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One thing to keep in mind when you start working with the stripper to remove the old gunk is that it will melt drat near anything that's plastic or rubber as well. It is highly, HIGHLY caustic. Do not let it get on your skin, and try to keep it away from clothes. I've never had it eat through fabric the few times I got it on my jeans, but it probably would have had I not cleaned it off immediately. Make sure to wear old shoes as well, and only use a metal scraper. The stripper, when left in open air, will lose its caustic properties over time, but any residuals left on the concrete will still be strong enough to damage shoe soles for a bit. Plan your work in advance, work from the end of a room so you have a doorway to exit from for disposal. Don't put the used stripper in a plastic trash can or plastic trash bags, it'll eat right through them. Obviously, make sure to keep everything well ventilated, because the fumes are downright disgusting and toxic. Other than that, the underlayer is a great idea, and will not only make it look a lot better, but will also make it last far longer. Once you scrape off the old linoleum, you'll also be able to tell if you need to strip the old adhesive off as well. if the floor is nearly perfectly flat, you can get away with just putting the underlayer over it. If there's hunks of linoleum that are glued on too firmly to scrap or razor blade off, you'll need to soften up the adhesive with hot water or a chemical solvent. The chemical solvent really should be your last resort, unless you're doing an extremely large area of flooring. It's noxious and caustic, but it's the fastest way to remove a large quantity of the mastic adhesive. I've never used a mechanical stripper myself, nor have I used any of the "alternative" solvents that are supposedly safer to work with. If you're removing a lot of the stuff, I'd reccomend spending the 10-20 bucks on a long-handled impact scraper. Not having to be on your hands and knees scraping tile up is a godsend if you've got a large floor area, and having an impact scraper lets you really put your back into it to get off those tougher bits. Best of all, they're cheap and are one of the single biggest timesavers you'll use on a vinyl or tile floor removal.
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Jan 7, 2008 20:36
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 17:34 |
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