Gradually, laminate flooring is the latest trend and is successfully replacing hardwood. This is probably because laminate flooring is easy to install, attractive, and durable.
Laminate floors serve various purposes and are used for the living area, kitchen, and even staircase.
With the various advantages of laminate floors, we are pretty sure you don’t want to ruin them. This brings us to a quite pertinent question, will carpet tape ruin laminate floors?
Yes. Carpet tape can ruin laminate floors. This is because carpet tape is a strong and sticky adhesive, and trying to remove it might end up staining or scratching your laminate floor.
This post will cover all you need to know about carpet tape on laminate floors and how to remove the tape without ruining your laminate floors.
Read: How to remove adhesive from laminate flooring
What is Carpet Tape?
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Before delving deep into the topic, we must examine what exactly carpet tape is and what they are used for.
Carpet tapes are double-sided adhesives used in holding a rug or carpet in place on the floor. There are different kinds of carpet tapes. The most popular ones are made of silicone, rubber, or adhesives such as glue.
The silicon-based carpet tapes are most preferable because they are the least likely to damage your carpet, rug or any other flooring.
Will Carpet Tape Ruin Laminate Floors?
Remember that we mentioned that there are various kinds of carpet tapes, with the most popular being silicone, rubber, or adhesives-based carpet tapes. The silicon and rubber-based carpet tapes are most preferred by homeowners because they are least likely to damage your floors.
But adhesive-based double-sided carpet tape can leave a sticky residue on laminate floors. These residues are hard to remove and come off. Trying to remove them yourself might end up scratching the floor surface.
Generally, the use of any type of carpet tape on laminate floors is frowned upon because these tapes are likely to ruin your beautiful laminate flooring.
It is recommended that you test the carpet tape on a small space of your flooring to ensure it doesn’t damage the floor.
Read: Is laminate flooring toxic?
Does Carpet Tape Leave Residues?
Yes, carpet tape will definitely leave residues on your floor. Notwithstanding that many carpet tapes are marketed as gentle and residue-free, that is not always the case.
Silicon and rubber-based carpet tapes might be easy to pull up with minimal residue. However, you still may be left with some minimal stickiness and residue with some types.
How to Remove Carpet Tape from Laminate Flooring
Since we have already established that carpet tapes are most likely to damage your laminate floors, a follow-up question will be on how to remove the tape without damaging your laminate floors. The steps below will guide you:
1. Get a hairdryer, put it on low heat, and then point it towards the tape at least a few inches away.
2. The heat will loosen the adhesive.
3. Slowly peel off the tape.
4. Once the tape is off, scrub off the sticky residue with a soapy cloth.
Read: Carpet Vs Laminate In The Bedroom; Which Is Better?
How to Remove Carpet Tape Residue Off Laminate Floors
It’s not in all cased that sticky residues from the carpet tape can be removed with soapy clothes. For strong and stubborn adhesives, you may need to employ other methods.
You can use rubbing alcohol to remove strong sticky residues. Simply dampen a lint-free cloth with rubbing alcohol and scrub the residue with it until it comes off. Or, you can soak a paper towel in cooking oil and lay it over the residue. After a few minutes, remove the paper towel and rub off the residue.
Best Carpet Tape for Laminate Floors
If you’re really keen on using a carpet or rug over your laminate floors, this question will definitely need an answer. A tape containing harsh adhesives like Polyethylene Resin ruins the laminate floor.
Thus, you need to get a carpet rug that is laminate floor-friendly. The most recommended carpet tape for laminate floors is the Xfasten double-sided carpet tape.
This carpet tape is perfect for laminate floors as it provides a sturdy grip. It is gentle on the delicate laminate floors. Most importantly, it is easy to remove and doesn’t leave residues.
Read: Pros and Cons of laminate flooring
Conclusion
We have already established that carpet tapes are likely to ruin laminate floors, which efficiently answers the question, will carpet tape ruin laminate floors.
However, with the help of this post, you must have learned that there are safe methods of removing carpet tapes without ruining your laminate floors. Also, if you’re keen on using a carpet or rug, you know the best carpet tape to use! Good Luck!
