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How to replace linoleum floor

How to replace linoleum floor in your apartment or house based on the advice from professionals.

Linoleum floor covering is still popular in some households. In case you wonder how to replace linoleum floor with your own hands, this article may be quite useful for you.

Removing old linoleum

Remove old linoleumCut the old linoleum into strips 6-8 inches wide and fill the cut surface with enough hot water. After a few minutes, when the floor is settled to hot water enough to soften the old glue, roll down the strip of linoleum rolls. In case the old linoleum was laid on the wooden subfloor (for example, in summer cottage) you will first need to determine the thickness of your surface – it is quite easy, just drill a hole with a drill to the ground. Then, the saw it into pieces the size of about 3*3 feet, with a recess in the wooden floor 3-5 mm wide, and remove them.

Read more: How to remove old linoleum flooring.

For replacing linoleum flooring you will need:

  • knife for flooring
  • tape measure
  • a ruler
  • a pen for marking
  • good scissors
  • a trowel
  • The cut angle when installing linoleuma special ice rink
  • ordinary small spatula
  • a hammer
  • putty
  • racks
  • double-sided sticky tape
  • glue
  • the trailing edge
  • screws

Order of works

  1. Before you replace linoleum floor, prepare the room for the laying – release it from the furniture and the baseboards.
  2. The subfloor that had been existing under the old linoleum for quite a long period of time must be perfectly cleaned from all kinds of dirt and debris. The foundation base must be smooth, without bumps and hollows. Sometimes after the removing of the old linoleum the subfloor even needs to be aligned.
  3. Laying linoleum to the doorwayThe next step is measuring and basting square floor plan. It is advisable to draw a floor plan on paper with all the openings, projections, sometimes for pipes, specifying the required size. Of course, nobody can forbid you to distribute the plan before the removal of furniture, however, it is much easier to draw a plan of the existing empty room that can be perfectly seen by you with your own eyes.
  4. There are some special moments dealing with the purchasing of the new linoleum coating. You should know exactly what size of the you linoleum piece you need. Then, the experienced salesmen will help you choose the best type of linoleum, the most suitable for your room. Every single room (kitchen, bedroom, hall, etc.) has its own peculiarities, so it influence on wear resistance, heat capacity, size and coloring of your future coating.
  5. Now you may start laying. Roll out the coating on the clean floor, the pieces should also be decomposed in their order. Crop the extra inches with a knife for cutting linoleum. Then the linoleum pieces should be left in a room for a few days – it gives the coating the opportunity to straighten up, and then, if necessary, cut away the excess once again around the edges (when the coating has already been straighten, some extra millimeters may appear). It is important to keep a gap of about 0,5 inch wide between the edge of linoleum and the wall – it is needed for installing baseboards, in this case the linoleum will not get “waves”. The gap will not be seen, as it will be closed by plinth.
  6. Linoleum glue in the jointsSticking to the linoleum basis is a very important process. For gluing linoleum to the base, use special adhesive tape for linoleum. Most often it is possible to do safely without sizing. It is enough to press the linoleum skirting around the perimeter. But for reliability it can be stuck to the linoleum floor in the threshold area. You should take your time and perform gluing very carefully, constantly monitoring the possible appearing of the “waves”. In come cases, gluing linoleum will add extra strength and will increase its durability. Linoleum sizing procedure is as follows: roll off the coating on a roll, and then apply combed adhesive for linoleum, then unroll a roll very slowly, with good holding force to the floor. Do not apply a lot of glue immediately – otherwise it will not have enough time to dry. In large rooms it is faster and easier to work with an assistant. If you are using pieces of linoleum (not rolls), then the seams are usually sealed by cold welding.
  7. The final step is installing baseboards. It is easier to be performed with an assistant, too. Find the right color for it to match the linoleum.

1 thought on “How to replace linoleum floor”

  1. mmm, ok.. literally don’t know why you’re not getting rid of that fugly carpeting same time..

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