Removing Glued Linoleum From Wood Floors

Remove linoleum adhesive from a wood floor with mineral spirits.

In some older homes, people installed linoleum over the top of hardwood floors, mainly in kitchens. Glue bonded the linoleum to the wood floor, providing excellent adherence but causing headaches when removal is necessary. People who enjoy the look of hardwood floors opt to remove the linoleum and refinish the wood surface. Certain chemicals are needed to soften the glue and remove it form the wood floor.

Things You'll Need

• Pry bar
• Mineral spirits
• Rags
• Plastic scraper

Instructions

1. Pull up one corner of the linoleum with a pry bar.

2. Grasp the corner of the linoleum and pull it from the floor. Roll the linoleum as you pull it to make for easier removal from the house.

3. Saturate a rag with mineral spirits, and wipe over the linoleum adhesive stuck to the wood floors. Begin with a 4-by-4-foot section, and allow the mineral oil to soften the glue for 10 minutes. Right before scraping the adhesive, wipe the mineral spirits on another section of the wood floor. This section of glue softens while you scrape the first section.

4. Lay a plastic scraper flush with the floor and scrape the softened glue from the wood surface. Avoid digging into the wood as you scrape to keep from damaging the surface. Wipe the loosened glue from the floor with a damp rag. Continue applying the mineral spirits, scraping and removing the glue until finished with the entire floor.

References

• IFloor: Removing Linoleum From Hardwood Floors