Good afternoon and thank you everyone for your advice.

Scenario is as follows:

I live in Pensacola, FL and have a concrete slab with tile and hardwood. The home is 5 years old. Taking up all hardwood and tile and putting down all new hardwood. Have about 2000 sq.ft. area I am doing. All the tile and hardwood came up with no problem. The big problem is the old adhesive. I have purchased a long handled 4" scraper from Lowes to try and take this old adhesive up but it is not working.

Could you guys PLEASE recommend something (solvent?) that will take up the old adhesive but will not interfere with the holding strength of the new adhesive. NEED YOUR HELP ASAP PLEASE.

If it matters I am laying down Robbins Urban Exotics Pecan and am going to be using Robbins Fusion Lock Urethane based adhesive.

Also, if there is a better adhesive that one would recommend, please say so.

THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE.

puj:

Have you tried the NWFA locator? Incidentally we'll be offering the Urban Exotics soon. If you need some pricing we can provide with a phone call. Freight(terminal or business address) to Pensacola regardless of quantity is $ 39.00.

I would suggest going with the Robbins recommended adhesive. As far as the old stuff--solvents are never a good idea as they could react with the new adhesive It may be worthwhile to hire some day labor to remove the older adhesives and thinset.

All the DIYers want the "easy way out". Well, you could sand it off with a buffer and a grinder plate. Should be available from a rental yard. OR, what I use is a razor scraper. Long handle, 8" blade and a 10 pack of fresh blades. Adhesives should scrap off fairly easily with a razor scraper. Thin set for tile is another matter. I wouldn't use a chemical.

Ain't that the truth!

75% of my clientel, purchased their wood, thinking it would be an easy DIY job.

After my clients see what I go through to prep a floor, they always say, they had thought of installing this themselves, and their fears were true, by watching me do it, and all I have to through, on some of the messed up substrates I see.

Too many watch "extreme home makeover" or "trading spaces", and think it is that easy. I would like to inspect those "show" jobs in 6 months to a year!!!

Ken thank you for your response and yes I did look at the NWFA locator and that is where I actually found my hardwood installer. I would love to talk to you about purchasing the Urban Exotics from you let me know how we can chat about it. I tried sending you a PM but it will not go through for some reason.

Now to you other two gentlemen. Gary, I appreciate your response as well and I have tried using a scraper but to absolutely no avail. I am looking into a renting a sander as well but the wife does not care for all of the dust it is going to cause.

I was not looking for the easy way out GENTLEMEN. The master installers I had come give me quotes wanted "NO PART" in taking up the old stuff. I had no choice but to become a DIYer thanks to you installers.

I am sorry you two gentlemen take such offense to someone asking for help. I know what a difficult job you gentlemen have and I was not making light of it in any way shape or form. I have taken up about 1500 sq. ft. of tile and thin set and know what a difficult job you have. I was jsut looking for a little bit of assistance with the adhesive and I think I have your response.

Thank you for all of your help. Ken look forward to hearing from you.

PLU

In 25 yrs. I have never come across an adhesive on concrete that could not be scraped off. To us, who do this everyday, your question did sound like you were looking for the easy way out. The "MAGIC IN A BUCKET" syndrome I call it. Sorry you were offended by our response. I help NUMEROUS people every day on this sight and others with information that took me many years to learn. And I do it for FREE. I offered you the two most widely used methods. And you have found an excuse not to employ them. I suggest that it sounds like you're over your head so why not hire a demolition company; or at least some temporary laborers. Highly skilled flooring installers are too expensive to demo flooring and didn't spend years learning their craft to be scraping glue of your floors when any laborer could do that. Did you catch that? You said INSTALLERS! I'm sure they will be happy to INSTALL your floor since they are INSTALLERS. Where does it say they are demolition experts? And everyone always has choices. Sorry, I'm not buying your line. I know I come across hard at times but I "calls 'em as I sees 'em"!

Well said Gary.

We are all hear to help, even though we may come across harsh at times.
We take PRIDE in our chosen craft, and dispise cutting corners to save time or to make it easier. That's why they call it WORK! If it were easy, I'd tell the wife, "I going to easy now, be back later."

Gary and Floorguy:

First of all gentlemen you should take pride in your chosen craft, Floorguy I have seen some of your work on the photo gallery and it looks outstanding. That is why I was asking for your help. Gary I am sorry but I have not seen any of your work but I would strongly suspect that it falls in the same line as the Floorguy.

Let me clarify, the installers that I spoke to in my area here all made a point of telling me that they did not want any part of the demo (as you guys out it) portion of the job. Not one of them mentioned to contact skilled laborers. I guess it should of registered that they are installers not demo people. I did not realize that ya all did not do the entire job. My mistake and I apologize for that. No disrespect intended.

Floorguy I was not looking to cut corners. I also dispise something not being done properly. I know just how difficult of a job it is I have experienced it first hand. It was and still is a royal pain in the rearend. I spoke with local individuals here and they all said that the scraper will pick up the old adhesive. It did not make a dent. I also rented out a pogo stick that had a demo blade as well as a scraping blade that was supposed to do the job but again to no avail. It did a wonderful job on the tile and thin set. It was also recommended to me to use a solvent on it which I did not feel good about. That is when I went to you guys for help. I respect all the years of experience you gentlemen have and that is why I requested the assistance. I also realize that this knowledge is being passed on for free and can't thank all of you enough.


Gary, I still do not understand your comment about not buying my line. What line?????? I hope that I clarified myself.

Floorguy, Gary, Ken and everyone else out there I sincerely appreciate all of your help and thanks for having this sight out there for all of us amateurs.

PLU

There are scrapers and there are SCRAPERS. I'm guessing you have the wrong kind. The type I use and recommend uses an extremely sharp razor blade. It is 8", not 4" and the blade fits into a clamp system at the end of the pole/handle. You may need to get this from a flooring supply company.

http://www.ungerglobal.com/english/eng_ ... scrap.html
http://www.tools4flooring.com/crain-375 ... ca7e7c5064
http://www.craintools.com/fs-tear-outtools.html

It does require lots of sweat and work. Sanding would be easier. No one recommends chemicals. If the existing adhesive is a LATEX, pouring boiling water on it will soften it a little bit. Then scrape and vacumm water with a wet/dry shop vac. This is the way it is done! Except to sand it off.

RE: What's my line? " I has NO CHOICE except to become a DIYer thanks to YOU INSTALLERS." What are you saying here? It's OUR fault YOU decided to rip out your floors and we choose not to do that part of it. And you had NO CHOICE but to do it yourself. Common sense should have prevailed here. Skilled laborers? No skill involved in scraping glue. Just need determination and muscle. I'm sorry but it sounds to me like you're asking us to feel sorry for you. That is the way it came across. my friend. And when you make excuses as to why the recommended way of doing things doesn't work fpr you, what are we supposed to think or say? Well, our advice is worth what you paid for it I guess. Take it or leave it. Good Luck!

Gary:

Thanks for the links. I will take your advice and seek out some skilled laborers. The last thing I am looking to do is make enemies Gary. You guys are the pros and no disrespect was intended. The last thing I want is for anyone to feel sorry. I took this project on knowing good and well what I was getting myself into.

Thanks again and sorry if I offended you and anyone else.

PLU

Actually, there just happens to be a magic potion. I saw it demonstrated today. Made from soybeans, it ate up the mastics I saw it used on. Scraped 'em up like jelly. They have one for urethanes too.
www.franmar.com

I saw that at the Charlotte covention last year. Thanks for the info

Mr. Puj,
The boys are giving you hard statements because.. The are flooring mechanics, not installers and:
1. Most folks don't understand the effort, time and energy it takes to PROPERLY prepare the floors and therefor, unwilling to pay a fair price. So, they may think you are not willing to pay the price.
2. Any installer not willing to do demo work is not a qualified installer to install your floor. Floor preparation, demolition work and hard work are part of every "remodel" installation.
3. It's been a long time since I installed for a living, but I always thought the job was almost over once the floor was properly prepared. Prep work is not only the hardest job, but also the most critical. New floors are only as good as what they are installed on......... Most glue down failures I inspect are directly related to "what's under the material".

Oops, I went and used the word "Installer" when I should have shown more respect and used the work "mechanic". Anybody can install. Not everybody can be considered a "Flooring Mechanic". Or.. In Englang: Floor Fitter.

Here's the reality. Would a flooring retail shop provide the demo service? You bet! They would be happy to to get more of the customer's money by hiring laborers for $8.00 and charging the customer $30.00+. No one in their right mind would bid it at a flat rate and it would be T&M. Now, those installers could have done the same thing to help part the customer from his cash but they just didn't want to do that. They could have/ should have suggested the customer hire his own laborers. I know I would and have done so in the past. I was presented with a 2500 sq.ft. engineered floor (won't mention brand) gone bad glued to concrete with a urethane adhesive. The customer wanted it all torn out and wanted to know what it would cost so he could sue the manufacterer and previous flooring contractor. I told him T&M but he wanted an exact number and I told him I couldn't do that and that if he wanted to save some money to arrange for the demo himself by hiring some laborers. If any of you have demoed engineered hardwood glued to concrete with a urethane adhesive, then you know how difficult this is and that some of the slab may be ripped up when prying those boards loose. Sometimes, the smartest thing to do is walk away. Ray, I disagree that a flooring mechanic should do the demolition. I work for general contractors on a regular basis and they would never think to ask me to remove the old flooring. They hire their own laborers. Once the floors are removed, I may need to do some prep but I usually walk the job with the general and point out the issues with the subfloor. Most of the time, they/he handles it. Sometimes, it's beyond their skill level and need me to take over. But they understand that now they're paying someone three to four times the amount that it would have cost them had they been able to do it themselves. It is about economics. And any business person has the right the walk away from a job that he/she does not feel good about without being critisized for their action.