Can smell the tar paper left under new floor

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Q: I removed two layers of vinyl flooring in my kitchen of an old house built in the 50’s. Only thing left was tar paper from long ago before exposing 1×6 wood planks. Rather than scraping the tar paper off, I had a wood flooring company install a new laminated wood floor right over top of the tar paper. However, my problem is I smell the tar paper (petroleum type smell) in the kitchen even though the new floor is laid. Will this smell dissipate over time?


A: Are you sure that is what you smell?  Did you smell this before they installed the laminate?  I would have thought that after so many years that paper would have been totally dried out and brittle.  To answer your question, I don’t know.  If it is emitting an odor after decades of being covered and undisturbed, I have to wonder if it would ever stop.

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