Maybe it's just me but I think you can fix a lot with a hammer and a pry bar

I was replacing some old laminate in my kitchen and the subfloor was a mess of old adhesive, so I just went at it with a 3-inch scraper blade and a lot of elbow grease. Everyone online says you need a special chemical remover, but that stuff is expensive and the fumes are awful. Has anyone else just powered through a bad subfloor without buying extra products?

3 comments

3 Comments

calebw502mo ago

My buddy Dave redid his bathroom last year and found about a half inch of old black adhesive under the vinyl. He spent a whole Saturday with a flat bar and a metal putty knife, just chipping away at it. His arms were sore for two days, but he got it all up without buying a single bottle of remover. The floor turned out fine for the new tile. Sometimes the simple way is just hard work.

ivanpatel2mo ago

So Dave's floor was fine after all that chiseling? No cracks or gouges in the subfloor from the flat bar? That stuff is usually stuck on there like concrete.

gavinm891mo ago

You mention the floor turned out fine, but that's a gamble I wouldn't take with my own house. Even a small gouge in the subfloor can turn into a squeak or a soft spot once the new tile is down, and then you're ripping it all back up. Seems like a cheap $20 bottle of remover is a lot less headache than a sore back and a questionable subfloor.