How to remove carpet and glue from a pontoon boat.
The old carpet can be removed by pontooners.It can be difficult to replace it with a new carpet or switch it out, and the glue left on the deck can make it hard to clean.
The reason I decided to write this guide on removing carpet from a pontoon boat, as well as the actual glue (which can cause massive issues) is because I received a few questions over the last few months.Do you have any tricks or tips for getting the old carpet off my boat?I have taken everything off the deck and am trying to get the carpet removed.I am worried about this part of the project because I have a 1999 party barge with an aluminum floor.My challenge is how to remove boat carpet from the floor.With those questions in mind, I am going to address removing glue and carpet from a wooden pontoon floor and an aluminum floor, so read on to find out how you do it, what you need, hacks and tips, and also advice from other pontooners.
I assume you already have a tool box, so I use a craft knife or Stanley knife to do this.If you press the blade into the carpet, you will be able to draw lines up and down the floor to create strips that you can pull up.
What tools will you need to do your job?
The rug and carpet should be cut into strips of 6 to 8 inches.Even if stuck on fast with glue, it will be easier to pull up.
You now need to pull the carpet up, and with my boat I used my knife to get a little leverage under each strip before pulling up slowly.Pull as slowly as you can, as this will help you to reduce the amount of ripped carpet and fibres that can remain on the deck floor, but you are going to get some remaining, it is just a fact of life.
If the carpet strips are hard to get up and are stuck on fast, then you should use a carpet scraper tool.It is a vibrating multitool with a scraper blade that you can buy on Amazon.If you have cut the carpet into strips, you can use this tool to get underneath a section and then work through the rest of the deck.You can combine the two, but I will start with my preferred method and why.It will cut down on the amount of effort you are going to be spending when compared to a more manual approach.
It is possible to rent industrial level tools, but if you want to do things for yourself, I would recommend a floor sander tool.If you're looking for a floor sander that you can use on your own project, I recommend the Bosch Random Orbit sander on Amazon.I imagine that if you use a 30-grit head straight onto the carpet that could work well, and then switch over to a 100 to 120 grit head to remove anything left over and leave a smooth finish.Make sure your wood floor is dry and smooth before you lay new carpet on top.
If you don't use a solvent-based product, you're not going to get all the old glue up.The back of any new carpet you are planning on using will be destroyed if you pick other solvent-based adhesives that are not meant for marine carpet.