DIY Problem?

[Don Morrison]

Hello,

I am hoping that someone can provide me with direction on a DIY project.
I am sanding my hardwood stairs (oak) that were carpeted for over 20 years and have run into a problem.
The carpet installers put some type of tape on each tread both at the front and back edges. They also used tack strips.
The tape is extremely sticky (even after 20+ years) and time consuming to remove.
Does any one have a recommendation as to how to quickly and efficently reomve the tape and the sticky residue?

With thanks for any recommendations.

Don

[Matt Meiser]

No advise with that particular tape, but what I've found work on tapes in general are to first heat with a heat gun to remove the backing and the worst of the glue and second lacquer thinner (be sure to keep it way from the heat gun!) to remove the remaining glue. The trick, I think, is going to be to keep from getting it down in the pores of the wood. And yes, its time consuming. :(

[Brian Brown]

If Matt's idea dosen't work, try the opposite. I worked as a custodian during high school, and we removed chewing gum and tape residue from carpets by frezing it. You can get a can of (used to be freon) freeze spray from a janitorial supply store. It is the same thing as the canned air you use to clean keyboards and other things, except that the can is designed to shoot the liquid out on what ever you aim it at. Just aim and freeze, then lift it off with a razor scraper. Throw it away immediately, because it will be sticky again just as soon as it thaws. Be careful, that stuff can give you frostbite. If you can't find the can of stuff, you can use dry ice. It just isn't as easy.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

"Goo Gone", or something like that - available at most any hardware store.

[Jim Becker]

Have you tested Goo-Gone in a corner to see if it will release the tape and adhesive residue?

[Don Morrison]

Thank you all for your comments.

I will give "Goo Gone" a try first.

If that fails to work, I will try Matt's suggestion regarding getting the backing off with a heat gun and using Goo Gone for the sticky glue residue.

Cheers, Don

[Danny Thompson]

Try WD40. .

[Steve Vaughn]

Thank you all for your comments.

I will give "Goo Gone" a try first.

If that fails to work, I will try Matt's suggestion regarding getting the backing off with a heat gun and using Goo Gone for the sticky glue residue.

Cheers, Don

There is another product that you can try after Goo Gone. It's called Goof Off (seriously). I had some baseball helmets that I had to get the factory stenciled warnings off of before we customized them for a select team. First I tried Goo Gone and it didn't do anything. The Goof Off took the lettering right off. It's touted as "Professional Strength".

Steve

[David Drickhamer]

A neighbor needed to get the glue residue from all weather carpet squares off the floor and used dry ice. Worked great. Put the dry ice in a baking pan and place it on the sticky stuff for a few minutes. It then pops off with a putty knife. Just take care not to handle the dry ice without proper protective gloves and to have proper ventilation.