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How to remove 1930's linoleum GLUE from 1900's wood floors

lotsahouses
15 years ago

Hi, We have an old commercial building, built in about 1902 or so....and during the 1930's to 1940s, in some of the upstairs offices, which we are turning into a loft and personal office space, some linoleum was laid over the lovely old buttery pine floors from the Victorian Era. We are trying to remove the linoleum glue from the wood. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD METHOD or PRODUCT? We have heard LIME, like from mortar, is good for this... help?

Comments (56)

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    Before removing old mastic have it tested for asbestos.

    Sanding it off is one way that WILL release the asbestos fibers if they are present.

    I have yet to see a HEPA rated floor sander.

  • worthy
    12 years ago

    Sand away! It'll be 25-50 years before the mesothelioma, asbestosis or lung cancer shows up.


    Your Lung on Asbestos. (But you should see those beautiful floors!)
    Source: http://mesotheliomaz.info

  • DavidR
    12 years ago

    Warning - I have not tried this! But I remember reading years ago about a way to remove recalcitrant floor tiles - spread dry ice all over the floor. Supposedly it hardens the glue and shrinks the tiles, so they literally pop loose.

    If I had your situation, I might try dry ice on a small area, to see if it would have the same effect on just the cement.

  • ideagirl2
    12 years ago

    we went with a guy who just sanded the heck out of it. He had a very low grit sandpaper that he used to get all the black off. The good thing about old wood floors is that you don't have to worry about sanding through any wear layer since it is solid wood.

    Right! All you have to worry about is mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cancers! It'll take 30 years or so to show up, so if you have little kids, you know they should at least get through college and start living productive lives before they get taken out by lung cancer. Kind of like this guy, rock bassist Gerard Smith, who just died of lung cancer at the age of 36 (or 34, some news reports say; mid-thirties, anyway)...

    Here is a link that might be useful: Musician dies of lung cancer age 36

  • slateberry
    12 years ago

    we had to get a tile adhesive similar to yours off a floor. we tried 3 things: the super-duper toxic stripper (can't remember brand, but it was probably full of methylene chloride or toluene or something great like that), the "safer" stripper, and 100% orange oil. I thought: the toxic stuff will work the best, the safer stripper less so, and the non-toxic orange oil will work poorly or not at all.

    The orange oil did the best job! couldn't believe it. But if you use it, be aware of combustion issues with the rags. you don't want to pile them up. Spread them out outside to evaporate so you don't burn your building down.

    plus it smells great and is fine for wood. Just let it evaporate before you go to the next finishing step.

    Here is a link that might be useful: the orange oil I used

  • slateberry
    12 years ago

    Just realized OP asked question in 2008. I gotta drink more coffee before I post to threads--d'ope!

  • aliciaandbilly
    12 years ago

    We just removed linoleum from our douglas fir hardwood floors in the kitchen by using a wallpaper steamer. Worked like a charm! Just score the hard top layer of linoleum to pull it off in strips, then score and steam the felt paper, glue, tar paper, and more glue. It was a lot of hard work, but seemed to minimize damage to the floors and the amount of sanding required.

  • concretenprimroses
    12 years ago

    I'm glad that you didn't notice the age of the thread Slateberry. I'm glad to have it revived and to hear about the orange oil. We have a asbestos tile removal in our future. Ours looks a lot like the tile posted earlier in this thread, and we know its got asbestos because dh found an original tile box in the cellar. The wall paper striper sounds like it worked great too. Not sure if its appropriate in my case with the asbestos.
    Kathy

  • inox
    12 years ago

    This is not a product endorsement, just an interesting hit from searching at Google for:

    HEPA floor sander

    Here is a link that might be useful: DustPro⢠600 HEPA Industrial Vacuum

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    That is a vacuum, not a floor sander.

    You are never going to gather enough of the sawdust from sanding to meet HEPA standards.

  • trouts2
    12 years ago

    sombreuil_mongrel,
    Your above post was like a revelation from God. For years I�ve been agonizing about what to do with and old kitchen floor that had linoleum with a toweled on adhesive. Various solvents would not work and it never occurred to me to try water.

    I gave up and put a rug over the floor but that make a height problem at the doors. For years I�ve avoided what I considered would be a major hassle.

    The crud comes up fairly easily with water and rubbing. A lot of the black backing paper sticks to the floor but with more water and scraping loosens and comes off. Under it all is a decent solid hardwood floor that should be fairly easy to get into good shape. I�m thrilled that this will all work out. Thanks for the post.

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    12 years ago

    "Your above post was like a revelation from God."
    You are welcome, my child.

    LOL
    Casey

  • cmcdar
    10 years ago

    Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

    I know it is years after the OP, but I wanted to say thank you to especially to sautesmom for the suggestion of using steam. It saved us hours of work and maybe even a marriage ;-)

    We went to Home Depot and bought a Wagner Wallpaper Steamer - it worked like a charm.

    This post was edited by cmcdar on Sun, Mar 30, 14 at 7:33

  • cmcdar
    10 years ago

    We were leaving some glue on the wood floors but the black paper was coming right up.

  • Snoozin57
    9 years ago

    That looks like exactly what I am dealing with! House dates 1920 and the linoleum is over wood floors in the kitchen. Is it conceivable that was put down in the 30's or 40's???

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    the mortar itself in many places has turned to sand.

    that needs to be dug out and replaced with good mortar so your walls don't fall down. it's called "repointing"

  • airqual_guy
    9 years ago

    I feel compelled to warn anyone reading this thread to be very careful if you're tempted to try the dry ice idea.

    Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide, and does not have to asphyxiate to be dangerous. Breathing elevated levels for an extended period is dangerous. Work only in a well ventilated area, and beware of signs of drowsiness.

  • cookingofjoy
    9 years ago

    From nyskylark's post above:
    Ours had a black "shadow" at every joist line. Floor guy said that the heat builds up were the floor joists met the wood floor and permanently stained the wood. But a darker color stain took care fo the problem.

    Has anyone else had this problem? Or found a solution to it?

    I think we have something similar on our stair treads. The lines didn't show until I started sanding.

    Here is a link that might be useful: stripes on treads

  • emoree
    9 years ago

    Oh god these pictures are bringing back nightmares from when we first got our house!! Kill me now!!! Never again, ugh!

  • cshante32
    8 years ago

    Hilarious ^ I'm currently going through a home renovation it is a lot to deal with!! Be glad when I can look back and say I remember when...

  • bobbi c.
    8 years ago

    I'm laughing here--sort of. We just finished the fourth year of remodel on our 1930 bungalow. Luckily, a few of the rooms were already refinished--beautiful antique pine, hard as a rock. BUT, the rest of the floors are covered with either linoleum or 50s vinyl glued onto something that looks like MDF. UGH. We have several nasty spots where we tried to scrape it all up, and it just made a spongy mess. We've almost decided to just cover it all up with a new vinyl (which I hate the idea of). We did spend a lot of time putting down a new sub-floor, etc. in the kitchen and bath and put in ceramic tile--which has already cracked after only a year because of the pier-and-beam foundation on blackland soil. (Yes,the walls are cracked again, too.) It's always something with an old house! :-p

  • cshante32
    8 years ago

  • Sandy Levey Thornton
    7 years ago

    The 9 inch linoleum squares in nskylarks post back in 2008 is exactly what I have in my 1946 basement, and it is definitely asbestos. "Sanding the heck out of it " was definitely the wrong thing to do, because the disturbing it by sanding allowed the particles to become airborne, and able to be breathed in. I hope they lived to talk about it. My guess is that some lung issues will definitely come up given a long enough life. Think I'll just have my sheet linoleum in the kitchen, and the black adhesive residue that's visible under it, tested before I tackle the task. 2017.

  • leschrkr
    7 years ago

    Yep, we have those same 9x9 (leave them behind) tiles. The asbestos abatement company is going to cut out the linoleum, 9x9 tile and hardwood floor sandwich and we are putting down new hardwood floors.


  • Sandy Levey Thornton
    7 years ago

    I bet that is costing some nice change. I will likely lay new floor over the top to save on abatement costs, though there will be a change in elevation. Oh well. I'm not a rich woman. Good luck with your new hardwood though!

  • leschrkr
    7 years ago

    Wish we could go over the top but so many layers already.... Taking it all out and laying down hardwood still costing less than a new range...that is sort of how I kept it in persepective...but, I also only have a 140 sf area to deal with, rest is already oak hardwood. Good luck too!

  • raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
    7 years ago

    I had the same issue and found (accidently) that wallpaper remover also softens and allows the old glue to be easily scraped off.

    Also, since the tear out and remodel upset our elderly cat, I discovered that cat urine will also act as an efficient remover. I did not experiment further with this.

    (That is, to see if washing ammonia might be equally effective).

  • PRO
    Anglophilia
    7 years ago

    In our St Louis 1938 house, we had tiles glued down on plywood. Hmmm - plywood came along AFTER WWII. We removed the tiles (they popped right up - were not glued down well at all), then the plywood floor, discovered red sheet linoleum under that. My husband used a wide scrapper to get up the linoleum, which came up quite easily. What was left behind, was a bear! It was as if the linoleum had melted into the glue and what was left was a black gooey mess. We opened all the window and doors, and he used mineral spirits and a wide scraper to get up all the gooey mess. We discovered that the subfloor was not a subfloor, but was a red oak floor OVER sub flooring! Apparently, this was quite common in those days. The rest of the floors in the house were white oak.

    At that point, in came the pros and sanded and applied polyurethane to the red oak flooring. It was gorgeous and was a wonderful kitchen floor with children and dogs.

    No one was talking about asbestos in glue in 1979. My husband did wear a dust mask and the mineral spirits probably got up most of the asbestos. No idea what the sanding did.

  • Dayana Diaz
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Idk if anyone can answer me we hired a family friend to do some renovations in our 1940's house he didn't warn us about asbestos and me my 3 and 2 yr old were home the whole time (2months) I'm now sure there was some asbestos tile and black glue in the bathroom I've been crying all this time because I don't have money to have someone come clean my house

    How worried should I be?

    Is there Asbestos fibers all over my house now?

    Do I need to throw away all of our belongings ?

    Will my children get sick?

    How long after the work was done are the fibers still in home?

    Will the house be contaminated forever ?

  • Dayana Diaz
    7 years ago

    I got the tile n cutback tested

  • Dayana Diaz
    7 years ago

    He broke the tiles and threw them out in the back yard and put some adhesive and put the new tile over it

    How long do fibers stay airborne ?

  • Dayana Diaz
    7 years ago

    What if the tiles are in a pile outside he didn't even throw them out they all broken and exposed

  • kudzu9
    7 years ago

    Hose them down; that way if there are any loose fibers remaining, they won't get airborne while you are dealing with them. Seal them in heavy duty garbage bags. Some localities allow you to take them to the regular dump and some want you to take them to a specialized dump that handles hazardous waste.

  • SaltiDawg
    7 years ago

    "What if the tiles are in a pile outside he didn't even throw them out they all broken and exposed"

    They've been sitting as trash in your yard for months?

  • weedyacres
    7 years ago

    You said you got them tested. Did they come back positive for asbestos?

  • Ellen Colangelo
    6 years ago

    I am having a similar problem. I removed linoleum flooring which was glued to unfinished wood floors in my 100+ yr old house. What remained stuck to the floor is thick gray paper type material, and a hard brown material with swirl marks similar to thin set under tile. Anyone know what this stuff is? Paint and Epoxy Remover & my heat gun have done nothing. My dremel tool just succeeded in giving the gray stuff a haircut. I'm going to try my wallpaper steamer. I saw a carpet iron used successfully on a video. Don't know where to rent that, but if the steamer doesn't work, I'll find it!

  • kudzu9
    6 years ago

    The papery, gray backing could contain asbestos. You should consider having it tested before doing any more destructive removal.

  • Ellen Colangelo
    6 years ago

    I would have thought if there was asbestos, it would be in the linoleum?

  • kudzu9
    6 years ago

    Sometimes in the linoleum, sometimes in the backing, sometimes in both. If you Google this, you'll see...

  • Sandy Levey Thornton
    6 years ago

    Yes do the research. It was the era of asbestos. The linoleum, the backing, the glue/mastic to hold it down, ALL could have asbestos in it. My other died from a non-smokers lung cancer, likely related to asbestos wrapped pipes in our basement laundry room back in the early 60's. In the mid eighties, she developed lung cancer. Surgery took care of the affected lower part of lung. 4 years later it returned, in both lungs. Then 4 years of chemo and radiation until she died. Don't mess with this stuff. It's not worth it.


  • Ellen Colangelo
    6 years ago

    I found this on https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/113602


    Removing Linoleum Adhesive From FloorsProcedure code:965001SSource:Ohj - Shirley Maxwell & James C. Massey, 9/30/92Division:FinishesSection:Resilient FlooringLast Modified:08/02/2016

    REMOVING LINOLEUM ADHESIVE FROM FLOORS

    PART 1---GENERAL

    1.01 SUMMARY

    1. This procedure includes guidance on removing the mastic adhesive left behind when linoleum flooring has been removed.
    2. Linoleum flooring was very popular from 1863 to 1974. It was used historically as an original floor treatment in some GSA buildings. Linoleum's chief ingredient was linseed oil, pressed from flax seed, which became a tough, elastic material when exposed to air. The process essentially consisted of mixing linseed oil and gum with ground cork or wood flour, and pressing it onto burlap or canvas. It was then glued down to concrete or wood floors using a mastic cement.
    3. See "General Project Guidelines" for general project guidelines to be used along with this procedureThese guidelines cover the following sections:
    4. Historic Structures Precautions
    5. Submittals
    6. Quality Assurance
    7. Delivery, Storage and Handling
    8. Project/Site Conditions
    9. Sequencing and Scheduling
    10. General Protection (Surface and Surrounding)
      These guidelines should be reviewed prior to performing this procedure and should be followed along with recommendations from the Regional Historic Preservation Officer (RHPO).

    PART 2---PRODUCTS

    2.01 MATERIALS

    1. Clean, potable water
    2. Vinegar
    3. Citrus degreasing solvent such as "Limo Sol", or approved equal.
    4. Dry ice
    5. Chemical solvent such as isopropyl alcohol, paint thinner, xylol, lacquer thinner, or paint stripper.

    2.02 EQUIPMENT

    1. Heat lamp or hot-air gun
    2. Putty knife or scraper

    PART 3---EXECUTION

    3.01 ERECTION, INSTALLATION, APPLICATION

    NOTE: A waterproof glue is usually applied at the edges and seams of the linoleum; the center of the felt layers is usually attached with a water soluble paste.

    1. Soak the mastic area in hot water for 20-60 minutes or until soft.\
    2. If this is not effective, try adding vinegar or high-strength citrus degreasing solvent to the water and then soak for 20-60 minutes until soft.
    3. If mastic still will not soften, try applying heat to the surface using a lamp or hot-air gun.
      -OR-
      Try freezing the mastic with dry ice to break the bond with the substrate.
    4. If no other methods are effective in softening the mastic, test a chemical solvent on the area.
      NOTE: Be sure to test in an inconspicuous area to determine appropriate chemicals and strengths before proceeding with cleaning.
    5. Scrape away the softened mastic using a putty knife or garden edger.

    END OF SECTION

    interesting................

  • Lindsay Wilcox
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Thanks for this! I will be attacking a linoleum tile removal project quite soon. I’ve read through the whole thread and now feel I can do it safely and efficiently. Thanks everyone! I love getting great technical info.

  • marianneg72
    4 years ago

    Omg! We found that removing the black felt paper and old board vinyl flooring was very easy just using boiling hot water and dawn dish detergent.. after, trying heat and fancy tools.. but, now our kitchen is a whole different breed. It has 2 layers with the top removed easily using the boiling water. The next layer that is closest to the wood is our major problem.. it appears to look like a mortar type that has been troweled. But, removing it has been not easy.. I’m pretty sure that it had been painted prior to applying the mortar type glue.. any suggestions? Covering is not an option because the flooring is too high.. meaning, coming out of the kitchen would leave a step down in every other entrance..

  • daisychain Zn3b
    4 years ago

    We took up the old lino tiles on our basement stairs and were left with the thick black glue/tar stuff. I accidentally spilled windex on it and discovered that ammonia melted it. It was messy, but the ammonia worked really well. Not sure if it would work on what you have, but couldn't hurt to try it.

  • Ellen Colangelo
    4 years ago

    I'm glad that worked for you! I ended up using an angle grinder, then a belt sander. Turned out beautifully.

  • kudzu9
    4 years ago

    Although it’s been pointed out several times in the years that this thread has been alive, it’s important to reiterate that anyone considering using abrasive methods on adhesive like this needs to have it tested for asbestos first.

  • Sandy Levey Thornton
    4 years ago

    Exactly kudzu9, exactly. My lungs are worth more than the wood floor.


  • marianneg72
    4 years ago

    I already know that it is asbestos contained.. I have the kitchen sealed with plastic around doorways and I have been using all the proper; filtered masks, goggles, and suited gear. However, I have not sanded anything.. most has come up with boiling hot water peeling a section at a time. Wrapped up in special labeled bags and disposed of properly(expensive but, it’s worth it to me.. if, I can save the original hardwood). 1” red oak!

  • Cara Boiler
    3 years ago

    I accidetally spilled warm water with soap when trying to remove linoleum tiles in one of our bedrooms. I didn’t mop it up straight away and low and behold it literally dissolved the mastic. scraping and wiping up was a breeze after I realized there was a simple answer to a tough problem.