Removing Glue From Concrete Before Staining

Scrape the glue before it cools.

Removing glue from concrete before staining.

Here s what you ll need to do before you can apply stain to a concrete subfloor. Spray the concrete stains with the soap solution. To remove pour one eighth of a cup of liquid dishwashing detergent into a spray bottle then top off the bottle with warm water and shake well. You want to make sure that you do not use soap ever for trying to remove glue stains from concrete.

To remove concrete sealer pour on xylene also known as xylol or touline onto the concrete and let sit for 30 seconds or so then scrub with a stiff straw brush. Pour the mixture on the concrete glue and allow it to sit for about three minutes. With the trailing edge up place your scraper in front of the patch and push it vigorously to scrape away residue. Apply the remover to the glue using a trowel or brush apply the glue remover to the area of adhesive.

We recently completed an acid stained concrete flooring project in the main sanctuary of a church before the christmas holidays that presented a huge challenge in terms of removing carpet glue. Clean up solvent 22 is one of the most effective glue removers which eliminates glue residues efficiently from concrete matrix and counters. If the glue cools and hardens boil more water and repeat the process. Depending on the specific glue used and its age you may be able to simply boil a pot of water and apply it to the dry glue in order to loosen it up.

Then pour a little more xylene on and repeat. Scrub the concrete with the scouring pad until all the glue is removed. The glue was thickly applied and very old 35 years so it had crystallized into a very dense material. Patch tack strip holes and cracks in the existing floor.

After this is accomplished you rinse with clean warm water. Then use a painter s shield to scrape the sealer into a pile and remove with a square point shovel. You apply the paste using a soft bristled brush scrubbing until the stain is removed. Remove existing carpeting sheet vinyl and tile as well as any adhesives or mastic used to glue down the flooring.

While the area is still hot use a long handled scraper to remove glue residue. Allow the hot water to mix with the glue for 1 2 minutes. For more information read tips for removing existing flooring from concrete.