remove old vinyl or not?

16 years ago

I'll be started a kitchen remodel soon, and the old vinyl floors will be replaced with either new vinyl or laminate, most likely. The floor plan is changing just a bit, so the "footprint" for the new floor will not match the current floor. I planned to tear out the old floor, and start from scratch. I have a slab foundation, and I dont know what else is under the vinyl. One flooring sales rep said that if the footprint is changing, it probably is simplest to tear everything out, as I planned. Another said to leave the vinyl, and patch where needed to keep the floor level, then put the new floor (vinyl or laminate) over the old vinyl. He said this was best since it ensures a better moisture barrier and is easier.

I'm planning on doing demolition myself, and if sheet vinyl goes in that will be done professionally, but if laminate goes in, I'll do it. I tried peeling up a bit of the vinyl in one coved corner to see what was underneath, and I really cannot tell. "Something" was coved with the vinyl- it looks a bit like cork, is firm, but I can push a blade into it.

So do I leave the vinyl and patch around it? I'm worried that if I start tearing things up, and the floor below has issues, that I'll wish I left it alone, but starting with a clean slate makes some sense to me. Since the edges are coved, it may be a bit messy to try to leave a smooth, nice edge behind to then have to patch up.

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Comments (5)

sarahinfl
16 years ago
This sounds like an echo of my situation. I do know that my vinyl floor is laid directly on terrazzo and I thought I could remove it myself. I was warned that it would be much easier if I cut the vinyl in strips and I had no difficulty with the first one. Aha. There was no glue under that strip. I tried to go further but gave up after half an hour of prying and tugging. Today a crew came from the store to rip out the floor. They gave up faster than I did. The solution will be to cover the existing floor and the bare spots with a skim coat. I checked with Lowes and they agreed. I think the product is Henry's. It's applied with a trowel and one advantage is that it creates a moisture barrier. I definitely want sheet vinyl as a replacement. Laminate is easier because they just lay a barrier sheet, but the store doesn't recommend laminate for kitchens because water can seep through sections.
floorman67
16 years ago
you cant get a better job then tearing it all out down to the slab. That way nothing is there that can fail to affect the new installation.
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Go for it. The worst case scenario is you have to lay new plywood. Plywood is normally nailed or screwed down. That is much easier to remove than a thin, nasty top layer of luaun or some other bunk. Of course this could be complicated if the person who put down the plywood was a DIYer who used glue. That makes for one HELL of a nightmare if you have to remove the top layer of plywood and some ding-dong used glue between the layers. I would watch hours and hours and hours of youtube videos. Take extensive lecture notes while watching. Review your notes 3-4 times before you lift a floor scraper/heat gun. Turn off the water to the dishwasher, remove the appliances and then start removing the old vinyl. Give yourself plenty of time. Lots and lots of time. You'll need lots of breaks and a swear jar....but other than that, this should be doable. Remember to find out how to get rid of ALL the excess adhesive. That can often require some heavy scraping and a sander. Any excess adhesive left over will prevent the new product from being glued into place. So you need to remove 97% - 100% of the old glue. You don't have any height to play with so going over it with feathering compound is a no-no in your situation. That means you have to MECHANICALLY remove ALL the adhesive residue. If you find you have more glue than you have time/energy, go ahead and remove the layer of plywood (hopefully there is a layer underneath....there are some really bright bulbs who think a single sheet of underlayment is "good enough") and drop in a new layer. It costs more money...but it can be faster. If you go this route, please do NOT use glue between the sheets! It is killer on the next guy/reno. Just screw it down as per the screw-placement indicators and move on.
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bluestarrgallery
16 years ago
I second floorman67. We are on a slab foundation and in various rooms we have removed old carpet and padding, old tile on slab, tile on top of vinyl and the vinyl. We installed both laminate and new tile in different rooms. Other rooms will soon have slate and carpet. Some of the previous old tile was loose in a couple of spots in both bathrooms and we wondered why, when we removed that tile and found vinyl under the tile, the places where the old tile was loose - the vinyl was also loose. The vinyl was indeed tough to remove in some spots, we chipped it out with a hammer and chisel. Some of the vinyl that was particularly hard to remove was aided with the use of a hair dryer and propane heat gun. The tile in the entry was laid with a very tough morter (possibly more cement than anything) and we had to use a air chisel to remove that. Patience and doing a little each day if you get frustrated helps. We feel we are getting much better new floor installations now that all of the previous stuff is removed.
sarahinfl
16 years ago
Today, a home inspector said, "Remove the old vinyl."
muscat
Original Author
16 years ago
thanks for the input. I guess as the rest of the kitchen gets torn out, I'll see what I'm up against.

remove old vinyl or not?

Comments (5)

sarahinfl

floorman67

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muscat
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remove old vinyl or not?

Comments (5)

sarahinfl

floorman67

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muscatOriginal Author

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muscat
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