In the new house, tarpaper under vinyl

[whocares]

We pulled up the 80's linoleum and found a tar paper underlayment...

Floors look flat and in good shape, except the tarpaper reminants on the wood...how would I clean this? I tried soap and water today and it took away the sticky feel but did not budge on the color...

I am actually thinking of staining or painting black, I don't want to redo the whole room right away...anyone have any ideas?

[cowcreekgeeks]

Ummm...was the tarpaper put down over hardwood floors or is it plywood? If it's hardwood then go to a big box store and rent a sander. Then stain as you see fit and seal with polyurethane. Couple of coats at least.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by whocares

We pulled up the 80's linoleum and found a tar paper underlayment...

Floors look flat and in good shape, except the tarpaper reminants on the wood...how would I clean this? I tried soap and water today and it took away the sticky feel but did not budge on the color...

I am actually thinking of staining or painting black, I don't want to redo the whole room right away...anyone have any ideas?

Tar paper will stick down a bit on the wood. It is a petroleum base product though and should clean up well with a bit of mineral spirits and a good "scrubby". something like steel wool or even courser like the copper scrubbies in the kitchen ware section at your local grocery. Once you have the nasty tar spots removed, then just a stain and polyurethane finish should make you a nice floor.

[whocares]

hey cool I will try that instead of sanding...

[Big Dave]

Get a heat gun. Looks like a hair dryer. Heat up the tar paper and it will lift off. It is the glue making it stick and the heat will soften it up. Then just scape it off with a paint scraper. It has worked for me.