Removing Carpet Adhesives from Concrete

One of the major complaints and issues that I have seen in working with concrete floors, is the ugly black carpet glue left behind from years past. To hide it, one would put down more carpet, or try to cover it with tile, or linoleum. But some, wanted the concrete floor to be part of their décor because of allergies (and carpet was not the all-in-all) solution.

Can those ugly adhesive marks be removed? And how do you remove them? In fact, there are many products out there that cater to the removal of adhesives. I have seen soy-based products, harsh chemicals, and many other brands and additives for removal of adhesives.

But, for me, as I also worked with acid stains, I needed to make sure the floor was as free from adhesives as possible. My solution was not a chemical, but rather “elbow grease.” I started out using a grinder/scarifier to remove the majority of the glue, then went over the surface with a sander making sure I removed the glue from any small crevice or crack. This is time consuming, but worth it, especially when you need the surface to mimic new poured concrete as much as possible.

Keep in mind, that this still may leave stains on the concrete surface that cannot be seen until you actually put down the acid stain itself (if that is the project you are working on). So some spots may still show through the acid stain, but if you do not want this outcome, putting down a skim coat first will ensure consistently in look.

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