First post here. I'm installing an engineered product directly on a concrete slab. I'll be glueing down the product. I've read all the posts about testing the moisture content of the slab and have acquired a moisture meter for the job. The question I have is: Do I need to worry about the paint overspray that's on the floor? With any other kind of paint/glue application you'd want your surface to be pristine....do I need to be as thorough with the glue down floor?? Not sure how aggresive the glue is. I was thinking about taking a belt sander to the slab to get the paint off. It wouldn't be too big a job to sand the paint of....but I figure I'm gonna be on my knees enough for this project. What do you think? I'd post some pics, but I cant figure out how to do it.

THanks in advance,
Jason

Scrape what you can, go to a hardware store that sells muratic acid for swimming pool buy a gallon follow directions mix and clean it up. the acid willclean the concrete and make any glue or adhiesive bond ten times better. ............... personally if your worried about moisture skip the glue and use PL (PL Landscape Block Adhesive) it seals and is resistant to future moisture problems. I've been doing flooring for over 15 years now, havent had to ever go back for any workmanship or installation mistakes to date.

Robert,

Thanks for the reply. I've measured the moisture content of my slap and it's around 7%, so I'm not overly concerned about that. After running a board across my slab, I've noticed it's not quite as flat as I'd like it. Mostly minor high spots here and there that are right at the limit of 3/16 per 10'. I"m gonna be safe and go rent a concrete grinder today and have at it. I figure i'll use it to scrub the paint off as well. I've never used one of these before, so wish me luck! Any words of advice??

Jason

go slow until you get the feel of the machine, vacume it off when your done. about all I have to offer with that.

With a grinder? It makes a heck of a mess unless the concrete is kept wet, but I'd be leary of that as well. Removing paint is usually done the elbow greased way...not easy but it gets the job done.

Follow the link below

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... n-prep.htm

Welcome aboard Robert. I haven't heard of the acid treatment before.

Yeah, I know. Elbow grease would have been my first option....but since I was renting the grinder to take down some hills, I thought I'd might as well run it over the paint. It actually worked like a charm, but wouldn't get right up next to the wall....so I'll get some elbow workout anyway.

Spent the ENTIRE day running the grinder. At first, a little intimidated...but it ended up being very tame. It just took FOREVEVER. When I do it again, I'll definitely be getting the most aggressive bricks that go in the grinder.

And Yes, the dust gets EVERYWHERE. I tented off my working area with some plastic tarps and put an exhaust fan in a window. It did a good job keeping the dust heading out and an even better job protecting the rest of the house. It took a couple hours to build my tent, but that's nothing compared to the years I would have spent cleaning that dust.

Thanks for the help. I'll keep posting throughout the project. I'll post pics if anyone can tell me how?? I see the little img button above, but it's not exactly intuitive as to how to post a pic.

Regards,
Jason