Taking carpet off timber floorboards

Semiprecious · Mar 22, 2008 12:07 pm

Hi there, I joined this forum a while ago when we were looking at buying a house to renovate. Well, we didn't buy that house but now we have found another and are due to move in in late April.

ATM the floors are covered with old, crusty carpet that we want to remove before we move in. It looks as though underneath is lovely cyprus floorboards and they look like they have been finished a long time ago (we can see the boards in the cupboards). FYI the house was built late '60s/early '70s.

Some questions:
1. Is it likely the carpet is glued down, meaning the floor boards need sanding to get rid of the glue?
2. If we are wrong and the floorboards are not finished, is it okay to leave them unfinished?
3. My dh is concerned that when we take the kitchen out (a couple of years down the track), where the old cupboards were the floorboards will look funny and we'll have to do the whole living area again to match it up. Is this likely or will it be easy to finish a small spot and match it to the rest of the floor? It's also a problem in the entry area which is currently cork flooring and cork walls :shock:

We won't be taking the cork up yet.

Thanks in anticipation!

Yak_Chat · Mar 22, 2008 7:23 pm

Depends on when the carpet was laid, but it might just be lots of staples holding down the underlay and the carpet, with some of that horrible carpet tack stuff on the edges.

If you do lift it all, you really should plane to seal it as soon as you lift the carpet, otherwise dirt and grit will get ground into it and they are not easy to keep clean in a bare state. Timber is porous and will soak up stains and all sorts of things.

Re the kitchen, just check the depth of the cupboards, back then the depth of the cupboard (how far it comes away from the wall) was not as wide as todays kitchens - so you might not even see the old floor when you get to doing that job.

Good luck.
Done and mid way through doing exactly what you want to do in my current 70's place.
Steve

royalblue · Mar 22, 2008 10:45 pm

Any pics, particularly detail pics up close?

There are ways of removing the carpets, but firstly, I need to establish the type of carpet installation (stretched in or direct stick).

Does it feel somewhat spongey, as though there's an underlay, and can you feel a ridge around the perimeter through the carpet (smoothedge)?

Ash.

commodorenut · Mar 23, 2008 4:09 pm

Our old house was the same - 1969 red brick with cypress T&G floors.

The carpet was only stapled down around the room perimeters in most rooms, but the 2 that were redone in a more 'modern' time were fixed with the strip nails.

It was only a matter of ripping out all the staples & strips - wear a dust mask, gloves, eye protection, and even consider full over-alls, as the crud that comes out of old carpet is disgusting.

Don't leave them unfinished - anything you drop on them will stain the boards - mud, moisture, red wine.... and the worst thing is an oil stain (cooking oil, grease on shoes etc) as it spoils the timber - it soaks in and no amount of sanding will remove it.

In our old kitchen, we found they had nailed masonite sheets over the boards first, then laid the lino tiles, then later on someone laid cork over them.... and fitted a new kitchen.....and then another owner ripped the whole lot up - but did a * on it:
To get up all the masonite would have required removal of all the cabinets, so they just broke it all away level with the kickboards. So under the cupboards is masonite, lino & cork!

A mates place of a similar vintage had this horrible bitumen type substance under the kitchen floor coverings. The closest example of this that I can find is this picture:
http://www.getagleam.com.au/cgi-bin/alb ... _width=500

And I might also mention that I had those guys http://www.getagleam.com.au/ come & do the floors in my 'new' place last year - they were virgin floorboards - a baltic colour, and we ripped up all the carpets, but left the rest to get-a-gleam, and I'm very happy with their work.

I DIY'd my old place, but after comparing the effort & cost, I won't bother DIY'ing them again!

Dukekamaya · Mar 24, 2008 7:16 pm

Sand them and coat them in a water-based poly IMO. Seen it done dozens of times and looks great.

Semiprecious · Apr 01, 2008 11:37 am

Thanks so much for all your replies. We finally got to see the place again yesterday and here's what we found:

1. The main carpet is most definitely not glued in
2. The 'carpet' in the dining room is definitely glued in
3. The cork tiles in the entrance area are glued in too (obviously)
4. The floorboards have been rough-sanded and finished before all carpet was put in.

So...

The RE agent reckons there's some sort of glue getter-offerer that we could get and then just give the boards a good clean and do a quick sand and one coat finish.

My dh doesn't want to finish it at all. According to him because it's already finished then we should be able to get the glue off (with said toxic preparation) and everything should be fine and dandy. His argument is that we are not taking the kitchen lino out yet so when we do we will have trouble matching up the colour. (is this likely?). His other argument is money.

I just want to get a floor sanderer/finisher person to come and sand and finish the floor so we don't have to move out or clean up to get it done in the future. If we end up with floorboards in the kitchen (which I don't want anyway after speaking to a couple of people and seeing a couple of floorboard kitchens and seeing your replies here - thanks!) then of course we'll be able to match the colour (right?).

This has become a topic of consternation between us (to put it politely). We are both very stressed and the place is disgustingly filthy and smelly and we just want the floorboards to be useable and to be able to be kept clean (without spending too much money).

Any advice would be much appreciated.
THank you

Michelle · Apr 01, 2008 1:11 pm

I’m having a hard time getting all this!

Solution…….Rip up vinyl flooring, get floor sander in to do ALL the floors at the same time, preferably now!

If done properly, any scratches that happen while doing any renovation will be a small job to repair.
Trust me….getting the glue off the floor boards is not as easy as the Real Estate Agent has said!

Save yourself the hassle, get it done professionally.

Dukekamaya · Apr 01, 2008 5:13 pm

Once the floor is scratched - its scratched you can't really do anything about it. If your doing reno's leave the floor till they are all done and do them last.

Yak_Chat · Apr 01, 2008 7:40 pm

True Luke, but if it is as bad as it sounds, then getting them done pre move in is not a bad idea, so long as you get some cheap (like I've got a shed full)

of OK ísh carpet to lay down while your doing the renos.

If it smells , then you need to do something straight away :shock:

If the floors are bad anyway, then ripping up the smelly stuff is half the battle done and you may not do much damage with them bare, but long term, they shoul dbe sealed, be it wax, or a harder style of surface
Bare timber does soak up dirt, grease and grime.
If money is tight, then rip it up, live with that for awhile, plan and od the renos, which all should be better than smelly carpets.
But you wil have to coat/treat them at some stage, or they will take on their own smelly character, just like a wool shed does :shock:

Steve

Semiprecious · Apr 01, 2008 8:03 pm

Ah, you people are certainly making me feel so much better about it. I must admit, in a conversation with dh today I did get a tad irrational...hence my slightly irrational post. :lol:

So if the boards are rough-sanded and finished in the main part, is it reasonable to think that we could get the glue off the two smaller parts and not have to do anything else? Or will we have to sand and finish those two smaller parts regardless of what we do with the main section?

Sorry for the dumb questions.

Yak_Chat · Apr 01, 2008 8:29 pm

Can you post a pic?

rough sanding is done to make the carpet sit better. So they are whatis known as bare still. The glue bit - yes you can sand / get that off somehow.

Post a photo if you can.
Steve

Semiprecious · Apr 01, 2008 8:36 pm

Unfortunately I can't post a pic because we haven't taken the carpet up yet (and we won't until 22 April). We just know they are rough-sanded and finished from looking inside the cupboards (and lifting up a corner of carpet).

So you're saying, even though they've been finished in the past that they are still regarded as bare?

I guess I should get a floor expert to come and have a look.

Yak_Chat · Apr 01, 2008 9:19 pm

Unfinsihed means - not sealed - no top cover to protect them.

Sanded - be it rough or smooth - means bare wood - ie ready to soak up whatever it is exposed to.
hwatever you do - you need toplan on - withing 12 months to be sealing them - and till then - be looking after them.
Rip the carpet, and throw down some rugs in high traffic areas.

Steve

Semiprecious · Apr 01, 2008 9:33 pm

But that's just it - they have been sealed. Any reason to reseal them if they've been sealed many moons ago?

Yak_Chat · Apr 02, 2008 6:30 am

If they are still sealed and the under carpet section has not been sanded off, then sure it is fine to leave them as is.

Think of it just like paint, it is designed to protect it, so if the floors are sealed, then you do not NEED to do them immediatly, because they are already done.

Personally , I'd stop worrying, get ownership, get in and do what you want, ie get rid of the smelly stuff, and then see what you have to deal with after that.

Think I understand why you chose your name now :wink:

Steve

Semiprecious · Apr 23, 2008 2:23 pm

Weeeeelll...we got the house yesterday and dh spent ALL NIGHT pulling the carpet up. Just as I thought...there's no way we could have got away with not resealing. There are thousands of tacks to take out and parts where the underfelt has stuck to the boards and stains where there has been water or wee or something :shock:

that kept the carpet wet.

I held myself back from saying 'I told you so' to my dh.

Luckily he has apologised for making such a big deal out of trying to save money and not resealing it and thinking it was all going to be easy peasy. Apparently only two of the bedrooms are sealed anyway.

I haven't seen it yet but may have some photos later tonight to post. I'm *hoping* the water stains come out with the sanding. Then we are sealing it with the low toxicity finish. :z:

Thanks heaps for all your advice and patience.

ETA: oh, btw, the carpet glued in to the dining room, the vinyl in the kitchen and the cork in the entrance was all glued onto masonite. So that was a bonus.

'chelle · Apr 23, 2008 3:36 pm

Not sure about this, but I have heard that you can use oxalic acid to remove stains from wood.

Ash will now most probably jump on me :wink:

and say how toxic it is

. I'm not sure how safe it is but I know that you can buy it from paint or hardware stores. I've got some in order to remove water stains from our front timber door.... which, as usual, I haven't got around to doing yet.

cheers

Dukekamaya · Apr 23, 2008 8:18 pm

Oxalic Acid is a natural acid, it is used for cleaning timber mostly on decks. You will probably see it sold under the names 'Reviva', 'Deck Clean' etc.
As far as using it inside the timber realy needs to be pressure-washed clean to remove all traces of the acid, as it will affect the floor sealer

Yak_Chat · Apr 23, 2008 9:48 pm

SP
Congratulations.
Woo hoo

Quote:

Then we are sealing it with the low toxicity finish.

What are you planning on using.
Good move by the way.

And congratulate DH for apoligizing - Tell him - well done for being big enough to admit his mistake

'chelle wrote.

Quote:

Ash will now most probably jump on me and say how toxic it is .

Sure he will love that

-
Is Ash toxic :wink:

Semiprecious · Jul 16, 2008 9:41 pm

I'm not sure if I updated but I thought I should tell you that it was a hell job getting out all the tacks and only one or two of the bedrooms were finished after all. The cork and kitchen vinyl were stuck onto masonite which was great but still a huge mess to get out (hundreds of tacks in the kitchen apparently). There were wet patches in the loungeroom (we think from a dog :shock:

- to think I let my 12mo baby crawl around on it *vomit*) and wet patches in the kitchen where something had leaked. The whole place stank and they had to put fans and heatlamps on the wet patches for 48 hours before they could finish it.

Here are some photos as promised. Sorry for taking so loooooong...

1. The disgusting carpet in the loungeroom
2. The disgusting carpet in the dining room
3. Taking the tacks out in the kitchen
4. Loungeroom sanded - woohoo!!!
5. Close up of cyprus floorboards - ah, lovely!
6. What it looks like after finishing (with toys and crumbs LOL)

We used a finish called 'Traffic' and we're really, really happy with it. The rest of the house is pretty original and in chaos since we moved and if we ever feel like we need to feel better we look down at the floor.

Thanks for all your help and patience.

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