The Ultimate Underlayment Removal Tool

[66Vette]

I have the unenviable task of removing the old tar paper  underlayment from the front foot wells.  I had read about dry ice, heat guns, and solvents and I was not really looking forward to any of these methods.  I have used a multi tool or oscillating tool to remove caulk before and it moves through caulk like butter......so  I tried my multi tool on the tar paper underlayment and it mows through it with ease and leaves a clean surface underneath.  You use the blade with a smooth edge.  Give it a try, it has worked great for me.

 

[Son of Marty]

Yeah, you thought your first saws-all was handy I can't live with out my multi tool it's handier than a second dick.

[Tdh]

X2 on the oscillating tool. If it’s really hot in your shop, you sometimes end up with a little residual goo after a pass with the tool, but nothing a second pass won’t take care of. The dry ice method works well also, but you have to be patient. 

[Mike Self]

+ 3 on one of those oscillating tools.  To quote Will Smith in Independence Day,  "I gotta get me one of these..." even more useful than an alien spaceship.

 

I first used a cordless one (oscillating tool, not alien spaceship) doing a mission trip house build in Costa Rica a few years ago and it was fantastic.  Couldn't believe how long it would run on one charge, cutting into 2x4s to run conduit and electrical wiring.  Any suggestions on a good brand and corded/cordless?

 

mike

[Tdh]

Mike,

 

I own a corded Dewalt. It’s great, but has a cord to plug in/get in the way. My buddy has a cordless Milwaukee, and I’ve got to tell you it’s a better tool than mine. Battery life is nuts, and for whatever reason it transfers noticeably less vibration your hands/arms. 

Edited March 26 by Tdh

[JQ02]

I am very happy with my Milwaukee. This blade worked pretty well. Although it was pretty dull after one section. I think the key might be to do the first pass for as much as you can as I think the second pass, going in at an angle, is harder on the blade.

It took about 20-25 minutes for the first pass of the area from under the front seat to the back seat. And then another 10-15 minutes for the 2nd pass and I think I still need to spend a little time on it.

I'm going to try dry ice and compare as I had success with that pulling up vinyl kitchen flooring.

https://www.amazon.com/CMT-OMM20-X5-Materials-Oscillator-Multicutter/dp/B01M9AGOGV

 

 

[66Vette]

JQ02:

 

I am using an all metal blade, it has a smooth chiseled edge.  I did the passenger footwell in no time, but I just got out of the garage after stripping the driver side footwell.  The driver side is not coming off as easy as the passenger side, lots of tar like goo.   I've got an hour into it and it still needs some touch up.

 

Let us know how the dry ice works.

[wheelieking]

Nice, I didn't think of this option, but to be honest, dry ice was very, very easy.  Buy it at a grocery store, place a bunch all over the floor, drink a beer (or two), bust out a mallet and hammer around a bit then throw the broken pieces of frozen tar in the trash. The transmission tunnel was maybe the hardest part. 

 

+1 for Milwaukee...

Edited March 27 by wheelieking

[jhenard]

66 - here is the write up I will refer to when I get to this task - the plan and could also be used with the multi tool for clean up

 

['76mintgrün'02]

Here's the tool I used.  I welded a wide blade onto an air-hammer chisel.

 

 

Plain old mineral spirits works well for removing the remaining residue, (along with a scotch brite pad and a rubber glove).

[Ian]

Another satisifed user of the Milwaukee cordless oscillating tool.  I totally agree with Son of Marty's sentiment; it is an incredibly versatile tool.

[66Vette]

I am pretty much done with the driver's side footwell.  This took twice as long as the passenger side.  I have a little over two hours in it.  The good news is there was almost no rust on the driver's side.  The passenger side had a coating of surface rust.  Maybe the "gooey" tar on the driver's side helped protect it.  

 

Ultimately, I'm glad I pulled the underlayment in the footwells.  There was enough rust in the passenger side that if left unchecked might have caused some issues.  It will get a good coating of Rustoleum, which should keep any issues at bay for decades here in California.

 

Keep us posted on how well the dry ice trick works.  There are mixed results on the web.  Some swear by it, others have abandoned it.  It may have to do with the type of underlayment.  Hopefully it works on the 02.

[popovm]

On 3/26/2024 at 5:29 PM, 66Vette said:

Tar like goo.   

 

 

 

Yeah, that was my experience plus it was f'ing loud. I tried the oscillating tool. It sort of worked in a spot or two but then I ran into the gooey mess and gave up.  I went to the dry ice method. That wasn't a walk in the park either but more consistent and better results overall. And quieter... I live in a town home and try to be at least a little considerate. I've been doing enough angle grinding and such as it is. 

Edited March 29 by popovm

[JQ02]

So, the dry ice worked phenomenally well on the area behind the drivers seat. And ok on the area under the backseat behind the driver. And then almost not at all everywhere else  

I thought - maybe if I hit it with a heat gun it'll shock it and it'll pop off. Nope. 

However! It it turned out that with a stiff putty knife I could just slide it off in small strips with moderate effort. It didn't matter whether I'd dry iced the area or not. 

 

Turns out the heat gun worked the best of all methods I tried! It softens the sound deadener and took most of the glue off the metal. Tedious and time consuming and a bit of effort, but seemed to work best.

 

Especially on the small areas under the windshield wipers. I was panicked cuz I was able to chip some of that off when frozen, but it looked like hell.

 

Still lots more to do. Left side (of pic) was mostly oscillating tool. Right side dry ice. Right side seat back area was all heat gun + putty knife.

 

I think I have 2 1/2 hours in and prolly 1 1/2 hours to go. I am wondering if I should even have started this, but I do want to make sure there's no rust lurking. And one of the body plugs and the two one inch plugs under the rear seat were loose (or I loosened them)

 

Edited April 12 by JQ02

[Son of Marty]

So I guess some of the dry ice method has been blurred by time but after you freeze the tar use a dead blow hammer on the area to break the bond of the tar to the metal.