How to Remove Linolium

Bathroom linoleum floor

When you have decided that it's time for that old cracked linoleum floor in your kitchen or bath to go, there are several ways of removing it. The linoleum itself is generally not hard to pull up and remove; the tedious part can be getting any backing and glue still adhered to the subfloor up, especially if you have no idea what type of glue was used. Several methods will be listed here for this removal process.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Straight edge
• Putty knife
• Scraper
• Old towels
• Vinegar
• Heat gun or hair dryer
• Floor sander
• Shop vacuum

Instructions

How to Remove Linoleum

1. Remove all furniture from the room.

2. Start 2 feet from one of the walls cut through the linoleum using a knife, cutting along a straight edge. Pry up a starting edge with a putty knife or scraper. Pull the cut strip up and discard. There will be some glue residue still on the subfloor. Continue across the entire floor until all the linoleum is removed.

3. Work in sections to remove the glue. Soak a section by placing an old terry-cloth towel on the floor and soaking with very hot water. Allow to sit at least 20 minutes, remove towel and scrape up the glue residue. This process will have to be repeated if any glue remains.

4. If the method listed in Step 3 did not remove the glue, add vinegar to the hot water. Cover the section being worked on with a terry towel wet down with the vinegar solution and allow to soak 20 minutes to one hour, then scrape the glue from the floor. Repeat as needed. A product such as Krud Kutter purchased from hardware stores or home centers can be substituted for the vinegar.

5. Another method to remove glue is to heat the glue with a heat gun or a hair dryer set on the hottest setting. Keep the room well ventilated to avoid breathing the fumes. Heat a section and scrape while still hot.

6. Use a floor sander to loosen the glue residue and remove dust with a shop vacuum. Use this method only if you are sure that the glue residue does not contain asbestos. If you're not sure whether there is asbestos present, consult an experienced flooring contractor.

Tips & Warnings

• Patience and willingness to try different methods are the keys to accomplishing this task.

• Use caution when using hot water and heat guns. Burns can result from improper use.

References

• Additional tips