How to Remove Vinyl Flooring From Wood

If you want to restore the underlying wood or install a new floor, you may need to remove old vinyl from a wood floor, and you will need to remove all of the old adhesive as well. A new floor will require a perfectly flat surface for installation. Additionally, many old vinyl glues contain acids that can seep up through a new floor, causing problems down the road. Keep in mind, too, that vinyl floors laid in the 1970s and earlier may contain asbestos in the glue, so extra precautions must be taken when removing glue from an old vinyl floor.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Carpet knife
• Heat gun or hair dryer
• Putty knife
• Mineral spirits
• Breathing mask

1. Cut through a 1- by 2-foot section of the vinyl flooring with a carpet knife. Try to cut through the vinyl but not cut into the wood floor beneath the vinyl, especially if it is a hardwood floor that you wish to preserve.

2. Use your carpet knife to pry up a corner of the old vinyl. Insert your putty knife into the pried-up corner and gently scrape off the glue under the old vinyl as you lift the vinyl up.

3. Remove the remaining old glue on the wooden floor after the old vinyl has been peeled away, one section at a time. Heat the old glue with a heat gun or hair dryer until it softens, and then carefully scrape the old glue off using your putty knife. This can be a long and slow process, especially if the wood under the glue is hardwood that you intend to restore. Wear a breathing mask when heating and removing glue.

4. Soak remaining patches of glue with mineral spirits until the glue begins to soften. Use your putty knife to carefully scrape away the softened glue.

Tips & Warnings

• When using a heat gun to soften glue, be very careful to keep the gun moving, as the heat can become intense enough to scorch the wood under the glue.
• Tapping on your putty knife with a hammer can help to loosen and pop off globs of glue that have been softened with heat or mineral spirits.

References

• How to Remove Vinyl From Wood Flooring