Duct Tape Adhesive Remover for Antique Hardwoods

I'd use a citrus based solvent. De-solv-it comes to mind. Test in an inconspicuous spot first.

Who's the fool that got duct tape on the new floor?

Thanx for your comment!

Agreed,

The Commercial product De-solv-it is a must to try, or try what is known commonly as 'Orange Oil'. Both products can be purchased from commercial cleaning retailers. Always test something as important as this job in an inconspicuous area first as your floor will have had many different layers of sealant.

Use dilute or full strength with a hand held cloth in small circular motions until you are certain it will not damage the floor finish. Rinse well. Always thoroughly wash ANY chemical off your skin, or wear gloves (some gloves will dissolve in petro solvents).

There is much chat of WD40 which is a kerosene based solvent, may work, but save your hard earned cash if normal kerosene does not work.

I find it a pity that normal over the counter products do not have compete information on them, or easy information links to useful MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets),for just such occasions.

Good luck, and better fortunes for the future!

I saw a post saying to use mayonnaise. Is this safe?

Only if you plan on eating the floor. Ignore the old wives tales.

I would suggest a standard non-residue cleaner and a little hot water, especially since the wood is protected with a polyurethane finish (which is absorbed in the surface of the wood creating a very effective chemical and moisture barrier).

If you still have doubts, test whatever method you decide on on a small section first.

Thanx for your comment!

Thanx for your comment!

Surviving Ike, (Does that date you?) Oh, I get it, the hurricane.

I'd test products like 'Goof Off' or 'Goo Gone' that are sold for just this type of thing. I've had recent experience of this exact thing. Always test in an inconspicuous place first of course, but these work well. I always apply to a rag not directly on the surface.

CJM

Thanx for your comment!

Goo-B-Gone works well. Citrus hand cleaner (not with abrasives) and WD-40.

I wonder how DUCT tape became DUCK Tape for quite a few subscribers!

It did not it just sounds like "ductape" - one word - it is still tape for ducts!

From World War II when they needed a water-proof tape. Like water running off of a duck's back. It's actually pretty poor tape for duct work compared to what's availible now.

Hello vishmayor,

To answer your question, "I wonder how DUCT Tape became DUCK Tape". It could be people who have never seen it thought that was what it was called after hearing 'professionals' talking of it, and perhaps leaving the 't' of the end? And perhaps because it is a water-proof tape?

BTW, it is not a good idea to publish your personal email. Chances are you will be spammed. But you can remove it from any post by posting a message to the admin and telling them the details of the thread and the post number your email is on.

Take care.

An often underrated solvent(s) that's safe for many appllications like this is WD-40 as well as Charcoal Lighter fluid or Paint Thinners (choose low odor or currently available water based (CROWN PT NEXT for example - a little slower, but a lot safer) . Try in a non conspicuous area as with all solvents.

I agree with stanishr. I've seen carpet installers use lighter fluid to remove contact cement that "accidentally" got on furniture. It evaporates quickly and leaves no residue. You would never know "it" happened.

Vegetable oil should work...my favorite hand cleaner as well!

I'll add another vote for WD-40. Have used it for many years on many surfaces without any damage. Tried GooGone several times, and always went back to WD-40.

Polyurethane should be resistant to WD-40 when used to remove tape adhesive residue.

TEST in a small inconspicuous area FIRST!

Once adhesive is removed with WD-40, wash area with a damp (not soaking) rag and a little Murphy's Oil Soap.

Dry thouroughly.

My 100 year old pine floors handled this with no problem.

Thanks for the advice. Interesting...WD40, huh. Since you have antique floors also, I'm curious as to what you recommend to clean my floors with. I noticed you said Murphy's oil soap in your post to clean the floors after using the WD40. I asked the floor guys who did such an awesome job on them what to use to clean them and he told me what not to use, but never told me what to use. One of the things he said not to use was murphy's? He told me to go to Home Depot and tell them I have antique floors that just got refinished and ask them what they would recommend. The bad thing about that is you never know who your dealing w/down there. Some people are very knowledgeable, others, not so much.

Hello SI,

do you have any off-cuts you can use to test any one of these ideas? Of course, they should have the same 'finish' as the ones you have fitted.

Good luck

Best bet, try " Double D" pure Eucalyptus Oil. A little dab on the end of a cloth and rub in, glue will remove to cloth. Mighty good stuff that will cause no damage to your surface. The bonus is it will also clear your blocked nose.

Cheers

Jim

I deal with tape adhesive residue a lot. The best, cleanest solution I know is more tape. Get a couple of fresh rolls of good quality tape. I like 2" cloth backed "Gaffers" tape available from most photo supply stores. Take a 12" piece and press it down hard on the old adhesive then lift it up. It will bring up a lot of the the old adhesive with it. You will have to experiment with technique. If the surface temp is below 65f you might use a blow dryer to get it a little warm, 85f or so. I have found that although it takes a lot of time, it's not nearly as messy as dissolving the old adhesive. When you factor in the time to clean up the solvent and add in the potential chemical exposure, I think you come out ahead just sticking and lifting. I save the solvents for the really stubborn spots.

This is an excellent place to start!!!! Our brainy friend has gone straight to the first step whereas most of us jumped to the end...

I agree with the suggestion of using Gaffers Tape. This tape is used in photography film and theater because it has a good balance of adhesion and remove-ability. Be forewarned it can be rather expensive (we pay $20+/roll and buy it by the case)...

DON'T USE DUCT TAPE... in fact don't use duct tape for anything but ducts ever!!! The adhesive is intended to be near permanent and water resistant, and usually the adhesive sticks to everything better then the backing it comes on. To make matters worse the backing can be electrically conductive on some brands.

Polyurthanes are very resistant so you are lucky. Start with White Spirit or Kerosene as the weakest solvents then add to this doses of s stronger solvent such as Xylene or Toluene if you can get them. If you cannot these use lacquer thinners until the mix is strong enough to remove the glue - it could go chewing gummy first as you get partial solubility this is a good sign and may be ok to take off most. Then finish - maybe going slightly stronger - use a hard surface cleaner to finish removal then you can polish with a good car polish if needed and you should be back in business.

Hello Ike,

If you have a polyurethane should stand up to most basic 'thinners'. But you could always try olive oil as the first try?

Amazon.com: 3M Adhesive Remover Citrus Baseÿ (ADH3M6041) Category ... Henkel Duck 527263 5.45 Adhesive Remover Ounce Bottle with Scraper Cap ... Lifts tape residue left from masking, foam and duct tape. ... www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Remover-Citrus.../B000ZJL1UY

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This is a video clip that explain the use of 3M adhesive remover.

http://www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/17/157/3MCitrusBasedAdhesiveRemover2C5O/141570

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Looks to work well but the demo was poor.

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I would use Simple Green, straight from the bottle. On their website you can read about its non-toxicity. (But if you don't really care for your liver you could Xiluol and that would work GREAT).

Use some super fine steel wool pads but make sure you don't press too hard into the finish! Good luck.

The best thing to do is use peanut oil, it works very well. Just about any mid molecular weight plant oil will work for the duck tape. The oil will not solvate the adhesive, but will debond the interface. Then a cloth (NOT PAPER) will remove the debonded bits.

Before you use any strong cleaners, especially solvents, on the floor, you should determine if your PU coating is an Oil Modified (oil based) polyurethane, or a moisture cured polyurethane. The contractor who applied the PU would know. The oil modified PUs are much less resistant to strong cleaners, and especially solvents, than the moisture cured polyurethane. They also mark or scratch easier, but are also easier to apply.

The easiest and most harmless thing is extra virgin olive oil. This contains the same properties as the glue of stickers and tapes. It may take a bit of elbow grease, but once it starts working it's great. Then you can use any mild dish washing liquid to clean up the oil. This works on duct tape to the little stickers on new glasses.

I have used lemon oil to remove goo from bare wood, so it should work well on wood covered in poly. And it's good for the wood too!

Showing your age, Mssr Jerry NewHampshire.

I bought a bottle of lemon oil when I bought my first speakers, a pair of solid walnut Jensen model fives. Two of them if stacked vertically could be confused with a dark telephone booth. 1972-maybe 1973?

I treated them monthly with the lemon oil.

Memories...

milo

Try using a small rag lightly soaked in common cooking oil like vegetable oil and rubbing it on the duct tape spots in a circular motion and then wiping off with a clean rag. It has worked for me, so give it a try, it would definitely not hurt the Urathene finish.

Good luck

vshwn7@aol.com

Thanx so much everyone for your wonderful advice. I'll let you know how it turns out.