I'm also removing carpet adhesive from 2 floors of a commercial building. I MAY OF FOUND A UNLIKELY BREAKTHROUGH THAT MAY VERY WELL SAVE YOUR butt ALOT OF LABOR.
This building also had carpet squares over concrete, we hired a professional company to remove the squares. They had a crew of guys pulling carpet and a couple guys on those drive around power scrapers. For some unknown reason they left before all the glue was removed. There's thin layers of super sticky green adhesive left where they used the scrapers and thick layers near walls and tight spaces. Overall there's a crap load left to be removed.
I was informed me and me alone would be the one removing all the remaining adhesive, WTF!!
Day 1 I got a foot wide scraper on a pole from home depot and i sharpen the blade then use all my might to scrape on the adhesive, rinse n repeat. I may be able to get a section to roll to about the diameter of a pencil then maybe the shop vac will be able to suck it up, but maybe not. It smears then re-adheres etc. Just the ultimate nightmare. I got blisters forming under my gloves, my muscles are sore and it looks like I haven't done anything.
One of the electricians suggested I use hot soapy water, I just scoffed at such a ridiculous idea. Can't he see this is some major league industrial adhesive not no Elmers glue. There's just no effin chance soapy water will phase this crap. The professional removers would of used it otherwise Day's almost over, so tired and sore and not 1 good section of good results. Then 1 of the drywall guys walks up, "hey man u got a mop, spilled my bucket of water, I reply Ill shop vac it dude. I decide I might as well see if water has any effect on it. To my surprise it was much much easier to remove, wowwww.
Day 2 I got a gallon jug, some dish soap and I decide ill just try it on one of the worst rooms to kill time since the guy with the sharpening tools is gone. A bit of dish soap per gallon of water I go try a lil section. Dump on the water and just half heatedly i scrape a lil bit. It turns that super sticky adhesive into a slippery slime. I was just half assin it today, not trying really hard, making sure i don't cause someone to slip on the slime. I just piddle around in the back corners of various rooms since i have no way to sharpen my blade, plus im need to get a thinner scraper. Think i finished about 60% of the four worst rooms.
Tomorrow i will have all the tools, ill switch to hot water instead of cold and ill safety off the sections and i expect to make huge progress with moderate effort.
Cliffs: Use hot soapy water. I know it seems so unlikely to have any effect on such a strong adhesive, but it does. Turns into a slippery slime while wet and then gets sticky again after dry. I'd say 60% reduction in effort to remove, but I'll know more tomorrow. This adhesive is green and super sticky. Even dirty, hi traffic areas are still sticky, crazy sticky! Wish me luck, I may update, we'll see.,
This building also had carpet squares over concrete, we hired a professional company to remove the squares. They had a crew of guys pulling carpet and a couple guys on those drive around power scrapers. For some unknown reason they left before all the glue was removed. There's thin layers of super sticky green adhesive left where they used the scrapers and thick layers near walls and tight spaces. Overall there's a crap load left to be removed.
I was informed me and me alone would be the one removing all the remaining adhesive, WTF!!
Day 1 I got a foot wide scraper on a pole from home depot and i sharpen the blade then use all my might to scrape on the adhesive, rinse n repeat. I may be able to get a section to roll to about the diameter of a pencil then maybe the shop vac will be able to suck it up, but maybe not. It smears then re-adheres etc. Just the ultimate nightmare. I got blisters forming under my gloves, my muscles are sore and it looks like I haven't done anything.
One of the electricians suggested I use hot soapy water, I just scoffed at such a ridiculous idea. Can't he see this is some major league industrial adhesive not no Elmers glue. There's just no effin chance soapy water will phase this crap. The professional removers would of used it otherwise Day's almost over, so tired and sore and not 1 good section of good results. Then 1 of the drywall guys walks up, "hey man u got a mop, spilled my bucket of water, I reply Ill shop vac it dude. I decide I might as well see if water has any effect on it. To my surprise it was much much easier to remove, wowwww.
Day 2 I got a gallon jug, some dish soap and I decide ill just try it on one of the worst rooms to kill time since the guy with the sharpening tools is gone. A bit of dish soap per gallon of water I go try a lil section. Dump on the water and just half heatedly i scrape a lil bit. It turns that super sticky adhesive into a slippery slime. I was just half assin it today, not trying really hard, making sure i don't cause someone to slip on the slime. I just piddle around in the back corners of various rooms since i have no way to sharpen my blade, plus im need to get a thinner scraper. Think i finished about 60% of the four worst rooms.
Tomorrow i will have all the tools, ill switch to hot water instead of cold and ill safety off the sections and i expect to make huge progress with moderate effort.
Cliffs: Use hot soapy water. I know it seems so unlikely to have any effect on such a strong adhesive, but it does. Turns into a slippery slime while wet and then gets sticky again after dry. I'd say 60% reduction in effort to remove, but I'll know more tomorrow. This adhesive is green and super sticky. Even dirty, hi traffic areas are still sticky, crazy sticky! Wish me luck, I may update, we'll see.,