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VANITY-Home improvement help needed
me | 4-21-2008 | grellis

Posted on 04/21/2008 8:13:51 AM PDT by grellis

I am having a very difficult time removing 12"x12" vinyl floor tiles in my kitchen.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: flooring
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To: grellis

Post 3 is a good idea, but so is adhesive remover, the stuff is CAUSTIC.. use gloves, and a good mask and open windows if you use this stuff.. bit it will eat up even the strongest adhesive.

Don’t sweat the luan, its cheap and easy to replace anyway.


21 posted on 04/21/2008 8:24:41 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: grellis
Since the Luan is going to be garbage anyway, why not get a skill saw, set the blade depth to the combined thickness of the flooring and luan and simply cut it out?

Cutting it into manageable sections that can be pried out is often your best choice.

I long ago decided it was cheaper and easier to replace the luan than trying to pry the old tiles out.

Just my 2¢ mind you.

Cheers,

knewshound

http://www.knewshound.blogspot.com/
22 posted on 04/21/2008 8:25:57 AM PDT by knews_hound (Democrats dilemma:Vote for a Nut with 2 boobs or a Boob with 2 nuts)
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To: grellis

Did you install these tiles? We found that self-adhesive tiles don’t stick well enough in a bathroom so pulled them up and put down real adhesive. When we had to remove them 5 years later because the toilet seal had rotted some of the wood...the adhesive was stuck so well, it was taking hours. We pulled off the top 3/4 plywood sheets and replaced the works. Was a much better surface afterwards anyway. Shrug, if you’ve got 1/4 luaun down, would that be an alternative?


23 posted on 04/21/2008 8:27:48 AM PDT by Malsua
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To: grellis
"Any ideas on how I can speed up the process?"

Get two metal-edged putty knives and two hammers and invite your spouse/friend/child to help.

24 posted on 04/21/2008 8:28:12 AM PDT by Hatteras
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To: grellis

Open the windows and doors, the smell from burnt glue is nasty.

Anyways, flash the top of the tile. Keep moving and come back, such that the heat goes through the tile, with as little burning as possible, then it softens the glue.

Use a flatbar, or Wonderbar, instead of a putty knife. As you are heating and softening you can nudge the bar forward and put up pressure on the tile. Heat plus mechanical force.

You can get buy with a hair dryer. A real heat gun is better. The torch is the fastest.

Some torch kits come with a flat, duckbill attachment that instead of a pinpoint flame, produces a wide flat flame. Get it if you can.

Sit on a milk crate and save your knees.

Beer.

Beer helps too. It's a good beer job. Actually, if you use a cooler, you can sit on it and then stretch when you get up to get another beer.

25 posted on 04/21/2008 8:29:20 AM PDT by Leisler
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To: grellis
ps: hold no sentimental attachment to the existing underlayment, as you'd be wise to replace some/all of it as well, especially if moisture has been at work.

If replacing only some of the underlayment, this stuff is really good for leveling things out before re-tiling:

QUIKRETE® Fast-Setting Self-Leveling Floor Resurfacer

26 posted on 04/21/2008 8:30:08 AM PDT by tomkat
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To: grellis

call a contractor, open a beer, and watch him work.


27 posted on 04/21/2008 8:31:48 AM PDT by Ikemeister
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To: sauropod

review


28 posted on 04/21/2008 8:31:49 AM PDT by sauropod (Forgive me Gore, for I have emitted.)
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To: CJ Wolf

I tried the “heat gun” thing, but it was just too slow.........and my electric meter was spinning like mad........


29 posted on 04/21/2008 8:32:00 AM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
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To: grellis

What are you putting down instead?

We just did Pergo in the kitchen. It’s dream flooring and went right over the old stuff.


30 posted on 04/21/2008 8:33:09 AM PDT by netmilsmom (I am very mad at Disney. Give me my James Marsden song!!!!!)
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To: CJ Wolf
Go down to 7/11 and hire an illegal. It goes much faster, but you might have to buy him lunch.

There ya go.... LOL!

31 posted on 04/21/2008 8:36:10 AM PDT by DCPatriot ("It aint what you don't know that kills you. It's what you know that aint so" Theodore Sturgeon))
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To: grellis

I spent three days removing the old flooring, it was a pain, then my contractor for ceramic told me, he would just put the new tile over the old floor. I had big scrapers, and roofing tools, the thing that worked the best was the heat gun. Inch by Inch, it took a long time.


32 posted on 04/21/2008 8:38:59 AM PDT by vin-one (REMEMBER the WTC !!!!!!!!)
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To: Hazwaste
Dynamite and duct tape. Works every time.

You also need someone to hold your beer, you can't duct tape it properly with one hand ; )

33 posted on 04/21/2008 8:46:01 AM PDT by ravingnutter
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To: grellis

Try a little acetone, be careful, vent well, wear a mask and gloves, IF you decide to use it. It will usually loosen most glues, including super glue types.


34 posted on 04/21/2008 8:47:30 AM PDT by calex59
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To: grellis
What are you replacing them with?

Getting my previous home ready for sale a couple years ago I needed to replace the wood floors in the entry way, dining room, and hallway. Knowing that the vinyl kitchen floor was a big downside when someone viewed the home, I just ran the new wood floor right over it.

35 posted on 04/21/2008 8:51:17 AM PDT by Phantom Lord (Fall on to your knees for the Phantom Lord)
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To: grellis

UGH... you just brought back bad memories of remodeling our older home. There was actually about 3 layers of the crap on my floor. Just backbreaking work, is all I can remember...


36 posted on 04/21/2008 8:51:35 AM PDT by gibsosa
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To: grellis
I've tried both dry ice and heat guns - I think which one you use depends on subsurface and how much mess - dry ice makes everything come up slower than heat, but in nice sweepable pieces.

The heat gun (fumes notwithstanding) - is faster, but messier and gooey.

I did dry ice on standard wood subsurface and heat gun on a metal (US Navy Frigate) floor ("deck")...

37 posted on 04/21/2008 8:54:56 AM PDT by NorCoGOP (Stop Billary 2008! If nothing else, think of the White House sinks!)
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To: grellis
Rent one of these.


38 posted on 04/21/2008 8:56:07 AM PDT by Pistolshot (When you let what you are define who you are, you create racial divisiveness.)
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To: grellis

Forget all the stuff above. This is what you want:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=37073

It’s the only thing that will get up impossible tiles or linoleum, I know, I’ve did it about 5 months ago. You’ll need the air scraper, a compressor, and hose. The scraper comes with a 4” blade, it shouldn’t break, but get another just in case. You hook up the scraper, fire up the compressor, and just push it along under the tiles. It should zip them right up.

Some places may rent this, but I had no such luck, I had to buy it. It’s very useful.


39 posted on 04/21/2008 8:58:05 AM PDT by ChuckShick (He's clerking for me...)
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To: Ikemeister

Work fascinates me. I can sit and look at it all day long.


40 posted on 04/21/2008 9:08:11 AM PDT by savedbygrace (SECURE THE BORDERS FIRST (I'M YELLING ON PURPOSE))
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