4 Easy Steps & Important Tips To Get Rid Of Linoleum Backing From Wood Floor
With the span of time the adhesive grows stronger, linoleum backing can be extremely difficult to get off from the floor. The linoleum is actually a natural product that is made up of linseed oil, limestone, pigments as well as cork. All of this is mixed together onto a backing which is strongly adhered to the subfloor. While removing the linoleum, the top cover comes off fairly very easily, leaving the backing behind. The steps for removing the linoleum backing from the wood floor are as follows:
- Floor Scraper: Start the process by placing the blade of the floor scraper at a 45-degree angle exactly to the linoleum backing that is on the wooden floor. Gently push the scraper in the forward direction in short strokes in a way to bring it up as much of the backing as possible.
- Heat Gun Or Hairdryer: Now the second step is to heat up the adhesive using a heat gun or the hairdryer as this will help to soften all the adhesive and will make it easier to remove the linoleum backing. Hold down the heat gun approximately at the 3 inches from the floor. It is advisable not to touch the heat gun or hairdryer directly with the adhesive, the adhesive can easily stick to it. Once all adhesive has softened, now it is time to try scraping it up with the help of a floor scraper.
- Boiling Water: Take some towels and then soak them in boiling water after that apply them to the adhesive that is attached to a floor. The boiling water will help to soften the adhesive and will make it very easy to scrape it up.
- Adhesive Removing Solvent: Finally apply a coat of the adhesive removing the solvent to any of the adhesives that are remaining. Leave the solvent to penetrate the adhesive for the recommended amount of time that is mentioned by the manufacturer. Once all the adhesive has softened, simply scrape it up using the floor scraper.
Important Tips
- If the linoleum adhesive is black just like the tar, then it may contain asbestos. So it is advisable to have it tested for the asbestos fibers before scraping it up.
- Usually the Solvents contain very high levels of VOCs. Apply this method only if the other method does not work or fail, and also ventilate all the area thoroughly while working.
- It is important to work in small sections, first clear one area completely then move on to the next.