help!! masking tape ruining a hardwood floor

[Athos]

hey craftistas -

my companion's roommates made a masking tape outline decoration on their hardwood floor. of course, when you pull up the tape, the finish on the floor comes up. their floor will be ruined, unless you all can help!

any ideas on how to get all this masking tape off the floor without taking the finish up too? is there a solvent that can dissolve the adhesive without destroying the finish? any ideas??

please help!

[Craft Forums]

[boheme-anne]

Perhaps it's the kind of tape your useing. The "blue" tape isn't supposed to do that. I don't know if that's what you have but I know that it's a pain in the buns to stay where you put it for a long period of time becuase it's designed not to peel your finishes (paint, varnish, ect.) Hope I helped, otherwise I'm stumped!

[MizMosa]

I think using a hairdryer as you peel masking tape off of a newly painted wall is supposed to prevent the paint from coming off...maybe it would work for the floor as well.

good luck!
-Anna

[lizzymahoney]

The finish really shouldn't come up like that. Either it's really old and crazed and needs to be refinished or it was applied over a dirty surface.

I'd try oil or mayo or even peanut butter in an inconspicuous spot. Soak it in for a bit, then gently pull up, maybe scrape with a rubbery spatula. If the finish is crazed, the oil will get under the finish though and you don't want that either. Maybe something like Murphy's Oil Soap will help in that case.

[stella]

i was also going to suggest oil. or try soaking the tape with oily-solventy furniture polish (like danish oil maybe). that won't hurt the floor, but it might help dissolve the adhesive. if an oil doesnt help, you can buy cans of adhesive remover, but it might soften or lift the finish on the floor, depending on the type.

i've had problems with regular masking tape pulling the finish off of well and newly-finished wood pieces, so i don't necessarily think the floor finish is screwed up, but who knows.

[katycat24]

You might also try a product called "goo gone" or another label/adhesive remover. Just let it soak in for a half hour or so, then try to tease it up. The hairdryer is a good idea for this part, maybe

[Athos]

thanks for all the suggestions - we decided to start small with soap and water and work our way up, with oil soap and citrus goo be gone. wouldn't you know it? the soap and water worked! we soaked it for over two hours, and except for a few small parts, it worked. thank god i said something about it right away, so his roommates didn't just rip it off the ground and say goodbye to their security deposit.