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Editors Note:
This segment
deals mostly
with hand
scraping
concrete slabs.
Floor scrapers
are one of the
most commonly
used tools in a
professional
flooring
installers tool
box. A variety
of floor
scrapers
available
through most big
box, and
hardware stores.
I personally own
at least four
very different
floor scrapers
which I use for
a variety of
different
purposes.
Short
Lightweight
Scrapers
There are
light-weight
short handled
scrapers which I
use when I need
accuracy and
control, such as
 scraping
old
adhesive out
of the spaces in
between boards
of a repair
area. More
common uses of
this this
light-weight
floor scraper
(paint and wall
scraper) is to
remove paint
overspray,
drywall mud, old
adhesives and
other
light-weight
contaminants
from the
sub-floor as
part of the
necessary prep
work on over 90%
of the
installation
work I have
done.
This type of
tool often
called a paint
or wall scraper
carries a 4 inch
wide straight
razor blade
which is
fastened to the
tool via a
clamping
mechanism with
two to three
Phillips head
screws. The
handles run
about 10-14
inches long with
a slip on style
rubber grip.
Most
newbie's/DIY'ers
will want to
walk away from
this tool very
quickly if there
is a lot of
material to be
scraped off the
sub-floor
because the
short handle
means you will
be on your knees
bent over for
quite a while.
No fun! But,
believe me, it
is well worth
the effort to
remove paint
over-spray, and
other
contaminants
from the
sub-floor. So
let me give a
few helpful
ideas to those
facing lots of
scraping.
• KEEP A
SHARP BLADE ON
YOUR TOOL.
Spend the extra
dough for plenty
of replacement
blades. You'll
understand when
scraping
concrete slabs
as the blades
blades go dull
very quickly. By
replacing the
blade often you
will finish much
faster, with
less sweat
effort, and have
a better surface
on which to
install your new
floors in the
end.
• WORK
SMARTER, NOT
HARDER! If
faced with lots
of scraping, I
recommend taking
the grip/sleeve
off of the
handle of your
floor scraper
and slipping the
bare handle into
a longer pole or
broom handle.
You will get
much better
leverage, longer
strokes, and not
be wearing out
your back or
knees.
• SCRAPING
WOOD SUB-FLOORS.
You will find
the blade will
dig into the
wood
continually.
Take the blade
out and turn it
upside down so
that the razor
edge is locked
into the
clamping part of
the tool and the
blunt/unsharpened
edge is doing
the scraping.
This works so
well, you will
be amazed.
• USE THE
RIGHT TOOL FOR
THE TASK.
Let's say for
instance you are
trying to remove
thin-set mortar
used for tile
installations.
You would
probably want a
chipping hammer
to knock off the
tile and most of
the thin-set
mortar first.
Once the
majority of the
material has
been removed,
you would, at
that time use a
light weight
floor scraper to
remove the
remaining
thin-set. This
would ensure a
nice and smooth
surface upon
which to lay
your new
flooring. If you
are removing a
heavy material
use a heavy
scraper, or a
narrow tool.
• BE SAFE.
It is ideal that
you should wear
shoes, long
pants, gloves,
and safety
glasses. A dust
mask is probably
a good idea too.
Be careful with
those scraper
blades. They are
as sharp as
regular shaving
blades and
should be kept
out of reach of
children.
Hope you have
gained something
by my
experience,
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