How To Remove Glue From Concrete?

It left glue residue on the concrete subfloor after pulling up laminate, ceramic, carpet, or linoleum flooring. So until you remove the glue, you can’t install any other floor on concrete for your home improvement project. 

In that case, you have to learn how to remove glue from concrete

Using hot water and a chisel blade is the easiest way to remove glue from the concrete floor with less effort and hassle. This method is applicable for a small amount of glue and small to medium-sized rooms. But for a large size room, you have to use an oscillating tool to make the work faster. 

Here, I’ll describe multiple methods of removing glue from concrete floors and attach a YouTube video that I made for you. So, let’s get to the point.

Some multiple options and tools are effective in removing adhesive from concrete. You have to follow the methods depending on the surface, types of adhesive, and its condition. 

The Things You Need

  • Hand gloves
  • Goggles
  • Hot water
  • A chisel blade

Process

Step 1 – Wear safety gears

Self-care is the best care, so first, wear your safety gear and get ready for the job. 

Step 2 – Boil the water

Put a large saucepan on the stove by filling it halfway with water. Now, fire the stove and boil the water until it reaches 90°c or 198°f temperature. 

Step 3: Pour the hot water on the adhesive

Stop the stove and carefully pour the hot water over the concrete floor from where you want to remove the adhesive. Now, wait a few minutes until the water becomes cool that you can handle.

Step 4: Remove the adhesive

Now, it’s time to remove adhesive from concrete with the chisel blade. After removing, clean the loose adhesive, and wipe the space with a dry cloth. 

Tip: If you have to remove adhesive from a large room, go section by section to make the work easier. To get visualisation, check this YouTube video

That’s the general discussion of removing glue from concrete floors. But, different types of glue are used on concrete while installing other floors. So, if you try to remove the glue by considering its type and conditions, that will be more effective. 

Once you pull off the carpet from the concrete floor, you’ll find the space massy with concrete glue. If you don’t know how to remove yellow carpet glue from concrete, you find yourself in the middle of the sea without knowing how to swim. 

Relax; you can remove the glue with Blue Bear Mastic & Adhesive remover, and a little elbow grease. You can buy this best adhesive remover for concrete from your nearest hardware shop or online eCommerce sites like Walmart.  

The Things You Need

  • Blue Bear Mastic & Adhesive remover
  • A putty knife

Process

  • First, apply the adhesive remover on the floors and wait a few minutes to work its component against the glue strength. 
  • Now, scrape away the glue residue from the floor with the putty knife and its short strokes. 

Undoubtedly, vinyl is trendy in the flooring industry in the USA because of its low price. However, heating is the easiest and most innovative method for removing vinyl glue from concrete floors. 

The Things You Need

  • A hairdryer
  • A pole Scraper
  • Hot water

Process

  • Apply heat on the glue surface of the floor with the hair dryer for 2-4 minutes, as you usually use it to dry your hair. 
  • The glue will be soft due to hot air, so now scrape the soft glue gunk with the pole scraper
  • If you find the glue is not coming, you can pour some hot water to apply more heat. 
  • Then, again pry away the glue with the pole scraper.

Noticing glue residue on the concrete after uninstalling the linoleum floor is a common scenario for most homeowners like you. But don’t panic, as removing glue residue from concrete isn’t a tedious job if you know how to do that. 

The Things You Need

  • Clothing iron
  • Newspaper or cardboard
  • Scraper blade

Process

  • First, spread multiple layers of newspaper or one layer of hardboard on the glued area. 
  • Connect the iron with electricity, set it on low heat, and press the hot iron over the newspaper or cardboard.
  • The heat will loosen the glue residue, so you can easily remove that loosened glue by scraping with the scraper blade. 

Note: This method will be beneficial for a small amount of glue. For large-scale glue removal, you find the process irritating and inefficient. 

Did you spill glue on your concrete floor while bonding fabric to wood? Don’t worry; you can efficiently remove the glue spots from the concrete with white vinegar and baking soda. 

The Things You Need

  • 2 parts of white vinegar
  • 1 part of baking soda
  • A dull butter knife
  • A soft rag

Process

  • Make a paste with vinegar and baking soda, apply it to the glued area, and wait for a few minutes. 
  • When the glue dissolves, scrape them away with the dull butter knife. 
  • Finally, clean all the removed glue and wipe the space with a damp clean rag.

Note: You have to apply hot water and the scraping method for large-scale floor glue removal to get the best result with less effort.

Once you have done your home improvement work, you’ll discover there is left glue either and neither on your concrete floor. By softening the glue, you can remove it. 

The Things You Need

  • An electric heat gun
  • A floor scraper
  • Mineral spirits
  • A soft cloth

Process

  • First, apply heat to the glued area with an electric heat gun. If the glue becomes soft, scrape with a floor scraper.
  • Now, damp clean cloth with mineral spirits and wipe the surface to clean any loosened glue chunk. 

Note: Hold the heat gun from 15-20 inches far from the surface and be careful. As if you come in contact with heat, your skin may burn

After pulling the parquet flooring, it will leave glue residue on the concrete subfloor. You can use an angle grinder to remove glue from concrete floors for large room glue removal. 

If you already have an angle grinder, that’s fine. But if you don’t have one, no problem. You can choose DEWALT Angle Grinder. 

The Things You Need

  • Facemask
  • An angle grinder
  • A broom

Process

  • The angle grinder will create dust when you remove glue from the concrete, so first, you have to wear a facemask to avoid inhaling dust. 
  • Now, run the grinder, and hold it over the floor to remove glue. 
  • Once you complete removing glue, clean the dust with a broom and throw them in the waste bin. 

Want to remove tile glue from concrete? Applying hot water and scraping is the most common and effective method. As handling hot water is risky, many people don’t like to follow this method. 

Is there any alternative option instead of using hot water? Absolutely, Goo Gone works best against any glue, sticky residue, grease, and grime to remove. 

The Things You Need

  • A gallon of Goo Gone
  • A plastic scraper

Process

  • Wet the concrete floor with Goo Gone from where you want to remove tile adhesive. 
  • When you purchase Goo Gone, you’ll get a plastic scraper. So grab the scraper, and scrape the loosened adhesive until there is no adhesive residue left. 

Fortunately, removing glue from concrete will be cost-free if you do it yourself with hot water and a putty knife. If you use a professional floor scraper, that will cost $10. 

On the other hand, it costs approximately $20-$100 if you use any concrete floor adhesive remover. 

If you use an angle grinder, you must invest around $100 to own the tool. 

If you hire professionals to remove glue residue from your concrete floor, the cost range will vary depending on your location, the size of space, and gluing condition. 

So there is no fixed cost range of removing glue from the concrete floor. 

  • Always wear safety gear for safety assurance. 
  • Keep your first aid medical toolbox near your hand so that you can take first aid as soon as possible for any emergency case. 
  • Keep kids, and pat out the space when you do the work. 
  • If you have to deal with a large glue removing project, initially divide the space into some sections. And then complete one section and go to another. 

FAQs

Yes, muriatic acid removes glue from concrete. However, you can efficiently and safely remove glue from concrete with muriatic acid as it is eco-friendly, 100% biodegradable, and non-fuming. To remove glue from concrete with muriatic acid, follow the instructions

  1. Spray the acid on the concrete and let it work for 8-10 minutes.
  2. Apply a solution by mixing one cup of ammonia in a bucket of water.
  3. Scrape the loosened glue with a scraper blade from the concrete floor. 

Using a commercial pressure washer to remove glue from concrete is risky but not impossible. If you aren’t careful while running the pressure washer on the concrete floor, it may damage the top surface. You’ll find it challenging to get fineness of the floor after removing glue with the pressure washer. 

So it is not recommended to use a pressure washer for removing glue from concrete floors. Instead, it’s better to use any solution that makes the glue soften and loosen for removal. 

I hope you find the guide and YouTube video on how to remove glue from concrete helpful. 

To better understand, re-read the instructions, prepare your tools and yourself, and start your DIY job of removing glue from concrete. 

If you want to learn more DIY skills about gluing, leave a comment by mentioning that. I love to write my next post on it. 

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