How was this carpet installed? Have you stripped the yarn layer from the backing of an attached backing product and what you are now seeing is the delaminated backing? It is unusual to have any carpet padding glued down and then a carpet material loose layed over it...but anything is possible I guess. Worry not about asbestos in the product...to my knowledge it never was incorporated into carpeting. But, have it tested if you feel you must.

If you find that the padding is indeed glued down, try hot water first before resorting to a chemical adhesive remover. I am currently ripping out a floor (though not carpet) which was glued down in the 50's. I tried a chemical adhesive remover and it seemed to "cement" the material in place. My online research indicated that a lot of that old glue is water soluble.

I tested a small area by folding an old terry cloth hand towel and placing it on the floor, then saturating the towel with very hot water. After 5 minutes, the material (green cardboard-like paper from old linoleum flooring) easily scraped up and the glue was completely dissolved.

At first, I was nuking the water in the microwave to heat it (no working kitchen in this house) but I have found that using water heated in a drip coffee maker is perfect for this job. My hubby and I have set up an assembly line with three coffee makers and he keeps the water coming while I lay the towels out and wet them down. It is working out well and we expect to be done later this evening.

Also, are you SURE the padding is actually glued down? I have seen it sort of "adhere" to the surface below especially after it has gotten wet from a carpet shampooer or steam cleaner. Perhaps you could just scrape it off.

Try scraping up a small area with a large putty knife first. As Cass62 suggested, it may have just gotten wet/damp over the years and adhered to the subfloor. If that's the case, you can buy a long-handled scraper (long handle like on a shovel or rake) at a big box store to make the job go easier. Keep a trash bin handy - it's a messy job but not terribly difficult.

Thanks for all the comments; I appreciate all the info you folks share. We bought the house Monday. I tried to return it for a cash refund on Wednesday. LOL

Yes, the carpet padding is definitely glued down. The carpet was loose on top of the pad; it rolled up with no problem. The the pad was glued down to within an inch of its life. They used a trowel, like you'd use for tile grout, to spread the glue around; the teeth marks are perfect. I took photos today, but I'm too tired to download them right now.

The housing inspector (he's redoing our mud-room...another issue altogether) started pulling some of the pad up with a putty knife. Before we quit for the night, we had about two square yards of the thick, rubbery pad pulled up. Of course, the glue and thin streaks of padding is still on the beautiful oak flooring. He called the floor a Quarter Bead; the boards are about 1 1/4 inch wide, but are longer than the premade flooring I've seen in the stores. I think it will be lovely when it's finished.

Cass62, I can't wait to try your "hot water glue removal" method. Are you getting any grain or swelling problems from the water? DH is researching long-handled scrapers even as we speak!

Again, thanks for the inputs.

P.S. Does anyone want to buy 2,900 sq. ft. in beautiful North Dakota? It's complete with an odd, but very effective, home-engineered geo-thermal air conditioning system. It's a cute little doll house that needs just a "few" projects completed. LOL

Use razor blade wall and floor scapers and 'slice' the padding from the flooring...with a little practice, you'll get good at it and maybe get a few blisters in the bargain.

Caroline, we are finding that the hot water is raising the grain a bit on our wood floors, but nothing more than that. We knew we would be refinishing them, so it has not been a worry. Floor sanders can work wonders.

Tell you what...I'll take your North Dakota place and you take mine here in Wyoming. The weather's about the same in the winter anyway. :)

Caroline, I have found another tip for you. I read today that wallpaper steamers can sometimes be used to loosen old water soluble flooring adhesive. When I saw that, I immediately thought of you and wondered how your battle was going. Post an update when you can!