Cleaning plywood floorboards for new carpet.

PhilE

So lifted up the old carpets in preparation for the laying of new ones yesterday.

Was treated to the sight of paint covered floorboards, which had gone dry and very dusty. There was an odour in the room I couldn't get to the bottom of, it seems to be the old paint under the carpet turned to a fine dust.

I'm not happy just to slap the new carpet on top of it, being sensitive to dust and wanting to have good quality air in my home.

I've swept and vacuumed it a couple of times, its still not coming out. And the more I sweep it, the more the paint crumbles and makes dust...

Any tips to get the floorboards clean and dust free greatly appreciated.

firefox1956

Something like this would do your job.
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p94458?searchstr=scraper

LandyAndy

Paint over with a clear polyurethane to seal it all in?

keith969

Is it water based by any chance? If so a scrubbing brush and soapy water might do the trick.

macman

Paint doesn't really 'crumble'. Could it be cheap old rubber backed carpet and the rubber has decomposed over the years?

PhilE

keith969 wrote: »

Is it water based by any chance? If so a scrubbing brush and soapy water might do the trick.

I rubbed it over with a slightly damp cloth, didn't seem to make too much difference. Dont want to use too much water and then put carpets on!

PhilE

macman wrote: »

Paint doesn't really 'crumble'. Could it be cheap old rubber backed carpet and the rubber has decomposed over the years?

The old carpet didn't have underlay. Possibly it could be the residue from the backing, however some of the dust does contain paint.

Whatever it is its deeply embedded into the plywood, and a very rigorous sweep didn't completely shift it.

PhilE

LandyAndy wrote: »

Paint over with a clear polyurethane to seal it all in?

Might work that, not that much effort involved either. I'll look into into.