How to Remove Vinyl Flooring

Many people choose to install vinyl flooring in their homes. It is inexpensive and easy to install, although if you are looking to replace your existing carpet or other floor covering with a new vinyl product, you’ll need to come up with an effective way of removing the old material first. You can install laminate, hardwood, or engineered floors over vinyl flooring if the underlying surface is in good condition. If you’re tackling a DIY project for the first time, removing vinyl flooring can be an excellent idea to start.

Safety

Vinyl asbestos flooring was popular in homes until the 1980s. If you are removing original vinyl flooring from your home and it is older than 1980, you must contact a licensed contractor who specializes in handling asbestos abatement issues. It is best to leave asbestos removal to the professionals. If your vinyl floor contains asbestos, but you do not want to remove it, you can lay a new floor over the old one as long as the surface of your vinyl is intact and will not be disturbed in any way that could release asbestos fibers. Before disturbing any material that may contain asbestos, consult with a professional.

Clear the area

When removing vinyl flooring, start by clearing out the room and emptying all its furniture.

Remove baseboards

Before you can remove a vinyl floor, you must first take off the baseboards. Here’s how to remove the baseboards:

To protect your walls from the hammer’s blows, place a wood block several inches above the baseboard.
Place the wider end of the pry bar at a corner where the trim meets the wall.
Using a rubber mallet, tap the top of your pry bar until you force it under the trim.
Slowly and carefully pry the trim away trying to avoid breaking it.
If you plan to reuse the trim, mark its location on the backside so that it is easier for you to align when reinstalling.

Start in the middle

Typically, vinyl flooring is installed around the edges of a room without any adhesive or glue in its center.

Use the utility knife to cut a straight line down your vinyl floor.
Next, you can move about 12 inches to the right or left and cut a second parallel strip. Cutting in narrow strips makes the task more manageable and helps get it done faster.
Roll the vinyl as you make your way down the length of the strip.
Once it’s cut, gently lift the strip of the vinyl until you feel tension where the glue meets its edge.
Use a scraper to loosen the vinyl. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to use a pry bar and a hammer to chip away at the hardened adhesive.
To remove a vinyl plank, pry up one of the planks and slip a putty knife under it to lift.

Clear the area

When removing vinyl flooring, start by clearing out the room and emptying all its furniture.

Remove glued sections

Once all the glued sections have been removed, you can concentrate on getting rid of the glue around the edges.

Use the flat side of a pry bar to chip away the glue that is holding down your vinyl.
Once you’ve removed as much of the adhesive with a pry bar, scrape off what remains using any type of scraper.

Removing adhesive from the subfloor

If you can still see remnants of the adhesive on your subfloor, use warm water and soap to remove it.
If water and dish soap fail to remove the remaining glue, hold a heat gun over the adhesive until it softens enough that you can scrape it off.

How to remove vinyl flooring from concrete

Removing vinyl flooring from cement requires the same basic procedures as removing it from subfloors. However, getting the adhesive off of concrete may be more difficult than doing so with wood or other materials. If scraping with a pry bar or scraper doesn’t work, you may need to use a commercial adhesive stripper to soften and remove the glue.

Clean up

Once all the vinyl flooring is removed, use a broom or a wet-dry vacuum to pick up any debris that remains in the room.

To resume

Removing vinyl flooring from your home is a great first-time DIY project for homeowners. Visit our website: www.thefloorbox.ca for all the supplies you will need, as well as laminate, wood, and other styles of flooring that are perfect for your project.