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PLS help before I go nuts!!!!

Timthetoolman | Posted in General Discussion on August 24, 2006 08:02am

Hey all,

  Thanks for the help before I go nuts.  I’m doing a little side work for a family member.  She wants me to refinish the wooden floors in her kitchen.  The only problem is it is now covered by about 3 layers of linoleum.  The first 2 were easy, but the third is on top of tar paper which seems to have bonded to the wooden floor beneath.  I’m sitting there scrapping about a square foot every half an hour!!  Is thhere anyway easier that I can get this stuff off?

help me before i go nuts!

Thanks

tim

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Replies

  1. bps | Aug 24, 2006 08:21pm | #1

    Sounds like the bottom layer was put in with an asphalt "glue". If this is the case it will take a lot of elbow grease to remove. Then you get to deal with plugging up an abnormal # of sander belts with the remaining goo. Had the same thing in my house, it was esier to rip out the old floor and start anew. Six of one....  Best of luck to ya. It will be messy!

  2. kate | Aug 24, 2006 08:26pm | #2

    Take a few deep breaths...count to 15...another breath...there, is that better?  Welcome to Breaktime!

    You have three choices...get some blocks od dry ice, put them on the floor, move them around, & scrape the brittle result.

    pour some very hot water on, & scrub off the resulting icky mess.  Or try a heat gun.

    Use a solvent, like acetone or lighter fluid, being very careful about fumes & fire hazard.

    Or...wait for another respondent!

    1. Timthetoolman | Aug 24, 2006 08:39pm | #3

      bps, I think you're right, the more I scrape at this the more I realize it is more like an asphault glue than tar paper. 

      I forgot to mention that of couse the paper backing from the last layer of linoleum bonded to the top of the asphault, so I don't know if the solvent/hot water solution would work.  dry ice sounds like an idea though, I'm going to try that.

      thanks guys

      Tim

      1. Piffin | Aug 24, 2006 08:44pm | #4

        Don't use a solvent unless the refinishing includes a very dark stain, because the solvent would disolve the asphalt and seep the colour into the wood. 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

  3. BryanSayer | Aug 24, 2006 08:48pm | #5

    I have no idea it this works, but if you try it, report back here.

    Harbor Freight sells an air powered floor scrapper for about $99. I'm not sure what the cfm requirement is; you might have to rent a larger air compressor. With the dry ice, it might work fairly quickly.

    BTW, those adhesives are known to sometimes contain asbestos.

  4. VTNorm | Aug 24, 2006 11:48pm | #6

    The only thing that worked for me was a sharpened joint compound knife (3-4" wide) and lots of elbow grease. Once the vast majority was removed I burned through copious quantities of sandpaper with a sander. It took hours & hours & hours to do the remnants of an old 8x10 kitchen.

    If time is no object and your time for the family member is free then you're stuck. You might try talking them into replacing it - or covering it again.

    Good luck, -Norm

     

  5. inperfectionist | Aug 25, 2006 12:11am | #7

    I can rent a - I guess you call it a floor scraper - here at the rental shop and they work great for cleaning up decks. Basically does what your doing by hand w a motor and about a 6 inch blade.

    Good luck!

    H

  6. User avater
    IMERC | Aug 25, 2006 12:33am | #8

    can't do anything for the nuts part... kinda the norm here...

    industrial strenght spud bar with a sharpened 4" wide edge...

    wash up the residue with paint thinner / mineral spirits....

     

     

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

    WOW!!! What a Ride!

    Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

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