How can I remove stuck-on padding from hardwood floors?
Removed wall-to-wall carpeting and the padding under carpet is stuck to the hardwood floors. How do I remove this without ruining the hardwood floor?
Related Discussions
Suggested Project Book
The safest way is to gently scrape with a plastic scraper. But that may take forever. Are you planning on refinishing? If so, you can use a mild solvent (mineral spirits, goo gone, krud kutter) to "melt" and remove. It will also most likely get into the top finish but not damage the floor. So, these are the 2 extremes of solutions.
I've heard of using WD-40 or something similar but have never tried it.
Maybe vegetable oil with baking soda for a scrub. It would be safe to try.
You're going to have to refinish any way. Use a plastic or smooth metal wide putty knife and scrape off. Keep knife flat and you won't gouge the floor. The scrape marks will sand off.
Dissolve the padding with chemical cleaning solvents, such as an odorless mineral spirit that works like a paint thinner. Scrape with a metal tool, but with care not to scratch the wood. Use soapy water to loosen the padding enough so that it can be sanded or scraped off in the floor-finishing process.