How to Get Gook off Vinyl Flooring

My husband and I have a remodeling business. Without knowing the age of the tile it is hard to make a "diagnosis but it sounds like the floor has been waxed (probably several times). If it is wax buildup that is the problem, a stripper should do the trick. If the finish on the tile was previously damaged by overstripping, you will need to replace the tile. Getting the old tile up and removing any remaining residue of adhesive will be the hardest part. Laying new vinyl tile is relatively simple.

We had a white vinyl floor in our kitchen where we use to live. We had it put in new. Within a year spots of grey started appearing. Seems like it was mostly by the dishwasher. Like you, I tried everything to remove it. Nothing helped. Our "Mr. Fix It Man" diagnosed it as mildew. Moisture underneath the vinyl caused it to mildew and as time past the spots got bigger. And more spots started at other places. Apparently there was a crack in our foundation where moister was coming up from the ground AND our dishwasher was leaking. Ours was a lost cause. I hope this is not what's causing your "Grey Spot" problem. Good Luck.

Well, we bought an old 1960's ranch house and took up all the floors. After removing the carpets and linoleums , we found thick black gook! After trying all kinds of harsh removers, we found that Mineral Spirits works great! (get the Eco friendly kind.) Just pour a pool in a small area and smooth with gloved hand or wire brush. Let sit a few minutes and scrub wiith wire brush. Wipe away with paper towels. With thick areas may take up to 3 coats. It works well and is not hard on the breathing. However, be sure and wear a mask and ventilate well. Good luck!

I don't know about the gray film, but I do know it is VERY easy to lay the stick and peel tile over your floor. As long as your current floor is even with no rips and tears, it will go easy and look great!
The best part is - you can buy the tile for about $1 each, so if your floor is 50 square feet, it will only cost $50 to make your floor brand new!! Look at Home Depot or Lowes, but also, they have that stick and peel tile at The Dollar Store in Mesquite. We used that from the Dollar Store in our laundry room, and it looks great!

E.

Try Desolve-It. Not sure where you will find it, but it really works. It's all natural, too, no harsh chemicals, and it works where nothing else will, in my experience.

Hi,
you should try this stuff called goof off. When my husband was a roofer he would bring home all kinds of stuff on his shoes and the only thing that would get it off was the goof off. Its in a yellow and red can. You can find it at home depo. =)

I would suggest when possiable rip it all up and start over.

Have you tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? Those things have worked miracles many times for me. Good luck!

magic eraser the bald guy product it is full proof..

Try baking soda, salt and a little bit of water.

I use my Mr.Clean Magic Eraser almost every day on mine! It works like a charm!

Hi,
Uggh, i had the same problem in my house.You have mold underneath your floor, and the gray is the paper molding. Does it smell bad there always? I'm afraid there's no solution but to rip it up. I'm warning you that it's nasty when you pull it up, it will most likely be black. I found the best thing to remove adhesive and the vinyl residue is Citristrip and a good spatula. It's not toxic and you can get it at home depot. It works a lot better than the harsher chemicals we tried. put it on, wait a couple of minutes then scrape it off.

There is a product called 'goo be gone' or 'goo off' - it's an oil based product designed to remove dried paint, adhesives, etc. At your local hardware store (maybe even the grocery store) it should be available. There are also products like this that are chemical free.

If you haven't already used bleach,

in a small (1 c or so) spray bottle mix 2 T Ammonia, 1T vinegar, 1T rubbing alcohol and a few drops of Blue Dawn. Shake, fill the bottle with water, and spray your spots. You can let it stand up to 10 minutes.

Make sure you leave a window open while you're using it, and just wipe the gunk off.

Hi C.,

Sounds like someone may have put wax on it in the past....you might try a little wax stripper.

:-) H.