Laminate is an excellent option if you want a cheap yet plentiful flooring. It is a flooring alternative that is contemporary and pragmatic. It is long-lasting. It lasts between fifteen and twenty-five years. This material is quite durable. However, just like any other material out there, it can fade. Not only that, but it is also prone to scratching and gouging.

These things can play a massive role when installing flooring. A lot of people prefer installing laminate flooring anyways. Laminate, unlike hardwood, can be cheaper and easier to replace if it gets damaged.

This article will is here to show you how to remove laminate flooring in no time. There are several things you have to keep in mind before you start this project. By the end of it, you will have installed a freshly new laminate flooring.

Working with different types of flooring

There are several different types of laminate flooring. In order to remove the laminate, you first need to know which kind of laminate you own.

Floating Laminate

This type of laminate is the most manageable kind to remove. Floating laminate isn’t glued to the concrete. Instead, it is locked together with other laminate planks. What this means is that the concrete layer and the laminate layer aren’t directly connected. The laminate lays on a foam layer, which is on top of the concrete.

Glued Laminate 

Now, unlike the floating laminate, glued laminate means precisely what its name states. The planks here aren’t locked together. They are glued shut instead. This type of laminate can be found in older homes. It is not as popular as before. These planks can’t be reused. That is why you don’t have to be careful when removing this flooring.

Here’s how to remove laminate flooring manually:

Necessary tools for this project:

  1. Pry bar
  2. Pliers
  3. Mallet
  4. Dust mask
  5. Safety glasses
  6. Work gloves

The Preparation Process:

This process requires a lot of patience. If you rush it, you will create a lot of mess and possibly fail to achieve anything.

  1. What you first need to go is grab a competent pair of gloves and boots. Some laminate ends can be quite sharp, thus can cut through the skin.
  2. Eye protection is essential, as well. Some broken laminate planks can ship and break. That can result in flying in your eyes and cause injuries. That is why it is vital to wear eye protection.
  3. Before you begin this project, make sure to remove furniture from the room.

1st Step: Work section by section

Once you have worked past the preparation process, it is time for the next step. To make your job easier and more organized, start with the corners. First, pull off the baseboards. Those around the edges are the hardest to remove, as they are connected to the wall. You can use a pry bar for this process.

If the planks can’t pull off, you can use a mallet. Use the mallet to hammer the bar in place. Then, when the bar is underneath the laminate board, start lifting. With the bar, you can raise the board by 30-45 degrees.

Do this until the board is unhinged and easy to pull. If the board has nails, use the claw side of the hammer to remove them.

Glued Laminate Hack

If you happen to have glued laminate, you’ll need to work a lot more. The laminate panels are usually glued to the subfloor. You might want to apply heat first. The heat will loosen the glue, making it easier to pull them away. After you have heated them, use the same pry bar to pull them out. You can also use a scraper for the pieces.

2nd Step: Removing unnecessary transition strips

It is crucial to get rid of the excess transition strips. These are the strips found in the doorways to a room covering seams in the flooring between rooms. They can also be found in a smooth transition between two flooring types (say, from laminate to carpeting). It would be best if you were kind as they can crack quite easily. You can remove these stips with a pry bar, as well. Or, unscrew them. Analyze what kind of screws are installed.

3rd Step: How to remove laminate flooring

As mentioned before, start with the edges again. Get rid of the plank closest to the wall. Insert a pry bar between the board and the floor. Make sure it is at a 45-degree angle. Lift this until the board can be detached from the connected pieces. Keep doing this until you have no laminate left on the floor.

For Glued laminate:

How to remove laminate flooring if it is of the glued kind? If the laminate is of the glued type, make sure to use your hands to break off the glued joints. If this hand method doesn’t work, use a heat gun. This gun will soften the glue. And this will make the boards more effortless to remove.

4th Step: Getting rid of leftover residue

  1. First, remove the padding from the floor underneath. It is a foam padding, so it will be easy to remove.
  2. If you own a glued laminate type, there is a particular floor scraper which you can use. Use the heat gun if there is any hardened glue left.
  3. Orbital sanders are great for wooden subfloors. For this, wear eye and hand protection. You might also want to cover your throat as it can cause respiratory irritations.
  4. Vacuum the entire floor. This is crucial to remove any residue or debris. And to prepare the foundation for new flooring.

Laminate flooring offers numerous benefits. Not only that, but it is cost-effective. And if it gets damaged, there won’t be any changes to your pocket. You can remove it by yourself. Knowing how to remove laminate flooring is a great skill. After you’ve successfully gotten rid of the old laminate, you can now add a flooring of your new liking. Not just that, but you can reuse the same laminate again.

If you do plan to reuse it, make each board with a number. That way, you’ll reinstall them in the same place as before. However, if the laminate has been glued, you cannot reuse it. It is simply impossible. If this is the case, the flooring cannot be reused and should be appropriately disposed of.

Disposing of the laminate boards

Make sure you properly dispose of the boards. First, break them into 4-foot lengths. Then bundle them with twine. And finally, put them in your waste cart. You can also take the flooring directly to the landfill. However, if you’d prefer to keep it out of the waste stream, find a recycling facility that will take it. Most recycled laminate is burned in a waste-to-energy plant.

Hopefully, this article helped you know how to remove laminate flooring and how to get rid of it. Now you can enjoy your newly set flooring.

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