Is old black flooring adhesive safe to remove?
Old black flooring adhesive left behind on concrete can look suspicious, leaving homeowners unsure if it is safe to scrape off or simply cover over with new planks. This uncertainty stops people from safely finishing their flooring removal or knowing whether they can install new vinyl directly over the residue.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1stopping the removal processDid this help you?
- 2getting a sample testedDid this help you?
- 3applying a skim coat over the adhesiveDid this help you?
- 4Placing a rug and bed over the old hearthDid this help you?
- 5Leaving the carpet over itDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Bought a house and whilst decorating the master bedroom found this flooring under the carpet.”source ↗
“is this suitable to keep as is if we wash/sand?”source ↗
“Is this safe to remove.”source ↗
“So i took this old Stick and peel flooring that was installed on grey concrete about 15 years ago. A pain in the you know to take off so i just stopped. But the i saw this area that aas sorta black? The sticky adhesive on the vinyls is black so im hoping it was that but whos to say?”source ↗
“And should i just put my new vinyl planks over it? And other area that i took off the cement look normal”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 12Should I test old flooring for asbestos if I'm just covering it up?
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- 4Should I glue down engineered herringbone flooring or float it?