Removing Vinyl Sheeting
Okay, sometimes you have to say forget it and replace an entire
vinyl sheet floor. Maybe yours has too many nicks, stains or dents to ignore,
maybe the glue beneath it has given up the ship and created bubbles or springy
areas, or maybe you just plain hate the 70s pattern. When it’s time to
call in the big guns, here’s how to get rid of the old floor before you install
a new one.
Removing The Old Flooring
Before we can get to the fun, we have to first encounter the
nasty part: removing your old flooring. As you proceed through the steps, be
mindful on an important consideration: the sub-floor you leave behind will determine
how good your new floor will look and how long it will last. If your subfloor
is damaged, don’t ignore the water, mold, rot or whatever other serious
problems it may have. Fix the subfloor yourself, if you can, or hire a professional
to come in and install a new one. Laying down new vinyl over a deteriorating
subfloor is only postponing the inevitable, as well as inviting trouble.
Also, be careful not to damage your subfloor as you remove
your old flooring. Don’t get sloppy or destructive: a pristine subfloor
is the key to a beautiful installation and to the longevity of your new floor.
Now that the nagging is over with, let’s proceed to yanking up
that nasty old vinyl floor.
Removing Vinyl Sheeting
For this project you’ll need:
| Goggles |
Spray bottle filled with water and 1-2tbsp dishwashing detergent |
| Large sharp utility knife |
Shop vac rated for wet/dry use |
| Drywall knife |
Straightedge ruler |
| Carpentry or flooring knife |
Floor scraper |
Sizing Up The Job
If you’re removing vinyl sheeting that has been bonded
around the perimeter of the room, the process will be pretty easy. Flooring
that has been bonded along its entire length and width, however, will be a nastier
job, requiring more cutting and a more intense battle with the old adhesive.
If you have a heat gun, it will make pulling up the old vinyl quicker, but isn’t
necessary if you have some time and patience.
| 1. |
First remove any baseboards (see instruction 1 under Replacing Wood Veneer
Paneling). Use a sharp utility or flooring knife to cut the old flooring
into strips roughly a foot wide and pull them up by hand. Areas that have
been heavily glued will need to be cut into smaller sections and may require
scraping with a putty or wallboard knife. You can loosen stubborn adhesive
by misting the glued areas with your water/dish soap solution as you scrape.
Be careful throughout to protect the subfloor from dings and gouges, or
your newly laid floor will be more likely to have bubbles, depressions and
failed adhesive. |
| 2. |
Use a floor scraper to dislodge remaining fragments of flooring and adhesive.
Sweep thoroughly. Then finish using a wet/dry shop vac to vacuum up all
minute debris. If any glue remains, soften with soap/water solution, scrape
and vacuum. Note: If you have any damaged sections of underlayment (look
for mold, rot and deep gouges) they should be fixed or replaced. If you
feel comfortable replacing them yourself, do. If not, hire a professional
to come in and do it—it is a quick job and easy for a pro with experience,
and should be relatively inexpensive. |
| 3. |
You will need to make a template to accurately cut your new flooring.
Start about 1/8 inch away from the walls and tape thick paper or cardboard
into a connecting pattern, overlapping each piece of paper by 2 inches.
As you build your template, use a utility knife to carefully cut small triangles
into each new piece of paper so you can cover them with masking tape and
fix the template to the subfloor. |
| 4. |
Keep moving along the walls until you have the entire perimeter of the
room framed with your paper template. Be sure to make careful cutouts of
all objects that may interrupt the pattern, such as pipes, toilets, etc.
Measure the distance from the wall to the front side of the obstruction
and mark it on the piece of template you’ll be installing. Now measure
the distance from the wall to the backside of the obstruction, closest to
the wall and note it on your paper. Measure the obstruction from side to
side and mark in on your paper and make the cutout for the object. Place
your paper around the obstruction and see if it fits. Minor adjustments
can be made by either cutting or taping paper in place until the fit is
perfect. For bigger mistakes, start with a new piece of paper. Once you
have it perfect, tape the piece into your template. Once the template runs
all the way around the perimeter of the room, make sure its pieces are securely
taped together. Remove the masking tape from your triangles to release the
template from the subfloor. |
 |
Have more questions about vinyl sheeting? Head over to our Walls forum and talk to other do-it-yourselfers. |
