We have taken out the carpet to find yellowish orange glue. It makes the surface of the concrete rough. The floor seeps when the air conditioner is off. We live on the central west coast of Florida. I have 2 large dogs, and 2 teenage boys. It's impossible to keep carpet clean, so I have choosen to paint the concrete to look like tile to match the rest of the house. We are having difficulty getting the glue up. We are beginners at home improvement and our budget is limited. We are using a adhesive remover but it doesn't seem to be working, the floor is still orange. Is this stained from the glue? How do we get the surface of the floor smooth?
2006-12-30 04:28:52 · 4 answers · asked by iris_rainbow1 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
Just be carefull with adhesive removers. Most will prevent paint from sticking to the concrete. The only way to get the glue up and still have the paint stick to the concrete is by scraping. Making your floor look like tile is very hard. It only looks easy on tv. Do you know there are carpets that can be cleaned with bleach. If you need more info post a reply
2006-12-30 05:56:10 · answer #1 · answered by rlbendele1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even if your concrete floor is smooth, you may have difficulty removing the glue. Now that you've removed the carpeting, the glue will get a chance to be dryer than it has been. However, you do live in a humid part of the country. You might buy a dehumidifier. You'd need one anyway to be comfortable below grade in coastal Florida. The dryer it is the easier it is to remove. I have some more tips in the link.
If your concrete is rough surfaced, you may not be able to get it prepared for paint, in which case you might find some indoor-outdoor carpeting on sale.
As far as making it appear as tile through painting is concerned, iI think the only way to do that is to (1) place string in a grid pattern where the artificial grouting will be. (2) Paint thin lines to simulate the grouting. You don't have to be too precise because you'll be painting over it. Make your "grout" a light color, so that when you do No. 5, you don't have to worry about it showing through. (3) Let it dry. (4) Place tape on top of the grouting in the thickness you want it to be. (5) Using a roller carefully, paint the floor and over the tape. You might need two or more coats. (6) Remove the tape.
2006-12-30 04:51:39 · answer #2 · answered by jackbutler5555 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You didn't say how much surface area you were talking about, but it sounds like it could be rather large. I have removed carpet and linoleum from concrete flooring both. To remove the glue I've used a combination of mechanical scraping....usually a paint trowel. And a degreasing solvent. The one I have found most effective is called trichloroethylene. This is the ingredient in gun cleaning solvent and dry cleaning solution. It smells bad and you will need to have good ventilation when using it. But I've found it to be very good at getting glue off of surfaces. The other good thing about it, is that it is not flammable like many organic solvents
One other thing to consider as you paint the concrete. How much traffic will you have on the floor? I painted my garage floor, to make it easier to keep clean. I used an "epoxy" paint as opposed to a standard enamel paint. This paint holds up very well and will last for years. It is more expensive, and it has a "pot life" when the can is opened. You can test it in small areas to determine how long you can work with it.
2006-12-30 05:01:30 · answer #3 · answered by richard Alvarado 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what about renting a drum sander like they use to sand hardwood floors?? could get the majority of it up that way
2006-12-30 05:48:57 · answer #4 · answered by cheezy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋