Commercial floor scrapers allow you to quickly remove almost any type of floor covering from carpet and vinyl sheet to rubber mastic. They can even be used to take up old tennis court and playground surfaces. However, your scraper is only as effective as the blade you’re using – a chipped or dull blade just can’t do the job correctly. Instead of catching under the flooring, the blade will skim over the surface, and multiple passes may be necessary to get the job done correctly. Similarly, the wrong kind of blade won’t get the job done well, either.
To help you get the best functionality, whether you have a ride-on floor scraper or a walk-behind floor scraper, we’re sharing when you should replace your floor scraper blades. You’ll also learn how to make your blade last as long as possible and prevent damage and dulling.
Your Floor Scraper Blade Is Dull
The number one sign it’s time to change your floor scraper blade is it’s simply not doing the job. If, halfway through a large job, you see the blade isn’t catching the flooring to pull it up and it’s just skimming across the surface, the blade has probably gotten dull. If you’re working to remove a material that’s highly bonded to the subfloor or base, like an elastomeric coating or adhesive, and removing it requires several passes, your blade has lost its effectiveness.
If you’re starting a new project and the blade isn’t working, you can try to raise the angle of the blade to get a deeper cut. This is only a temporary fix if the blade is dull, and you may end up damaging the subfloor or concrete underneath.
Your Project Requires a Different Floor Scraper Blade
Working in surface preparation, flooring demolition, and similar industries, you may be tasked with taking up vinyl plank one day and parquet the next. While the floor scraper you have can tackle the job, if the blade you have on it is just not working, and you know it’s sharp, you may need to change the style. For example, a powerful scraper chisel would be used to clear adhesive coating, thinset, and hardwood flooring, while a thin steel blade would be used for carpet and linoleum.
Floor scraper blades also come in a variety of lengths. Working with a shorter blade means you can deliver more concentrated pressure which works better on highly bonded materials, like VCT and epoxy while a longer blade can take up parquet and carpet quickly without requiring as much pressure.
Keeping Your Floor Scraper Blades Sharp
Map Out Your Course
When you are working in a space, make sure you avoid hitting floor joints head on as that can dull or break the blade. Most flooring runs east to west or north to south, so either work in a way that means you’ll scrape with the joints or work corner to corner so you come in at an angle to the joint.
Use the Right Blade
As we outlined above, if you’re not getting the job done correctly, it could be due to a blade that isn’t the right option. Make sure that as soon as you’re aware of this, you change your blade to the correct option. Using the wrong blade will dull it quickly.
Use the Right Angle
While you may adjust your pitch slightly depending on your surface, you need to be mindful that a steep scraper pitch can cause it to gouge soft concrete or damage a subfloor while also dulling your blade. Know your surface and don’t go higher than you need for an effective job completion.
Learn More About Commercial Floor Scrapers and Blades
Have questions about your commercial floor scraper or aren’t sure which blades are right for you? Let our product experts help! Contact us at (815) 472-9735 or by filling out our contact form to get started!