How can I get rid of this gluey stuff on floorboards?

[mumblechum0]

Decided today to get rid of manky hall carpet. I've removed 1950s tiles underneath the underlay easily enough but gave no idea how to get rid of this black glue (sanding doesn't work)

Any ideas?

Forgot photo

that looks like tile adhesive, and if it's directly onto wooden floorboards I fear the answer is 'you don't'. Have a google around 'removing tile adhesive from wood'. The only way to get it off is drilling or solvent, and both of those will damage the wood. A solution is installing a floating floor over the original. And cursing whoever tiled it directly onto the floorboards...

Eww. It's not the concrety stuff you use for ceramic tiles, more a sort of sticky black bitumen if that makes any difference?

there have been vinyl tiles.

It looks like the subfloor is floorboards (planks)

If you are fond of DIY you could take them up and turn them over. Or get a carpenter to do it, or fix new. They are probably about 18mm thick, so you could also replace with WBP ply, which makes a good floor.

Not chipboard, please.

If you have bare floorboards it will be cold and draughty. Hence carpet was invented. If you take them up, use the opportunity to clean out all the dirt and rubble, and insulate between the joists.

Thanks Piglet. Turning over is a genius idea.

I'm only removing the bit by the front door (about a metre sq) as it's permanently muddy (front door doesn't allow for a mat . Will also look at WBP ply

We had this. I think it's shellac (old fashioned organic varnish) made from beetles! It goes tacky with age. It did come off with sanding in the end (professional sanding person, not a band sander - but even he had a job with it).

I have got rid of sticky vinyl adhesive using 'sticky stuff remover' it's cheap and worth a try. 3 applications or so and it all came off. Good luck!

sticky stuff remover

We had this too. Removed it with sanding - the big floor sanders that you hire. It is a bitumin type of thing and was used to stain floorboards in the 50/60s. Hard work getting rid of it but ours looks gorgeous now. Well worth the effort.

Thanks all! Have blocked a few days out of the diary in Feb to get to grips with it

i had some icky yicky varnish on my stairs....using a heat gun works after a fashion

get it hot and bubbly....this is when you scrape for paint, but for this you wait till it cools and is crispy and with a shave hook/filling knife it will scrape off.

goodness knows what it does to your lungs though so I cannot say I'd recommend it wholeheartedly.

Please try mine first, if it doesn't work you've lost about 4 quid and half an hour. If it does you've saved loads

Thanks Sunshine, will do 😊