How to Replace a Linoleum Floor

Linoleum Flooring

Linoleum flooring is made from linseed oil, water, sawdust and other materials. Most people use this finishing material in kitchens, bathrooms, and hallways, although it can be installed in other spaces as well. If you want to replace a linoleum floor in your home, you have two basic options. You can remove the linoleum and replace it with another type of flooring. Or you can safely install some types of floors directly on top of linoleum flooring. This project can vary in difficulty depending on the condition of your floor, but most homeowners find they can complete this task over the course of a weekend using simple tools.

Things You'll Need

• Utility knife
• Floor scraper
• Blow dryer or heat gun
• Circular saw
• Pry bar
• 5/8-inch plywood
• Hammer
• Flooring nails
• Concrete leveling compound
• Trowel
• Sandpaper
• Rolls of paper
• Linoleum
• Flooring adhesive
• Floor roller

Instructions

Remove Linoleum From Your Floor

1. Remove a small section of the linoleum to see what's underneath. Try to find a loose corner section to pull up, or use a floor scraper to scrape away a small area. You'll most likely find a concrete or plywood subfloor underneath.

2. Remove linoleum flooring from concrete subfloors by cutting the material into 1 foot-long strips. Use a utility knife for this, keeping each section about 6 inches wide. After you cut the flooring into smaller sections, use a floor scraper to scrape it off the concrete. Heat tough sections using a blow dryer or heat gun to help loosen the adhesive.

3. Remove both the linoleum and the plywood from wood subfloors using a circular saw. Cut the plywood (with the linoleum still attached) into pieces about 1 foot square, then remove each section using a pry bar. If this leaves you with exposed floor joists, simply cover the floor with a new layer of plywood. The plywood should be fastened every 6 inches along the joists using flooring nails and a hammer.

4. Scrape up leftover glue and adhesive using your floor scraper. If this doesn't work, try spraying the glue with warm water first. Another alternative is to simply sand it away using sandpaper.

5. Install a new flooring material of your choice following the manufacturer's instructions.

Install a New Floor Over Linoleum Flooring

1. Determine whether the floor you want can be installed directly over linoleum. Some good choices for this are floating wood floors, Pergo flooring, vinyl tile or a new layer of linoleum. If you plan to install ceramic tile, solid hardwood flooring, or any other material that requires a stable subfloor, you must remove the linoleum first.

2. Prepare the linoleum floor surface. Use a concrete leveling compound and a trowel to cover textures or embossing, or to fill in low spots. Once this compound has dried, sand away high spots or bumps along the entire surface until the floor is smooth and level.

3. Cut sheets of paper to fit the contours of your room. Lay these sheets of paper onto sheets of your new flooring material and use the paper as a guide to cut the flooring. You can use a linoleum cutting tool or a simple utility knife.

4. Apply flooring adhesive to your floor in sections that are the same width as your flooring sheets. Using a notched trowel, apply the adhesive in a circular motion. Spread adhesive for one sheet of flooring at a time.

5. Start at one corner of the room and lay the new flooring material one row at a time. After you lay each sheet, roll it smooth using a floor roller or rolling pin. Start in the center of each piece and roll outward, so that you push air bubbles to the ends.

6. Finish the floor by applying any floor sealers or top coats that may have come with your new flooring. Follow the manufacturer's instructions when applying these products.

Tips & Warnings

• If your floor was installed before 1970, you may have asbestos in the adhesive or in the linoleum itself. To find out, send a sample to an asbestos testing facility. If you attempt to remove materials that contain asbestos, you're putting your entire family at serious risk of respiratory illness.

References

• Replacing Linoleum