How to Take Out Linoleum or Vinyl Flooring? (Answer!)

A space can be transformed with new flooring, but it is costly. Removing your worn-out vinyl or linoleum yourself is a terrific strategy to keep more money in your budget if you’re trying to save money on your future remodel.

How to Take Out Linoleum or Vinyl Flooring? If you’re prepared for the physical labor, taking out old floors is a chore the typical homeowner can complete on the weekend. This job involves patience and a good deal of elbow grease.

To learn how to remove vinyl or linoleum, follow the instructions below. The removal method for both materials is essentially the same.

To remove linoleum or vinyl flooring, there are several methods you can use. For linoleum, you can score the surface with a utility knife and then use a scraper or oscillating multi-tool to lift it up. You can also use a heat gun to soften the adhesive and make it easier to remove. For vinyl plank or tile flooring, pry up a corner of one of the tiles with a putty knife and then work your way across the floor.

Video: How To Remove Vinyl or Linoleum Flooring

Vinyl Flooring related article What is Vinyl Plank Flooring?

Materials Required To Remove Vinyl Or Linoleum From A Wood Floor After Being Glued Down

Most of this equipment and materials are already in your home, but none can be rented or inexpensively purchased at your neighborhood hardware or home improvement store.

Pry bar

You can use a pry bar to pull two things apart, such as to separate the baseboard trim from the wall.

A block of wood

Remove the baseboards from the wall using this and the pry bar.

Rubber mallet

Use this if your hands cannot exert sufficient power to remove the baseboards. You’ll need a utility knife to cut through the flooring. Use a scraper to separate the flooring’s glued-down portion from the wood floor.

Heat gun

Using a heat gun to soften tough glue will make it simpler to remove using a scraper. Use a hair dryer instead if you don’t have access to a heat gun; make sure it is on a high.

Any pair of puncture-resistant work gloves will do.

How to Take Up Vinyl Floors

Follow these instructions to ensure you never have to see vinyl flooring again.

How to Take Out Linoleum or Vinyl Flooring

First, let’s be clear: Removing vinyl flooring is not enjoyable. Although removing the material is complex, the true challenge is getting rid of the glue holding the vinyl to the flooring.

The one bright spot in this situation is that anyone can learn how to remove vinyl flooring, even though the task may be difficult and time-consuming. No specialized equipment or highly developed abilities are needed. All it takes is some hard work.

Easy Vinyl Flooring Removal

With a power scraper, this task is quick and straightforward.

I have used a portable floor scraper and a rental oscillating floor scraper to remove vinyl flooring. My back, hands, and arms were sore for a week after using the handheld floor scraper method, which took a significant part of the day. 

So I leased a power floor scraper for the subsequent flooring removal project. I finished the task in less than 20 minutes without breaking a sweat. For four hours, the gadget may be rented for roughly $40.

On a Plywood Subfloor, How to Remove Vinyl Flooring

The ideal strategy is to cut into the vinyl and the subfloor with a saw blade to remove both at the same time. Count on us for this. No matter how gently you remove the vinyl, it would be best if you replaced the plywood. It is adhered to by glue, and pieces of wood rise along with the flooring.

If the subfloor is screwed to the plywood underlayment, remove the vinyl flooring (as described above), the screws, and the subfloor.

Removal of Vinyl Flooring from a Concrete Subfloor

Pro Tip: Concrete is durable enough to clean and prepare the new floor after removing the vinyl with power sanders and commercial cleaners.

1). Narrow vinyl strips should be cut and removed to show the glue.

2). If you can, use a heat gun to melt the adhesive.

3). Remove residual adhesive by using a floor scraper or pry bar.

4). To soften and remove any leftover glue, use an adhesive stripper sold in hardware stores or acetone. Is glue still around? To remove the remaining material, an electric hand sander could be required at this point.

Here is how you get rid of linoleum:

• Use a utility knife to slice the linoleum into narrow pieces. Create strips with a width of between 6 inches and 12 inches (15.2 cm and 30.5 centimeters).
• To remove the strips, pry up a little section of each one using a flat, thin putty knife, then take off the remainder.
• Repeat this process until all of the linoleum has been stripped away.
• Remove the backing and glue by scraping it off with a hard implement. Consider that this is the most labor-intensive and time-consuming component of the job. Taking it one step at a time could be the way to go.
• Use a chemical solvent to remove any glue you can’t scrape off. Make sure there is enough airflow and observe the solvent’s packaging instructions.

FAQs

How is the adhesive from vinyl flooring removed?

To help the adhesive come off, use a heat gun. The flooring adhesive can be removed using a putty knife by starting in a corner and working around the room until it softens.

Does the flooring have asbestos?

• Under the vinyl sheet flooring, there can be asbestos if it was put in before the 1980s. The asbestos is typically located on a backing made of a substance that resembles felt and was initially employed by manufacturers to give a cushion beneath the vinyl.
• Asbestos in Flooring: 4 Telltale Signs
• placed in place before 1980.
• greasy, oily look.
• The glue is dark or discolored.
• Tiles with a thickness of 9, 12, or 18 inches.

What does it cost to have laminate flooring removed?

According to Angi, the price to engage a professional for laminate floor removal ranges typically between $0.60 and $4.00 per square foot. However, you can save money if you handle the demo work yourself. Also, depending on the type of flooring you choose to replace the old laminate, the flooring replacement cost will vary.

The difficulty of removing laminate flooring

With the correct equipment, removing old laminate flooring is a relatively simple operation. Modern vinyl flooring is typically not directly attached to the subfloor, making removing it more straightforward. Removing old flooring adhesive may require more work from older homes. To assist in breaking up vinyl sheets that are adhered to your subfloor, we advise using a heat gun.

What does it cost to remove vinyl flooring?

An average-sized room’s vinyl flooring removal can cost up to $1,000, although the price will vary depending on local costs.

Tiles can be laid over vinyl flooring.

It is not advised. Since resilient flooring might shift and cause issues with the grout, it is not the best underlayment.

Do floor installers remove previous floors?

This is contingent upon the installers and the state of the original vinyl floors. Because of this, an older home occasionally has a few levels of flooring. This is because the builders and installers left the old floor in place.