Recommendations and advice?

[JJ Deuce]

I'm in the midst of reworking my small garage (20' x 18'). I pulled out all the paneling installed by a former owner, corrected the electrical issues, and insulated the whole thing before sheathing the walls in 1/4" plywood. At some point in the last 40 years, someone installed indoor/outdoor carpet in the garage. I've started pulling it up to get an idea what I'm up against.

There's no pad - it was glued directly to the slab, and the carpet comes up pretty easily, leaving most of the glue on the slab. I scraped a little of the glue off with the sharp end of my prybar, and it came off pretty easily, leaving a relatively smooth surface.

I'm still deciding what to do for a new floor. Depending on the condition of the slab once I get all the carpet out, I've considered an epoxy coating (I used it in my last garage with great results, but it was a brand new slab)or just cleaning and polishing the bare concrete. Any other suggestions?

For those that have had to deal with a similar issue (carpet glue), what do you think? Is it likely that I can scrape the floor clean enough to use an epoxy product? If I can get it smooth, will an acid etch get me to the point where the epoxy will adhere properly? I'd rather avoid the grinding process if possible.

This is a low budget buildout. I just want a decent space to get me through until we build another house (~5 years).

Thanks in advance.

 

[gabeancounter]

Friend used a product called Sentinel 747- s/b able to get @ HD. Also a heat gun will help remove the adhesive. My HD has the milwaukee heat gun on clearance for $35. I am thinking about using the Supercoat product on my basement project. Cheap and all the Sam's club reviews are positive. Plus a couple good post on this site. My only concern is the clear coat that comes with the kit. I doubt I would put the $$$ for 100% epoxy if only for a short term house.

 

[nehog]

Go to a farm supply (or horse) and get what they call a 'barn scraper'. Basically it is a tool designed to do what you want, remove **** from the floor!

 

[PassnThru]

I had a portion of my attached garage that had carpet glued down in it also. When I pulled it up I was also left with the adhesive and some of the black padding from the carpet. I tried several things including scraping and sanding and they really didn't make a dent. I bought an adhesive remover from Lowe's that you brush on the floor - cover with plastic - and wait a few minutes. Then you scrape it up. It is basically like a paint remover. It worked pretty well - you have to rinse afterwards. I just used an old mop.

 

[JJ Deuce]

Thanks all - I hadn't thought about using my heat gun, but that makes sense. I will see how clean I can get the slab, and then evaluate my options. I am still considering the low-buck epoxy, but the VCT option is appealing as well.

 

[JJ Deuce]

here's a couple of pics where I scraped off some of the old adhesive. I think it may clean up well enough for an epoxy finish. Thoughts?