How To Remove Laminate Flooring
Follow these eight steps to remove your laminate flooring properly and efficiently.
Step 1: Proper Equipment And Tools
Make sure to put on heavy leather work gloves and boots before tackling this project. Laminate floor edges are very sharp and can cut right through skin. Laminate planks can chip easily and cause serious eye injuries, as well. Wear protective glasses throughout the process.
Suggested tools and materials for the job:
- Work gloves
- Work boots
- Protective eyewear
- Hammer
- Utility knife
- Drywall knife (6-inch)
- Side cutter
- Floor scraper
- Shop vacuum
- Chisel
- Flat bar
- Heat gun
Step 2: Move Everything Out Of The Way
Move all objects, including furniture, out of the way before removing the flooring. After everything is removed, prepare to move the baseboards that cover the flooring’s edges. This is where you should use the utility knife. Slice through any paint that’s bonding the base to the wall. This is done to not tear the drywall as you pry the woodwork.
Step 3: Remove Baseboard
Slide the drywall knife between baseboard and wall. Then, put the flat bar between the knife and baseboard. The drywall knife is there to protect any potential damages done to wall. Use side cutters to clip any nails that are stuck to the wall after the boards are removed. A hammer could also be used to drive away any remaining nails in the wall. Repeat this action until all baseboards are fully removed.
Step 4: Pull Up Transition Strips
These strips are typically found in doorway(s) to a room covering flooring seams. To remove these strips, slide the “J” end of your flat bar underneath the strips and pry upwards. After, remove the screws holding the retaining channels to the flooring.
Step 5: Remove Laminate Flooring
Again, slide the “J” end of the flat bar into the gaps between wall and flooring plants and pry upwards. Do this at a 45-degree angle, if possible. If the flooring happens to be glued, grab the plank with your hands until the glued seams break apart.
Step 6: Remove All Planks
After the first row of planks is removed, slide the chisel under any additional plank and pry upwards. Remove each row of planks until they are all gone.
Step 7: Get Rid Of Foam Padding
Remove all of the foam padding you’ll find from the subfloor. Use a floor scraper and heat gun to remove any residue if the laminate was glued together.
Step 8: Final Cleanup
Vacuum the entire area (using a shop vacuum) to remove any wood, debris or leftover laminate.
Laminate Flooring Benefits
- Is it affordable? There are many cases where laminate flooring will cost up to 50% less than your hardwood flooring, the traditional style.
- Installation is quick! Being able to have installed quickly is one of laminate floors main features. Laminate flooring installation can be done in as little as one day.
- Durable? “Definitely.” Laminate floors can take big impacts, hard to scratch, sunlight will not fade them, and they are stain resistant.
- The appearance of laminated wood flooring come in a variety of various simulated types of wood, including their colors. Today’s technology has given the ability for laminated floors to appeal to the eye more than real hardwood floors do.
- Besides being affordable, laminated floors nearly always are ‘floated’, which means that it is laid with foam under it (or a padding), and it has no adhesion on the sub-layer underneath. Manufacturers use a ‘locking tongue’ and a ‘grove system’ to hold all of the pieces together, with each pieces being adjacent to its neighboring pieces.
- After which, by holding the laminate floor down by the edges and installing the base-board and putting in the T-molds, or one can use a quarter-round trim as an option, which is placed in front of the base-board already there.
- This installation method is beneficial if the floor is needed installed quickly. The reason it can be installed more rapidly is because there is no sub-floor or adhesives to bother with during installation which lets things move a little faster. It can be installed and walked on both in the same day usually.
- There is an added benefit to having a laminated floor, and that is that it is considered to be a floating floor which is due to its ability to serve as a temporary floor when needed. This is because it also be placed over the hardwood floor or tile floor you already have in order to change the appearance of the floor temporary, where that existing floor remains and it can be changed back.
- Laminated floors have an incredible strength to ward off scratches, even dents, where there is a lot of traffic, and stains. The manufacturers of laminated floors (many of them) will offer warranties of up to 25 years or more.
Urban Customs Installs Hardwood Flooring In Phoenix, Arizona
At Urban Customs we offer all types of flooring installation in Phoenix, Arizona, including Wood flooring, stone flooring, and bamboo flooring. Request a free flooring installation quote from Urban Customs today! Our address is 8050 N 19th Ave #127, Phoenix, AZ 85021.
