Author Topic: Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?  (Read 4585 times)

ScottEric

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Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?
« on: May 30, 2013, 07:20:23 AM »
We're about to lay a new floor in our kitchen (linoleum tiles, not the most mustachian choice UNLESS they really look good for 30 years).

I started stripping our old ugly vinyl floor yesterday with a hammer and a flooring scraper.

MAN is that hard work.  I'm literally getting a 4 inch square up every minute in a 120 square foot room (roughly 10x12).

I'm about 75% done anyway, but anyone go any great tips for that?  How about for laying new flooring?  I'm thinking the existing subfloor isn't going to be smooth enough now that I've ripped parts of it off.  So I'm thinking a backerboard/underlayment like this one:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/James-Hardie-Hardiebacker-5-ft-x-3-ft-x-1-4-in-Backer-Board-220022/100183556#.UadPQ9hDvb8

I've never done any of this, but the install instructions basically say the warranty is void if I use floor leveler, which I'll need a LOT of to level this subfloor. 

Thoughts?  Am I crazy for scraping the old floor off at all?

 

PantsOnFire

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Re: Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2013, 07:39:32 AM »
Don't use HardieBacker.  That's for ceramic/stone tile.  For vinyl or linoleum you typically use luaun or some other plywood underlayment that is engineered for dimensional stability (minimal expansion/shrinkage) and does not off-gas or interact with the flooring adhesive. 

I ran into the same issue in my old house.  It had stick-on vinyl over approx 3/8" thick fiberboard, over a rough pine tongue-and-groove subfloor.  We used a roofer's shovel to scrape up some of the tiles, until we saw how crappy the underlying fiberboard was (glue from multiple floor installs, gouges from multiple floor removals, swollen around the joints, etc.), so we just peeled off whole chunks of the fiberboard until we were down to the subfloor.  Shop-vac to get rid of the crap in the grooves. 

We ended up going with SurePly underlayment to replace the fiberboard.  It costs more than luaun but we didn't like the environmental issues associated with luaun (google it.)  We only needed about half a pint of floor leveler for the entire 11x14 space--just a skim coat over the seams and a dab on about half a dozen spot where the ring-shank nails didn't go in exactly right and left impressions in the surface.  We used a single sheet of vinyl flooring and after it settled in for a day it looked fantastic. 

ScottEric

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Re: Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2013, 10:27:41 AM »
whoa, just realized that I'm actually looking at vinly over 1/4 inch plywood, over linoleum.

After spending a while day and a half scraping vinyl off, I just ripped up the whole 1/4 inch ply in about an hour.

That was easy once I did it right!

Now I can just lay another 1/4 inch ply layer down, and linoleum tile over that.  That's fantastic!

I think Luan voids our warranty, and if it's particularly eco-nasty I'd rather use something else anyway!

Can't wait to see this kitchen with it's new floor :)


PantsOnFire

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Re: Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2013, 12:37:15 PM »
Make sure you use the right plywood for the job.  The stuff specified for underlayment costs more, but it's supposedly more stable (shrinkage/expansion) and doesn't have resins or chemicals that will interact poorly with the flooring adhesive. 

You'll want ring-shank nails to secure the underlayment.  They are less prone to backing out and causing bumps to appear in your resilient tile over the years.  And get 'em as flush as possible because little imperfections do tend to show through as the flooring settles into place.  It's a bit like applying contact paper or window tint in that regard. 

ScottEric

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Re: Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2013, 05:32:04 AM »
Awesome, thanks! 

Glad I asked, Lowes has Luan that's totally not labled (someone wrote LUAN in pen on the shelf tag).

Hardwood plywood was a lot more, but hopefully this is gonna last 30 years!


strider3700

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Re: Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2013, 03:39:27 PM »
It's too late now  but depending on the age of that vinyl tile asbestos was a concern.   At this point just damped everything and wipe any dust out the best you can.

crestheaven

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Re: Stripping vinyl flooring and laying Linoleum?
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2013, 08:20:38 AM »
I took up an old floor which concealed cement. Purchased paint at HD that is used for garage floors. It can be mixed to any could you want. Then, when to craft store and bought some colorful chips to add after I painted the concrete. Love it!!!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!