How to Remove Vinyl Flooring Yourself

Need to remove some old vinyl flooring or tiles but not sure how? Vinyl sheet flooring aka linoleum flooring is one of the most popular and inexpensive floor coverings available. Installing vinyl floor tiles is easy but removing them can be another story. Here are a few tips on how to remove vinyl flooring easily.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tile scraper
• MEK solvent
• Utility knife
• Tack puller

1. Remove the baseboards around the room if necessary. Most people do this after they have removed the vinyl flooring but either way is fine.

2. Carefully extract any nails or tacks that are keeping the flooring in place. A small tack puller works the best for this job.

3. Using your utility knife. Cut cross sections into the vinyl tiles or flooring so they can be removed easier. Make sure to leave a couple of feet around the edges of the room so you have something to grab a hold of when pulling the flooring out of the corners and from under the baseboards.

4. Scrape and pry the vinyl flooring sections up with your tile scraper. Hold the tile scraper as close to parallel with the floor as possible for better separation and to protect the material underneath from being gouged by the tile scraper.

5. Cover any left over built up adhesive with MEK solvent and let it soak for twenty minutes before scraping it up. Make sure your room is well ventilated as MEK contains dangerous fumes.