How messy to get underlayment off of concrete floor

adhesiveunderlayment

Because of my cats, the carpet of my dining room is really in horrible shape. I live in a townhome. I replaced carpet on the second floor with bamboo flooring without too much mess since the underlayment there was only stapled to the subfloor. It seems that that in the dining room, it is glued down. I don't mind a little bit of work. But since my family has no other place to stay, I don't want to use anything toxic to get the underlayment off. Can I just use a scraper to get the glue off? My home was built in 1980. I don't know when the carpet was installed. Will asbestos be a concern when I remove the carpet and glue?

Best Answer

Asbestos use in construction in the United States was banned in 1977 so there should be no asbestos in your house. To get the underlayment off, I would recommend using pouring adhesive remover available at any hardware store on the underlayment and using a sharp tool to get it off. Once you get the underlayment off, you can spread some sweeping compound on top of the floor and then use a broom to get the rest of the glue off. It is somewhat of a time consuming process but I do not believe that either of those materials are too toxic, and besides, they will be removed before putting down the new floor anyways.