Jen has a question for the crowd:
"I was dazzled by the kitchen makeover in the most recent (and, heartbreakingly, last) Blueprint -- particularly the floor, which was stripped of its ugly linoleum to expose the wood subfloor, which I've longed dreamed of having done in my own kitchen.
However, I assumed that would be prohibitively expensive, and was psyched to see the cost-cutting workaround -- skipping a pricey sanding and refinishing, and instead painting the wood a neutral color. Blueprint assures its readers the linoleum stripping only takes an afternoon, and doesn't require smelly chemicals, only boiling water.
I'd love to try it, but I'm a little skeptical. Has anyone done this? Would you recommend this task to amateurs, the way Blueprint does?"
Some quick research did bring up the boiling water method of linoleum removal and it sounds very do-able and very green! But that still leaves the issue of how long it will take - we are thinking that the success rate is dependent on so many factors - what was used to install it, how long it has been down, the condition of the subfloor when it was installed - making it pretty hard to anticipate just how big or messy a job it will be until it is underway.
We have never tackled a project like this so we are hoping that some of the brave AT home improvement do-it-yourself-ers will have some advice on this subject. Let us know in the comments below if you've got info to share...thanks!
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Comments (10)
I did this once and became super sick. Underneath the linoleum was some very old glued-on linoleum tile. I had to scrape it off - there was something in the glue that was toxic!! My building was most likely built around 1900 - an old funky-nasty tenement downtown. So beware!!!
We pulled our carpets up and painted the subflooring a neutral color. It's really not ideal. The spaces between the boards are really wide and garbage gets in there. We spackled, but that was very time consuming. Also, In many places there's a kind of ugly line where the carpet line used to be on the walls and mouldings. I would imagine that the same thing could happen with linoleum.
I've also pulled up linoleum - twice. I don't think I would ever do it again. There are so many options for floating flooring out there - many are really economical. Unless you're really a glutton for punishment, or have no social life or something I think these floors really offer more bang for the buck.
I have some pretty hideous brown-and-gold-stone-pattern-70s-throw-up linoleum in my bathroom (looks especially nice with the light pink wall tile - what?). But it's a rental so tearing up the lovely floor wasn't an option. I put down Flor's Fedora in charcoal wall-to-wall and it's a completely stunning makeover. The vinyl backing to Flor should keep it from getting mildew-y, and worse-case-scenario I can replace the tiles that get yucky after a while. Wholeheartedly recommend this.
you are sceptical for very good reason. you never know WHAT you'll find under you unsightly linoleum. it could be worse then you have it now. ones i rented an apartment and suspected that there were a hardwood floor under the carpet and linoleum. And it was fir wood, wide plank floor i restored myself in the living room. However in the kitchen, linoleum was clued down with some sort of black tar, which was impossible to remove. under the tar there was sub board plywood with a million nail heads ... i wished i had my old nasty linoleum back....
I pulled up linoleum recently--a kitchen's and bathroom's worth--and it was pretty easy. I do think it was less than 20 years old, and there weren't layers of anything under it, just a subfloor. So maybe if you know a little bit about the condition of what's under yours, you could decide whether to tackle it or not.
you should be careful using boiling water as a means to remove linoleum flooring. if it glued to the plywood subfloor, you could easily be pouring water into your neighbors ceiling! use the tried and true scraper elbow grease you lazies...
Older linoleum (well, not really linoleum, but I guess you're not just referring to flooring made from linseed oil) can have asbestos in it, so I would get mine tested before I messed around with it.
regards,
trillium
I pulled up the linoleum in the kitchen in a 70 year old house and found the black tar that others mention. I soaked it with wallpaper remover, and used a scraper to get it off. My sister has been doing the same thing in the house she's in, and she found a citrus-based paint stripper that has worked even better.
I sanded and polyurethaned it myself at first, but later I had it done professionally.
It wasn't that difficult to do and the results were fantastic.
The subfloor was a warm golden color and it was a huge selling point, when I sold the house.
If you started to do it and it didn't work out, you could still resort to one of the floating floors or other solution as listed above.
Depending on the age of your place, check for asbestos. Seriously- ours had it three layers down in the glue.
Also check what's under there in several places before starting. Some places have big patches of plywood filling up old holes.
In my old house, I tore up the linoleum in the dining room and in the kitchen. I found perfect floors under linoleum in the dining room, but found black tar in the kitchen. I bought commercial products to try to remove it, but they didn't work. I figured I'd have put put down linoleum again, which broke my heart, because I could tell the hardwood floors were oak and in good condition. Thinking I had nothing to lose, I bought in from the garage a bottle of plain old spray-on bug and tar remover for my car. I sprayed it in a small corner, let it set 5-10 minutes, and PRESTO the tar broke down and I was able to move it fairly easily.