How do I remove glue from old oak wood floors?
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We have an old house with oak floors that are covered with linoleum tile squares that were put down with glue. We now want to remove the tile and redo the oak floors.
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Hi Lois, laundry detergent should work. This articlewill show you how https://www.peteshardwoodfloors.com/Kadee-s-Q-A/how-do-i-remove-all-this-icky-adhesive.html
Some of the older glues are extremely tenacious and require hand scraping (they make giant scraper blades with a long handle for floor work) and then sanding once most of the gunk is off. You are going to need to sand the wood anyway. Be sure what you are going to end up with is wood flooring supported on a subfloor, not just the old sub-floor, which is not intended to hold up to daily traffic on its own.
Hello Lois!
There are some good ways to do this....
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=How+do+i+remove+glue+from+old+oak+wood+floors%3f&qpvt=How+do+i+remove+glue+from+old+oak+wood+floors%3f&FORM=VDRE
Here's an article that might help - https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Adhesive-from-a-Hardwood-Floor
Your only option may be to use a floor sander once you have removed all of the tiles. This will give you a fresh surface to stain.
Good advice above! It can take a lot of effort to remove glued down tile. Try a blow dryer or heat gun (wear a mask and ventilate.) A thin scraper can be wedged between the layers. Even if it is easy it is a tedious task. Well worth the outcome so stick to it.
Glues can be like tar and need to be sanded. Or it can be one that breaks down with soapy water. I start with a heat gun and scraper as it is el cheapo.
I like Citristrip as it is pleasant for removing glue. Once the only thing that removed glue was 15 grit sandpaper and a floor sander- prior to refinishing the hardwood floor.