Removing old linoleum is not an easy task. Over time, the glue holding the linoleum on wooden subfloors will stick to the underlying porous wood, making a surface that is very difficult to get off. Your job is slightly easier if you’re trying to get the linoleum off a concrete floor, since the concrete doesn’t absorb the glue the way wood does. Plus, you don’t need to be as concerned about scratching a concrete floor.

Besides, if the linoleum is in good condition, with no missing pieces or noticeable bubbles, you may consider laying the flooring over it.

But if you still have to remove your old linoleum, here are some tips to follow.

Find out what type of material is underneath, remove the baseboards and pry up a corner of the flooring. So what do we have?

It’s concrete!

To work with concrete you will need nothing more than a heat gun and a utility knife. Use the utility knife to cut the flooring into long strips that are 15cm wide. Then using a heat gun, work on heating the glue underneath each strip. Pull the strip up slowly, stopping to use the heat gun to soften glue when removal becomes difficult.

It is possible to remove it with hot water instead of a heat gun. Pour hot water onto small areas and allow it to cool before trying to remove the linoleum. However, this method is much messier and less effective than using a heat gun.

Once all the strips from the concrete have been removed, scrap up any additional glue with a scraper. You can use more hot water or the heat gun for stubborn areas.

It’s wood!

Wood is more difficult to work with because of the porous nature of the material. The glue will be able to achieve a stronger bond, making it very difficult to remove.

If you use wooden subfloor, you can easily remove both linoleum and its base together.

First determine how thick the subfloor is by drilling a hole in the floor. Set the depth of a circular saw blade to 1/8-inch deeper than the floor depth and cut the flooring into manageable sections of about 91cm by 91cm. Cut close to walls with a reciprocating saw. Then install your new plywood subfloor onto the exposed floor joists and proceed with linoleum laying.

If it’s hardwood, determine which way the underlying hardwood flooring is running and cut the linoleum into 15- or 20-cm wide strips running with the grain. Heat the linoleum with a heat gun and pry it off the subfloor while the glue is soft. Use a flooring scraper to remove as much of the remaining glue as possible (try not to gouge the hardwood). Sand the hardwood surface to remove any traces of glue and refinish the floor. Level and smooth the wooden subfloor in preparation for your new flooring.