of the adhesive off with a razor scraper. It has a greenish tint to it and feels rubbery. Only the razor is sharp enough to get under the adhesive. Putty knife doesn't work. Once I've get what I can off with the razor, mineral spirits loosens up the rest. It takes about 4 passes to clean an 18" square so it's not very practical for a large area.

 

[getinmerry]

Re: Removing Carpet Adhesive

I've had good luck getting the self-stick tile adhesive off by soaking bath towels in vinegar & very hot water. Soak the towels in the mixture- leave them dripping wet and cover the glue areas overnight. The next day the glue will release easily with a putty knife.

 

[v1_0]

Re: Removing Carpet Adhesive

One of the hoops I have to jump through in preparing my workshop space is the floor. Currently it's covered in 18" carpet tiles that much come out. They are glued down to the concrete slab with some sort of sticky adhesive. The tiles peel up pretty easily but leave a sticky mess behind.

What are you planning on putting down in their place? The reason I ask is that you may be able to kill two birds with one stone (or some 'stone' with one cleaner). The concrete would need to be prepared (etched) if you are going to paint/epoxy/stain it. I think the etcher may clean up the glue as well...

 

[i386]

Re: Removing Carpet Adhesive

I'm not putting anything back down. It's a very smooth concrete floor. Just want the carpet up so it's easy to sweep with a broom.

 

[i386]

Re: Removing Carpet Adhesive

"Klean-Strip" Adhesive remover is getting it off pretty well. It's just a little bit tacky afterward. I'll sweep some cat little across it to fix that.

BTW I found some spots that were stuck down with a different type of adhesive. It was hard like the stuff they use to glue down lineoleum. It took that off too.