Are you thinking of renovating your room? Are you wondering how to get rid of linoleum on your hardwood flooring? In this article, we will let you know how to remove linoleum in the easiest and budget-friendly way. 
Linoleum is a material used for flooring since the 18th century. A very popular yet stubborn one. With time, the bond between linoleum and adhesive becomes stronger. It takes quite an effort to remove linoleum from the hardwood flooring. 
We know you must be very eager to learn how to remove linoleum from your floor and renovate your room or home. But Before beginning the steps to remove linoleum from your hardwood floor, there is one very essential thing to know. That is the presence of asbestos in the linoleum. 

*******IMPORTANT*******
Check Linoleum for Asbestos

There is a possibility that linoleum has asbestos, especially if the flooring is old. A simple way to check asbestos is; linoleum having asbestos is dark, black or has dark or black adhesive. In such cases, it’s better to take a small piece of linoleum and send it to a professional for an asbestos check. 
If the test comes positive, it is recommended to call a professional asbestos removal contractor for further processing. However, if it comes negative, you are ready to proceed to the next step.

Material Required

Before landing, you to steps of removal of linoleum from your hardwood flooring. You must know the essential materials you need for this whole process. 

⦁ Protective Kit: 

Safety first; You must have safety goggles, masks, and helmets to avoid any debris or dust entering your system. 

⦁ Utility Knife: 

A common knife will be good to go. As the linoleum layer is often soft, the adhesive is hard to remove. 

⦁ Scraper Tool: 

It will help you in the easy and safe removal of linoleum as well as adhesive. 

⦁ Wallpaper Steamer: 

This includes a heat gun or hair dryer. You can use any. It will help soften the stubborn adhesive layer between linoleum and hardwood flooring. 
Once you have all the equipment with you. You are good to move to the next step. 

Sectioned Flooring

This is the most important step to aesthetically remove linoleum without damaging the subflooring. If your linoleum is already cut in tiles, follow the sectioning borders. It will make the removal easier. 
But, if linoleum isn’t in tiles, you need to make little sections of the layer. You can go with 6″ -12″ sections. Use a knife to make these sections. Be Careful to not dig the knife into layers. 

Removal of Top Layer

The linoleum flooring has two layers; one is flooring material, and the other is paper strengthened by adhesive. It is easier to remove the top layer. Use a scraper to remove the top layer. Place scarper at the edge of one of the sections. 
Now apply a little pressure, the layer will come out. Move forward and continue applying little pressure until the entire top layer is removed. Once the top layer of linoleum flooring is removed, clear the area.

Removal of Adhesive

Now comes the tough part of the removal of linoleum from hardwood flooring, i.e., removing adhesive. Over time, the adhesive becomes strong, and it is difficult to remove it with a knife or scraper. 
You will need a wallpaper steamer that may be a heat gun or hair dryer. You need to apply heat to the backing adhesive to soften it. Once the adhesive becomes soft, use a scraper to remove it. Be careful to use a scraper at 45 degrees and not apply much pressure. As excessive pressure may damage your hardwood flooring beneath. 

Conclusion

Renovating your home or room is incomplete without renewing flooring. The removal of linoleum flooring may seem tough and expensive. But with proper guidance, you can remove it yourself. All you need is a knife, scraper, wallpaper steamer and protective kit. Simply following the above steps, you can remove linoleum from your hardwood flooring and give it a new look.