Removing Carpet From Pontoon

[PeaceRiverRider]

I'm in the process of removing the carpet from the pontoon. I've got most of it up but there is one area that it's very difficult. Is there something to put on the carpet to maybe "soften" the glue to make it easier to remove?

[jrolin1]

I'm in the process of removing the carpet from the pontoon. I've got most of it up but there is one area that it's very difficult. Is there something to put on the carpet to maybe "soften" the glue to make it easier to remove?

You can try a heat gun to soften it.

[bstat1020]

Question - Are you removing carpet to install new or are you going with vinyl?

[smlranger]

I did that once to an old Aqua Patio toon. All the dealers around here told me they use a grinder to get it off. I did that and it was a real pain. I tried MEK to soften the glue but that did not work well.

I finally figured since I was recovering with new carpet, I did not need to get it all off. I ground off what I could and put the new carpet down. It looked great and help up for the remianing two years I had the boat.

[CoveDweller]

I used a Black & Decker power planer to remove the left over glue.

[PeaceRiverRider]

Question - Are you removing carpet to install new or are you going with vinyl?

Actually I'm not putting carpet or vinyl down. I'm putting a polyurethane on it. I did the front part outside the playpen a few years ago and it's holding up good.

I've got most of the carpet up but one little area the carpet is hard to get up. I've been using a putty knife but it's a slow process. Almost done though. I'll sand it all down a little before I put the polyurethane on it.

Thanks for all your input.

[PlaynDoc]

Dynamite.

[dockholiday]

I like the sander and power planer idea.If you had a lot more to do, I would rent one of those floor sanders. Won't the urathane be slick or is it something with texture to it
doc

[pote]

try mineral spirits

[Marathon]

I was in the same position earlier this year, and had decent results with this adhesive remover from Lowe's:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_148321-78-GKAS9 ... facetInfo=

It did a decent job, but was slooooow (put it down on a 2 ft. square area, cover with plastic, wait 15 minutes, and then scrape off with a putty knife). The adhesive came up pretty well, but the thought of using it on my entire deck was somewhat daunting, so I said the hell with it and bought new marine plywood and replaced the deck. May work for you since you sound like you don't have much to do.

[belercous]

No matter what you use it'll be a slow process. I used a belt sander with 60 grit belts. The glue would get on the rollers & have to be scraped off. Chemicals weren't any faster & were messier. It just takes time.

[PeaceRiverRider]

I like the sander and power planer idea.If you had a lot more to do, I would rent one of those floor sanders. Won't the urathane be slick or is it something with texture to it
doc

I'll put some "sand" on it before it dries. Worked good when I did the front part.

[ezrollin]

I had to remove the carpet / glue on my first pontoon boat[which I didn't keep very long] and it was quite labor intensive.After ripping up all the carpet that would come up easily,I tried a few ways to loosen the glue with solvent and heat,neither work well.What did work,though still a lot of work was a 4"X21" Craftsman belt sander[$15 at thrift store]it's an odd size and a little hard to find belts for it but the bigger belt and heavier weight makes the job go a little faster than a 3x21.