How To Restore Hardwood Floors After Carpet – [Step By Step Tutorial]

It is no denial that carpets have always been extensively used for hardwood floor covering for a number of reasons – easy maintenance, coziness, and faster installation.

However, it is quite common that many modern-day homeowners may want to change the old style for which you need to get rid of the old carpet and restore hardwood floors after removing the carpet.

If this is what you are planning at this moment, it is vital for you to get a piece of in-depth knowledge on how to restore hardwood floors after carpet.

To be very honest, the process of restoring your hardwood floors involves removing carpet from hardwood floors, removing carpet glue from wood, and then refinishing wood floors under carpet.

In addition, some wood floors may require additional steps like deep cleaning hardwood floors using commercial detergents.

Keeping all of these in mind, I have thought of organizing a detailed guideline on how to restore hardwood floors after removing carpet.

And, today, in this post, I will be sharing a step-by-step tutorial on how to restore hardwood floors after carpet. Throughout this comprehensive discussion, I will try to cover everything you need to know about refinishing wood floors under carpet after removing the carpet.

So, without further ado, let’s dive right into the discussion…

How To Remove Carpet From Hardwood Floors

Before you begin the process of refinishing or restoring hardwood floors, you have to remove the carpet from the hardwood floor. In this case, you also have to relocate everything, including furniture, and other heavy items.

Now, let’s talk about what you will need while removing carpet from hardwood floors –

• Utility Knife – It will help you cut up the carpet into small strips so that the removal process becomes a bit easier.
• Pry Bar – This will be used to pull up carpet strips from the wood floors.
• Plastic Knife (Putty) – This particular knife is very much useful for removing any kind of old padding sticking to the wood floor.
• Pliers – You will need pliers for pulling up the staples that mainly hold the carpet pad.
• Hammer – A hammer will help to pull up nails from the hardwood floors.
• Duct Tape or Masking Tape – This kind of tape is basically used for securing carpet rolls and padding during the carpet removal procedure.
• Safety Glasses – These glasses will keep your eyes safe when you will pull up the nails and staples from the hardwood floor.
• Dust Mask – You have to wear a dust mask to keep yourself safe from inhaling dander and dust.
• Knee Pads – This will keep your knee protected when you work on the hardwood floor in a kneeling down position.
• Vacuum / Broom – A good quality electric broom is a must because you will need it for vacuuming dust materials after the removal of the carpet.
• Floor Cleaner – In order to ensure deep cleaning, you need a good quality hardwood floor cleaner.
• Hardwood Floor Polish and Refinisher – You should also manage a high-quality hardwood polish and refinisher for polishing the wood in order to give it a shinier look.
• Sponge Mop – You will need it for perfect floor polish.

Steps To Follow While Removing Carpet From Hardwood Floors

1. At first, use a small-sized pry bar for removing the baseboards. If you plan for reusing them, you have to perform this action very carefully.
2. Now, slowly pull up the carpet along with the carpet padding and cut it into small-sized and manageable pieces. Then, remove those pieces without even making any scratch on the floor.
3. At this point, you have to slowly and carefully pry up the wood strips or carpet strips along with the edges on which the carpet was stuck to.
4. Next, you need a good-quality staple remover for removing all the staples from the hardwood. In this case, you can also use pliers depending on your convenience.
5. After that, take a plastic putty knife and try to remove any old carpet padding gently and carefully which you find stuck to the hardwood floor.
6. Lastly, carefully check if you find any nails on the floors and use the hammer for removing them. Keep in mind that you have to use the back end of your hammer so the floor doesn’t get damaged during the nail removing procedure.

These are all the steps you need to follow for conducting a perfect operation of removing carpet from hardwood floors.

However, if the carpet is a bit old, this might be problematic for you because in this case, you have to deal with old-carpet adhesives.

Although you will feel relieved after the removal of the carpet from the hardwood floor, the glue left from the old carpet may leave an unsightly, sticky or dirty surface.

It clearly indicates that the next step you have to follow is to remove the glue from the hardwood floors after the removal of the carpet.

How To Remove Carpet Glue From Wood

In this section, I am going to share a step-by-step guideline on how to remove carpet glue from wood. This particular section can also be described as a thorough guideline on how to clean old hardwood floors under carpet.

I would like to recommend you to give a higher level of attention while studying the following discussion –

Things You will need are as follows –

• Blow Drier / Heat Gun.
• Plastic Putty Knife.
• Gloves & Face Mask.
• Mineral Spirits or Acetone.
• Remover for Carpet Adhesive.
• Sandpaper (low-grit).
• Rags/Old Towels & Sponge.

I have a detailed guideline on removing rug pad residue from hardwood floors, I suggest you check it out.

Steps To Follow While Removing Carpet Glue From Wood

1. First of all, you have to clear the room in order to make sure the room gets suitable air ventilation. Wear protective gear (gloves & face mask), and arrange all the required tools, which may include carpet adhesive remover, solvents, and similar other materials.
2. Next, take a plastic putty knife and carefully remove the carpet glue as much as possible. But make sure you don’t scratch the wooden floor. In this case, if the adhesive doesn’t come out easily, never try to create any pressure using the putty knife. Instead, it would be better to move onto the next step.
3. Take a soft and fresh towel (of course, a damp one) and properly cover the carpet adhesive. Now, use a heat gun or blow drier in order to apply some heat to the towel. Performing this heating procedure will soften the carpet glue or adhesive so you can make another attempt using the putty knife for scraping the adhesive.
4. Now, it is time to deal with the remaining carpet glue stick on the hardwood floor. In this case, you can use a good quality solvent like mineral spirit or acetone to apply it on the carpet adhesive. If you do this, make sure you keep it for at least 30 minutes before you start scraping the glue using the putty knife.

In this case, I would like to recommend you apply the solvent to a small area of the floor first. This will keep you safe from experiencing unexpected events like wood damaging or discoloring. Also, make sure you read the entire instruction manual of the solvent and follow all the instructions very carefully.

5. I must also let you know the fact that some kinds of carpet adhesives may show too much resistance when you try to remove it using a solvent. In that case, the better option to go for is to choose a carpet adhesive remover if you really want a permanent solution for the carpet glue.
6. Lastly, use a sponge for wiping off the dissolved carpet glue. Then use low-grit sandpaper for removing any kind of trace or residue of the carpet glue.

In the above steps, I have tried to describe the procedure of removing carpet glue from wood as precisely as possible.

How To Restore Hardwood Floors After Carpet – Detailed Guideline

When you are done with the above two steps, probably you will find the hardwood floor in any of the following conditions –

• Damaged.
• Decent shape.
• Somewhere in between.

If in your case, you find out that the hardwood floor is somewhat in perfect shape, then the refinishing or restoration procedure will be fast and simple. In that case, if you conduct a thorough cleaning and procedure of a hardwood floor restoration, it will be more than enough to give your wood floor a shiny look.

However, in some cases, the removal of old carpet may expose a severely damaged hardwood floor. In that case, it may arise the need of calling an expert.

For this particular case, I would recommend you try the procedure of sanding and refinishing the hardwood floors yourself so you don’t need to spend extra bucks for asking assistance from an expert hand.

Therefore, I would suggest you to be mentally prepared for facing any kind of condition of the hardwood floor after the removal of the carpet. However, in most cases, the hardwood floor under the carpet is expected to be in a good condition.

Now, when you finish removing the carpet from the hardwood floor along with the carpet padding, and all types of debris, the next thing you have to is to restore your hardwood floors following the right way.

Steps Regarding How To Restore Hardwood Floors After Carpet

1. At first, sweep up any kind of dirt and mess using a high-quality electric broom in order to get rid of all types of debris and dust. Never use a low-quality electric vacuum or broom because it won’t be able to provide you with your desired result. For your desired performance, you should try your best to get one of the best-rated electric brooms.

Besides, you can also use a good quality soft bristle broom if managing an electric broom seems inconvenient for you.

Whatever option you prefer, you have to make sure that you need to avoid any kind of denting or scratching on the floor.

2. Now, give the hardwood floor a thorough and precise mopping where I would recommend you to use a good quality hardwood floor cleaner. Keep in mind that it is one of the most crucial stages where you have to be of utmost careful while mopping the floor. Also, make sure you don’t leave the cleaner on the incomplete or unfinished hardwood floor.

Since wood is a type of highly absorbent material, it may get damaged when it is exposed to any type of liquid ingredients.

3. In this step, you have to use a high-quality hardwood floor polish and restorer along with a sponge mop or microfiber cloth in order to make the floor look as shinier as possible.
4. And, in the final step, you just need to reattach or reassemble the baseboards and your hardwood flooring is all set.

So, the above steps make a complete guideline that clearly describes how to restore hardwood floors after carpet. If you can follow all the above-mentioned steps appropriately, you can expect to restore your hardwood floors perfectly after the removal of the old carpet.

However, when you are done with the restoration process, don’t think that you have finished everything. Remember that you have to take necessary steps regularly for the maintenance of your hardwood floor.

FAQs About Restoring Hardwood Floors Under Carpet

Final Words

Every homeowner does know the fact that hardwood floors can increase the overall interior of your sweet home. So, it is more than essential for you to restore your hardwood floors after the removal of old carpet.

And this is why you need to have a clear knowledge of how to restore hardwood floors after carpet.

In the above discussion, I have already described all the necessary steps regarding restoring hardwood floors under carpet after the removal of the carpet.

I must make you informed of the fact that if you can follow all the steps described in the above discussion, it can be assured that your damaged or discolored hardwood floor will get a completely newer look.

Lastly, if you want to know anything more about restoring your hardwood floors after removing the old carpet, you can just send me a direct message.

I would love to offer my assistance.

This is all I had for you this time.

Good-Bye!