How to Remove Carpet Padding Stuck to the Floor: A Step-by-Step Guide

Stuck-on carpet padding is no match for these easy steps

Family laying on the carpet and playing a game
Photo: Gravity Images / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Family laying on the carpet and playing a game
Photo: Gravity Images / The Image Bank / Getty Images
Stephanie Mickelson
Written by Stephanie Mickelson
Contributing Writer
Updated Jan 3, 2024
SKILL LEVEL
Simple
COMPLETION TIME
2 hours
COST
$0–$30
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What you'll need:
TOOLS
  • Putty knife
  • Hammer or nail removing tool
  • Pliers
  • Broom
  • Vacuum
SUPPLIES
  • Rubber gloves
  • Trash bags
  • Mineral water
  • Dish soap
  • Bucket

Refinishing your floors is a great way to update your home. But if you are ditching the old carpet for wood floors, you might face a sticky situation. Carpet padding can adhere to flooring, making it tricky to clean up without damaging the surface.

In this how-to guide, learn to remove carpet padding safely and effectively in just a few hours.

Prepping to Remove Carpet Padding From Floors

Before you go through the expense of removing your carpeting, make sure it is something you need to do. If your carpet is still in good condition but has funky odors or difficult-to-remove stains, you may be able to save money by paying for a local carpet cleaner instead. The cost of carpet cleaning varies depending on your location and home size, but expect to pay about $0.20 to $0.40 per square foot, on average.

If you do decide to remove padding, a respirator or N-95 mask is highly encouraged. Your carpet is likely home to lots of dust particles and debris, which you do not really want to breathe in. Open windows and turn on a fan if possible to promote ventilation and circulation.

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  1. Pull Back Your Carpet Padding

    Begin at a corner in the room that is away from the entryway. Use a putty knife to loosen the edge of your carpet to pull it back. Pull from the corner towards yourself, removing any pieces that pull up easily. Continue pulling and removing big chunks until the largest pieces of carpet padding are removed.

    If edges get stuck, use a putty knife along the room's perimeter. Be careful not to damage crown molding or walls.

  2. Remove All Nails and Staples

    Start in the corner where you first pulled up the carpet. Diligently check for leftover nails, staples, or other sharp objects that could be stuck to the glue or perimeter of the room. Use pliers, a screwdriver, or staple remover to pull the staples gently out of the floor. Throw the staples away and sweep up the loose padding.

  3. Remove Leftover Glue

    After removing the carpet, there may be some leftover glue or sticky residue left behind. Removing the sticky residue is essential to having the best surface to work with moving forward, especially if you are going to be refinishing the hardwood floors.

    Denatured Alcohol 

    Denatured alcohol can be used to loosen any padding stuck to the floor. To use, soak a rag in it and then lay the rag on top of the stuck-on padding. After about five minutes, remove the rag and scrape up the padding with a putty knife. Denatured alcohol dries quickly, so it is best to work right away. Leaving it on the padding for too long can cause it to dry and harden, making it even harder to remove the padding.

    Solvent 

    An option that takes a little more time than denatured alcohol but is not as tricky to work with is a solvent. Solvents include mineral spirits and degreasers that can be used in the same way as denatured alcohol, though they take a little longer to be effective. Just as with denatured alcohol, soak a rag in the solvent, lay it on the stuck-on padding for a few minutes, and then scrape the padding up with a putty knife, wiping away any excess solvent and cleaning the area with soap and water when you are done.

    Heat Gun or Hair Dryer

    Using a heat gun or hair dryer, you can heat up the old padding until the glue loosens and then scrape it off with a putty knife. This method may take a couple of tries. Make sure to be vigilant, especially with a heat gun, so you do not scorch the floor.

  4. Sweep or Vacuum Any Debris

    A man installing carpeting at a house
    Photo: bill oxford / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

    Once all the bits of padding have been removed, use a broom to sweep up any leftover debris or padding, then vacuum. At this point, you are free to go over your new wood floors with a wood-friendly cleaning solution or start the process of laying down new carpet padding for your floors.

Removing Carpet Padding: DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

If you are already hiring someone to refinish your floors or install new carpet, it might make sense just to allow them to remove the padding as well. But if you want to leave your floors natural or do the rest of the work yourself, you can likely tackle this portion on your own. 

If you want to DIY the removal of carpet padding, you can get the job done in a few hours for less than $20 in supplies. You can rent a floor sander for around $30 from most local hardware stores. 

When you hire a local carpet removal specialist to remove carpet and carpet padding from the wall and floor, expect to pay between $1 and $1.50 per square foot for the price of carpet removal. A 12-foot, fully-carpeted room is 144 square feet. You can expect to pay between $145 and $220 to hire a professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

There could be several reasons why your carpet padding has adhered to the floor. Some of the most common reasons include:

  • There was intentional gluing or stapling to the surface.

  • The polyurethane and floor bonded over years of wear.

  • Pet urine, spills, or other substances leaked through the carpet and created a sticky surface.

If the carpeting in the home has not been changed in a long time, clearing off the padding underneath could be difficult. Pet urine can wreak havoc on carpeting and the flooring underneath. If you plan to reinstall carpeting, remember to use proper cleaning techniques for removing pet urine odors to prevent future problems.

To remove carpet padding glue from concrete, scrape away as much of the top layers as possible with a sharp-edged scraper or putty knife. You can be more aggressive on a concrete floor than on hardwood, so scrape off as much as possible. Then you can soak the area with hot water for a few minutes before continuing to scrape. If there is still glue left behind, use a solvent that is made to remove adhesives and apply it to the area. Then scrape the rest of the glue off.

Removing adhesive from a hardwood floor requires some care so the floor does not get damaged. If the glue is dry, you can apply ice to the area for about five minutes and then chip the frozen glue away. Then you can clean the area with acetone, like nail polish remover, and then wash it with warm soapy water to ensure there is no damage to the finish. If the glue is wet, you can likely clean it up with warm soapy water or acetone.

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Learn more about our contributor
Stephanie Mickelson
Written by Stephanie Mickelson
Contributing Writer
Stephanie Mickelson is a freelance writer covering home improvement, real estate, design, and personal finance. Before beginning her freelance career, she worked in residential construction, specifically remodeling kitchens, installing cabinets, flooring, countertops, trim, and more.

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