Linoleum is a soft, flexible floor covering that has been produced and installed starting in the 1800s. Through the 1920s, this was a very popular floor covering since it was durable, low maintenance and could be cut into different shapes and patterns for setup. The glue used during the 1920s has a inclination to get stronger over time, instead of poorer. This may signify that based on where the linoleum was installed, it could be rather hard to eliminate.
Check the Material and the Substrate
Before starting to remove old linoleum, you first need to ascertain whether or not it contains asbestos, and onto what it’s installed. Asbestos was used during the 1920s, especially to generate dark-colored linoleum. It also was used in the glue. If your linoleum is black, burgundy or another dark colour, measures 9- or 13-inches square or contains a black, tar-like glue, then do not try to remove it. Call a professional to have it analyzed for asbestos. If you decide that your linoleum doesn’t have asbestos, then pry up a corner to look at the subfloor. Linoleum may happen to be installed over concrete, a wooden subfloor or hardwood. Removal will fluctuate, based on the subfloor.
Heat Removal
If your linoleum is installed over concrete — or in some instances, hardwood — it can be removed by softening the adhesive using a heat gun or hot water. Cut the linoleum into smaller sections to make it easier to eliminate. Peel back the top layer with a floor scraper and heat the adhesive under it using a heat gun, using a towel filled with boiling hot water or use a wallpaper steamer. Once the glue softens, scrape it off with the floor scraper and continue on to the next part.
Wooden Subfloor Removal
Linoleum installed wood is quite tricky to get away because the glue deposits so extensively to the timber. If the linoleum is on a wooden subfloor, it can be more easily removed by taking out the whole subfloor along with the linoleum, then placing in a new subfloor. Cut the linoleum, using a circular saw with the blade set to 1/8-inch deeper than the width of the subfloor. Ensure to decrease the linoleum and subfloor into sections, then simply remove each part. A new subfloor can be installed on the floor joists that can handle whatever new material you intend to install.
Use a Linoleum Floor Stripper
Floor strippers are electric tools that get beneath the flooring they are intended to eliminate and vibrate or agitate until the flooring comes up. A few floor strippers are intended only for linoleum. They can be handheld or big enough to ride on, and several can be leased from home improvement centres. Scrape up one or two rows of linoleum using the floor scraper and heat gun to make a beginning point for your stripper. Get the stripper beneath the linoleum permit it to pull up the linoleum and glue. Any remaining glue can be heated and scraped away, using a floor scraper.
Safe Removal
If you’re unsure if your linoleum tiles contain asbestos and you cannot get a professional test to tell for certain, you need to take more precautions when removing them. The asbestos fibers become a problem when they’re airborne; not cut, mud or break the tiles or the glue when removing them. This could release the asbestos dust to the atmosphere. Verify the room has great ventilation when working, and put on a dust mask as you operate. Use hot water to loosen the shingles and soften any dust dust to keep it from escaping into the atmosphere. Gently pry up and remove the tiles one at a time, disposing of them in plastic bags with high tensile strength to maintain the bags from ripping. Contact your city to get information on disposing of the shingles as they can be considered hazardous waste.