how do you get the glue from tiles off the hardwood floors?

Question

i just bought a house , they had slate tiles on the hardwood floors with glue, i got the tiles off but not the glue.

there were only about 7 tiles , there used to be a wood stove in the living room. We are going to refinish the floors after. I hope this helps.

Answer 1

The glue will most likly take off the finish anyway , so scrape what you can and sand the rest . Refinish to match lot of work

Answer 2

Sorry, but it all depends what KIND of glue was used. If it was some specific types it would respond to mild solvent such as deodorized varsol.
BEWARE of the fire hazard involved with this material. Ventilate the room at all times!

You could try paint stripper, but use gloves, and again, do not breathe the fumes. Follow the instructions on the can. PREFERABLY use water-based paint stripper.

You might instead just minimize the pain by renting a power floor sander, and sand and refinish the hardwood in a normal fashion.

The problem with that theory is that some of these glues are temperature-sensitive, and when you start sanding them, they tend to soften, melt and clog up the sanding medium. If you do find that to be the case, a paint-removing heat gun and old-fashioned scraping may work.

Interestingly, many people would rather have the slate.
good luck, what fun!

Answer 3

Don't know if this is the same type of glue, but found this hint on eHow.com and figured it was at least a less destructive approach. You may want to try it first before you start scraping.

Carpet glue removal by
We didn't like the Berber carpet that was in the den. So my wife and I pulled a corner of the carpet and padding back and found black glue covering the hardwood floor. The professionals that my wife and her grandmother talk to said leave the carpet, there's nothing in our experience that will work. We got a regular spray bottle, put about a half a capful (not cupful) of Murphy's oil in, filled it with water, and sprayed a section. We let it sit for about a minute and wiped it with a sponge and it came up with no problem. Some areas had more glue, so we sprayed more and wiped the rest up. We used a damp cloth to wipe up the remainder. A fan helps to dry the floor fast. Thanks to Murphy's oil this works. Now we have beautiful hardwood floors.

Good luck!!

Answer 4

Wow, those first two answers sound dangerous and very unhealthy. Before you do anything that extreme try a household remedy first, it's worth a try.
Glue can be loosened by saturating the spot with a cloth soaked in vinegar. Section off small areas, ex 12x12, saturating each section one at a time. When glue loosens, try and use a plastic scraper and remove it...continue with other sections until the job is done.
The last alternative would be, call in a professional wood floor company, they can use a sanding machine to finish off the floor.
Either way....good luck-

Answer 5

Regular gas will do it but must be used with care [all windows open]

Answer 6

HEAT & SCRAPER.NASTY JOB SO VENT WELL.I USE A TORCH & CAN BURN FLOOR.TRY PAINT THINNER & SCRAPER FIRST. VENT WELL!