How to Remove Congoleum Flooring

Taking up an adhered resilient floor takes time and effort to remove both the flooring material and adhesive. Fortunately, Congoleum recommends a removal technique that helps to speed up the floor stripping process.

1. Guide a heat gun along the grout lines of a tile or plank to weaken the jointing material. Cut through the grout with a utility knife to separate neighboring flooring sections.

2. Direct the heat gun along the side edges of one corner of the isolated flooring section. Work inward from the edges to warm up the corner and soften the underlying adhesive.

3. Push the blade of a putty knife through the center of the heated corner to gain access to the flooring underside, as recommended by Congoleum. Slide the putty knife in a forward-and-backward motion underneath the flooring and toward the corner edges. Use the putty knife as a lever to push up the corner and lift the flooring from the adhesive.

4. Position the putty knife under the raised corner and against the still-adhered flooring. Point the heat gun over the stuck flooring, and slide and lift the flooring with the putty knife. Continue with the heat removal technique until you strip all the flooring you want to remove.

5. Use a razor scraper to remove Congoleum adhesive from the subfloor. Apply a forward-and-backward motion to scrape up the flooring adhesive. Sweep the stripped floor with a push broom to remove the adhesive debris.

Tip

Use a wallpaper scraper as an alternative to a putty knife when removing large sections of Congoleum flooring to speed up the process. Use a wide-bladed floor scraper as an alternative to a razor scraper for clearing large sections of flooring adhesive quickly.

Warning

Wear a respirator, protective gloves and safety glasses when removing Congoleum flooring to avoid dust and chemical contact.