How To Repair Hardwood Floors After Removing Carpet?

Carpets have always been the most attractive and best decorative pieces on your property. They are not only used for covering your flooring but also add that cozy touch to your property. Therefore, you must keep them clean and neat. But what about the care that the flooring requires? Even though you use carpets to protect the flooring, the accumulation of dirt or deposition of dust particles can also ruin your flooring, especially the hardwood floors. Every time you remove the carpets, you can observe the damage to your hardwood flooring, be it due to the ripping up of your old carpets or even due to friction. You should consider repairing this. But why is it necessary to repair the floors and how to repair hardwood floors after removing the carpet? This blog is going to help you with the information that is necessary for you to understand its importance. 

Repairing Hardwood Floors Is Inevitable, Here Is Why? 

Many of the house owners simply rip off their old carpets, in order to protect their hardwood flooring. In case you plan to do the same, here is what you should do. Right after you take off the carpeting, you need to get the primer done, so as to enhance the beauty of your flooring. This is how to repair hardwood floors after removing the carpet. Here is a detailed description of how you do it: 

• Remove The Carpet From The Hardwood Floor: Before you initiate the process of repairing the hardwood flooring, you need to take off the carpet. Instead of ripping it off harshly, gently remove the carpets that are firmly attached to the flooring. Before we perform the floor restorative process, you need to relocate all the things that are in the room. Get ready with your protective gear to perform the next steps. Here is what you would need:
  • Pry bar 
  • Pliers 
  • Plastic putty knife (useful to remove the old padding that might be stuck to the flooring)
  • Utility knife 
  • Hammer 
  • Dust mask
  • Masking tape or duct tape 
  • Safety glasses 
  • Broomstick/vacuum pump
  • Knee pads 
  • Sponge mop
  • Hardwood floor cleaner 
  • Hardwood polish & restorer 

Here Is How You Do It: 

The following is the stepwise process that will help you if you don’t know how to repair hardwood floors after removing carpet. Removing the carpet from the hardwood floor is a task that needs proper steps and tools. Using a few above-mentioned tools, you will need to remove the carpet. This is what you need to do if you want to get the carpet off the flooring. Here is how you can perform it: 

• Use a little pry bar to remove the baseboards. If you intend to save them for future use, you should proceed with caution.
• Cutting the carpet padding into manageable pieces will make it easier to remove it from the room without damaging the floor.
• Remove the wood strips or carpet tacking strips that were fastened to the carpet’s edges.
• To remove the staples from the wood, use pliers or a nail/staple remover.
• If any old padding is still adhered to the surface, carefully remove it with a silicone putty knife.
• If there are any nails, remove them with the hammer’s rear end.

The major problem with removing old carpets is that the adhesives on the carpet will leave a sticky and dirty surface. This can ruin the look of your hardwood surface. To get the most out of your flooring and restore its look, you need to remove the glue completely without leaving behind its remnants. Hence to get rid of the remnants of glue you ought to take the next steps. 

How To Get Rid Of Glue And Its Remnants From The Hardwood 

Carpet adhesives are very tough to be completely gotten rid of. The methods to use for removing the glue primarily depend on the type of glue you use. For effective removal of the glue, melting it down or converting it into a liquid state is the best way to easily remove it. For this, you need the following tools: 

• Acetone and (or) or other mineral spirits 
• Low-grit sandpaper 
• Heat gun 
• Plastic putty knife 
• Face mask and gloves 
• Carpet adhesive remover 
• Sponges 

Here Is How You Do It: 

• Make sure there is sufficient air ventilation and clear the space. Assemble your instruments, including solvents and carpet adhesive remover, then put on your safety equipment i.e. face mask and gloves.
• Try to scrape the wood as lightly as possible with a putty knife as you attempt to remove the glue. 
• Wrap the glue with a moist cloth. Use a blow dryer to add heat after that. As a result, the glue will become softer and easier to remove using a putty knife.
• Using the solvents like acetone you can remove the leftover glue, after letting it sit for 30 minutes.  
• Sometimes the solvents might change the wood colour, to avoid this perform the patch test on the corner of your flooring. If no change is observed, you can carry on with the cleaning. 
• In case you plan to get rid of it efficiently, without even negligible traces of glue, you can use carpet adhesive remover. 
• Note: Before using any of the products, you should simply read the instructions, this will help you better understand the outcomes and you can avoid the risks. 
• After applying the carpet adhesive remover,  the glue is completely disintegrated, using a sponge or sandpaper you can get rid of even traces of glue thoroughly. 

Conclusion

After completion of all these steps, your floor will be in a good position, since you use the best ways to make your flooring clean. You are lucky enough if your hardwood is in good condition and without any damage. In such a case, you don’t have to do much about restoring the floors. In case there are any damages, you should go for expert services. Since you need to get wood refinishing and wood sanding that might be a costly affair. But you don’t have to worry, as most of the time, the hardwood under the carpets will often be in the best condition. If you ever get worried about how to repair hardwood floors after removing carpet, following the above steps is what you need to do. Also, you can hire our experts for carpet repair in Adelaide and carpet stretching repair at an affordable cost.