Tool to remove multiple layers of linoleum flooring

[branimal]

I’m demo’ing an 1100 sq foot apartment down to the studs and subfloor. (I’ve got a separate post on here about that). I’ve got to pull up the flooring which is multiple layers of linoleum tile (super thin vinyl stuff glued on). In some areas it comes up easy. In others where its 4 layers thick its not coming up without really going to work on it.

I bought the Bully Tools Floor Bully 6 in. Flooring Scraper which works fine on the loose stuff.

I was going to rent the Home depot Pro Floor stripper. FCS16. https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/PRO-Floor-Stripper/FCS16/index.html

* "This heavy-duty scraper capable of high volume removal of carpeting, underpadding, vinyl tiles, glue and parquet"

Anyone have experience with this? It rents for $89 for the day. It’ll probably save me a lot of back breaking work.





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[b-boy]

Looks like my old kitchen.

Be careful! You might have some asbestos in there. That bottom layer looks suspect.

That machine looks like a godsend.

I found a spade bit and a hammer drill worked pretty well. Removing all the layers at once will be pretty difficult. You'll probably have about a million nails/staples to deal with as well.

Good luck - Even with a machine it's a hard, tedious job.

 

[4xdog]

+1 on b-boy's comments about asbestos containing material (ACM). Those speckled PVC tiles from that era are a high risk of ACM. There have been some modest commercial abatement projects over the years that have turned into massive problems due to removing floor tiles the wrong way (Southglenn Mall in Denver in the late 80s, for example).

Getting a material tested for asbestos is pretty easy and cheap if you wanted confirmation.

As a homeowner, you may be allowed in your state to remove the material yourself and discard it as normal trash. But take care here. Asbestos really is a hazard, although its risks don't show up for years. If nothing else, keep the material wet and don't blow it around.

 

[b-boy]

I just stopped at the asbestos layer in my kitchen. I covered it rather than messing with it. I had 4 flooring layers over hardwood. 1-laminate, 2-sheet vinyl, and 1-linoleum tile. Between them were several layers of 1/4" luan sheeting. The asbestos was the last layer in my floor.

 

[MoonRise]

+99 on asbestos checking.

Layer labeled #4 (the speckled tiles) look pretty suspect. Which could be one reason Layer #3 is there (to 'cover' the asbestos-containing tiles without removing them).

Possible BIG can of worms if any of the tiles (or other building materials in there) contain asbestos and you 'disturb' them.

 

[b-boy]

My advice is to get it tested.

If it's asbestos, just cover it. It's not worth the hastle. If you break it, it may become friable.

As long at it's left undisturbed there's little danger.

Avoid getting any government entities involved. It gets expensive, and the red tape starts to fly. People freak out when they hear the word asbestos.

I'm tearing down an old barn, and the guy I was going to hire suddenly went all 'regulatory' on me. He was worried about asbestos in the shingles. He wanted everything tested, and full site survey completed before he'd do any work. The price shot up. I'm doing it myself.

 

[KenC]

I've used a similar scraper. Works great. But, on wood it takes some practice to keep from gouging the subfloor.

If concerned about the possibility of asbestos, keep the floor wet while scraping, and wet the pile before loading into bags. It's only dangerous when allowed to become airborne. Wetting prevents that.