Linoleum flooring has been around for a long time and is pretty
durable. This means that many homes have some old linoleum flooring somewhere
in their home that they want to get rid of.
To remove old
linoleum flooring, you will need a utility knife, utility scraper, wallpaper
steamer, and paint thinner or isopropyl alcohol. For the utility scraper, an
oscillating multitool with scraper attachment will be helpful, but not
necessary.
Linoleum generally has two layers, and to
properly remove it you’ll need to remove both layers – including the top
layer of flooring material and the bottom layer which is mostly paper backing
with adhesive. The bottom layer is the most difficult to remove, with the top
flooring layer coming off fairly easily. Start with that top layer and come
back to finish removing the bottom layer after.
Start with
your utility knife, scoring the linoleum carefully so that you don’t cut all
the way through to the subfloor. Score the linoleum in 6-12 inch strips. If
the linoleum is in a tile pattern, you can use the tile marks as a guide for
where to score the linoleum.
Work your utility scraper or
oscillating tool underneath the score marks work up the top layer of
linoleum. Keep working in small sections until you remove the entire top
layer of linoleum flooring. Then, go back to start on the adhesive backing
layer.
This is where the wallpaper steamer comes into play.
Steam the adhesive and work it loose from the floor using your utility
scraper carefully at a 45-degree angle. Make sure not to gouge the subfloor
when you’re working on this step. Keep working each section until all of the
adhesive layer is gone. Paint thinner or isopropyl alcohol can help release
the last stubborn bits of glue to completely remove it from the
floor.
