How We Removed a Damp, Smelly Rug from Our Sunroom

We nicknamed the rug in the sunroom “Stinky” because the corners were damp from moisture seeping in through poorly sealed, older sliding doors and some wood rot. The previous owners knew about the moisture and the smell, which likely contributed to the lower listing price. Even so, removing a problematic rug like that felt like a blessing — taking on a fix that might have put other buyers off helped us afford a house we love.

Step 1 — Pulling Up the Carpet

We started in one corner. Using a small crowbar, we freed the carpet from the tack strips that ran around the perimeter of the room. Once the edges were loose, we rolled each side inward toward the center of the room, like rolling a scroll. When both sides met in the middle we used a box cutter to slice the carpet in half so the pieces were easier to carry out. You can cut the carpet before rolling it, but we found that rolling it first created extra slack and made the cut easier.

We carried each section out to the garage, trying not to think too much about how much of our bodies the carpet had touched. With the carpet gone, we were left with the glued-down rug pad and a lot of nails and staples hiding beneath.

Step 2 — Removing the Rug Pad and Old Glue

The rug pad was glued in place. We had hoped it would be a floating pad that would lift cleanly off the concrete, but instead it was adhered across much of the floor. We pulled up as much of the pad by hand as possible. For stubborn, glue-bound areas we used a $25 floor scraper — the same kind we used when removing the upstairs bedroom carpet. The scraper has a sharp, flat blade that lets you run it across the floor with force and literally slice the dried adhesive off the concrete, leaving a smooth, level surface.

Removing the glued sections took time and elbow grease, but it paid off: the glue bumps lifted away and the concrete flattened out, even if some discoloration remained where the adhesive had stained the slab.

Step 3 — Tack Strips, Nails, Staples

While I worked the floor scraper, John removed the tack strips from around the room. These were old, brittle wood strips with nails sticking up — they splintered and broke as he pried them loose. Even with a pry bar working every few inches, the strips tended to snap instead of lifting in one piece. Combined, pulling up the pad, scraping glue, and removing tack strips and nails took about an hour and a half after the initial ten-minute carpet pull.

Step 4 — Clean-Up

Once the large pieces were out, we picked up the longer shards of wood and bagged them separately so they wouldn’t damage the shop vac. We swept the smaller splinters, loose nails, balls of glue, and tufts of carpet into piles and vacuumed them with the shop vacuum. The result was a much cleaner space and visible, honest concrete in place of swampy old carpet.

Though glue stains had soaked into the concrete, the surface was now flush and smooth without bulging bumps of adhesive, nails, or staples. The room instantly felt fresher and more usable.

Next Steps: Sealing, Painting, and Long-Term Plans

Our plan is a good cleaning, then a coat of stain-and-odor-blocking primer to make sure any remaining smell is sealed in. After that we’ll apply porch and floor paint to hide the stains and create a more pleasant, sealed surface that won’t release odors on warm days. With the primer and paint in place, the room should be far more comfortable and usable.

• Rip up old stinky carpet and padding
• Scrub the concrete and seal any lingering odors
• Stain or paint the concrete floor as part of Phase 1*
• Permanently remove the half-broken baseboard heater
• Eventually retile the floor with outdoor-safe stone in Phase 2
• Convert the sunroom into an open covered porch with new columns and replace rotten sliders and posts (inspired by various porch designs)
• Possibly build an outdoor brick fireplace once the room is opened up
• Add beadboard to the ceiling and paint it a soft blue

*This is an initial plan. If we learn that painting the floor will interfere with future tiling, we’ll adjust and share updates as we go.

We’re thrilled to have the old carpet out, even if carrying it to the garage made us shudder a bit. Removing damp carpet, glued pads, tack strips, and hidden nails revealed a much better starting point: solid concrete ready for cleaning, sealing, and a makeover. If you’re facing a similar problem — a sunroom carpet compromised by moisture, smell, or poor seals — pulling up the carpet, scraping adhesive, and removing tack strips are practical first steps toward a durable, odor-free floor.

Psst — Clara’s having more conversations over on Young House Life. Number 5 made us laugh until we cried.