How to Pull up Linoleum Flooring

If you are remodeling your old home, one of the worst tasks you may take on is pulling up and removing an old linoleum floor. Once you do manage to get the floor up, you are then faced with old glue that is probably in large gobs, that is as hard as rock, across the entire floor. Below is an instruction guide to help you in your task. Dont get discouraged as you work. Just remember that the end result will be well worth the hard work.

Instructions

Steps for Linoleum Over Wood Sub-flooring or Hardwood Floors

1

Peel up one corner of the linoleum to determine the direction of the hardwood flooring.

2

Using strips 6 inches wide, cut through the linoleum in the same direction as the hardwood flooring. This will ensure that you are not leaving marks across the grain of the hardwood with your utility knife. Another safety precaution is to be sure that your blade is only set as deep as the thickness of the linoleum.

3

Using your heat gun, warm the linoleum and pull up on it while prying on the glue before it cools. This can usually be done with a scraper or a putty knife.

4

Carefully, so as not to leave deep gouges in the hardwood, scrape the remaining glue off of the floor.

5

Using a sander, remove any residual glue from the floor.

6

If you would prefer not to scrape on the wood floor, another option would be to use a solvent to remove the glue. You might also lay a folded up towel over the glue and pour boiling water over it. Allow it to stand for about 10 minutes and the glue should be soft enough to easily scrape up.

Steps for Linoleum on a Concrete Slab

7

Cut the flooring into strips that are approximately 6 inches in width.

8

Heat it with a heat gun to soften the glue before trying to pull it up.

9

Use a floor scraper to remove the remaining glue. The glue may also be soaked in soapy water or a solvent to soften it.