We nicknamed the sunroom rug “Stinky” because the corners were damp from moisture seeping in through failing seals on the old sliding doors and some rotting wood. The prior owners were aware of the moisture and odor issues, which helped explain the attractively low listing price. As much as the rug felt like a curse at first, it actually turned out to be a blessing: removing it let us address lingering problems and helped us afford a house we truly love.
Here’s how we removed the rug and the glued-down pad beneath it, along with the nails and staples that had been hiding under the surface. We started by prying up one corner of the carpet with a small crowbar to free it from the tack strips that ran along the perimeter. Those tack strips and their nails were what had held the carpet in place for years.
Once the edges were loose, we rolled each side toward the middle of the room, like rolling two scrolls until they met. With the rug rolled to the center, we used a box cutter to slice it in half so the sections were easier to carry out. You can cut a rug before rolling it, but we found the slack created by the roll made the cut simpler. Then we carried each section outside, doing our best not to dwell on how much of the rug had been touching the floor and our bodies.
Next came the pad. We had hoped it would be a floating pad we could simply pull up, but it turned out to be glued down in multiple spots. We pulled up as much as we could by hand and then used a $25 floor scraper—the same tool that helped when we removed carpet upstairs. The scraper has a sharp, sturdy blade that, when run across the concrete with some force, slices the adhesive off and leaves the surface level. It’s similar to using a razor to remove paint from glass: efficient and surprisingly satisfying.
Although glue stains remained, the bumps and ridges created by the adhesive were gone, which made the floor feel much more even. While I worked the scraper (yes, still wearing dangly earrings because I do my projects my way), John focused on removing the tack strips around the room. Those strips were old and fragile; instead of lifting out in one piece, they splintered and broke as he pried them up every few inches. Between pulling the carpet, tearing up the pad, and extracting the brittle tack strips, the job took about an hour and a half of solid work.
After the tack strips and large debris were out, we used a shop vac to clean the floor. We picked up the longest shards and disposed of them separately—no one wants to try to vacuum a foot-long piece of wood. Smaller splinters, nails, bits of glue, and tufts of carpet were swept into piles and sucked up. The room changed immediately: raw concrete, with its stubborn glue stains, was a huge improvement over swampy, damp carpet.
Thanks to the scraper, the concrete is now smooth and flush even where the glue has soaked in. Those stains will remain visible, but they no longer create raised bumps or hide sharp nails and staples. The next step will be a thorough cleaning followed by a stain-and-odor-blocking primer to lock in any residual smells. After priming, porch and floor paint should cover the stains, seal in lingering odors, and make the room far more pleasant on warm days.
We also have a longer-term plan for the space. Beyond this initial carpet removal and surface prep, our ideas include:
Rip up old stinky carpet and padding- Scrub the concrete thoroughly and seal it to prevent any lingering odor
- Stain or paint the concrete floor as a first-phase finish
- Remove the half-broken baseboard heater permanently
- Eventually retile with outdoor-safe stone as a phase-two upgrade
- Convert the sunroom into an open covered porch with new columns and replace the failing sliders and rotten posts
- Potentially build an outdoor brick fireplace once the space is opened up
- Add beadboard to the ceiling and paint it a soft blue
This sequence is our rough plan; if we learn a different approach is better for future tiling or other updates, we’ll adapt and share the new direction. For now, we’re simply relieved to have the old carpet out. Carrying it to the garage ourselves was a gross little chore we’ll gladly forget, because the result—a cleaner, drier, more usable room—was absolutely worth it.
On a lighter note: Clara’s been sharing more stories over on Young House Life, and a recent list had us laughing until we cried.