Do You Need To Remove Old Vinyl Flooring

Pull the linoleum up in strips to reveal the backing or the glue.

Do you need to remove old vinyl flooring. Scrape linoleum or vinyl floor glue. In some instances the flooring is installed just up to the edge of the baseboards beneath the quarter round molding but it is more common for the baseboards to be installed over the flooring. The upside of removing sheet vinyl flooring is that most of the time it s perimeter installed meaning there is no glue or adhesive in the middle of the floor making it easy to remove without much effort. Once you have cleaned the area it s time to check the old vinyl flooring for bubbles holes dents and areas that are loose or loosening up.

Removing old vinyl flooring techniques. Removing vinyl is a good diy job most homeowners can do on their own. Use a hammer to tap a stiff putty knife or brick chisel under the linoleum to break it loose. The top is a layer of flooring material that should come off fairly easily.

Remove the top layer of flooring material. A majority of the vinyl. If the subfloor is unlevel you can fix low spots with a self leveling product and sand or grind down high spots. The first thing you need to do when installing vinyl flooring over old vinyl is preparing the substrate.

You ll also need to carefully remove all baseboards and any other. To remove vinyl flooring you must first take all furniture out of the room giving yourself unimpeded access to the work area. In some circumstances you can install new flooring such as laminate flooring hardwood or engineered flooring over vinyl flooring as long as it is in good condition. Sheet vinyl flooring is a cut to measure option and is ideal for commercial and large scale jobs.

In this instance you ll need to remove the baseboards completely in order to remove all the old flooring. To fully remove linoleum you ll need to tackle both of its layers. To remove old resilient flooring first cut it into parallel strips about 6 inches wide with a utility knife. If you are installing vinyl planks in a bathroom you may need to temporarily remove the toilet or you can install around it.

If you are ready to upgrade your existing floor you will need to remove the old vinyl first.