Replacing a Linoleum Kitchen Floor
One of the big projects we have been looking to get done is replacing the ugly and worn linoleum flooring in the kitchen with tile. We have been meaning to do it for months now, since we knew our son would soon be mobile and is going to want to walk around downstairs. Well, he is mobile now, and is probably going to be walking before we know it, so on a bit of a whim, my wife decided Friday was the day we would start working on tearing up the floor instead of cleaning which was originally on the agenda (to be fair, I had already cut up the linoleum and underlayment into one foot squares a few days before, so the project was going to happen sooner rather than later). Before I really knew what was happening, she was on the kitchen floor, prying up some of the floor squares. No going back now.For those who know my wife, she has a tendency to get suddenly inspired to complete a project, and when she does, she will do it, physics be damned. I have heard a story of her raising her entire bed above her head in college in order to put it up on stands, because she needed it higher and didn't want to bother anyone, though this is before my time, so only a couple of her college friends can corroborate it. Needless to say, I saw no point in arguing with her, and proceeded to help tear up the floor.
This is the blade I used to cut the flooring. |
Removing Linoleum Floor the Easy Way
We are still in phase one of the project. The center of the floor came up with no issues since it was cut up, but the areas under the pantry and by the cabinets is still left. We have three layers of linoleum in the kitchen from over the years, totaling well over an inch of floor. If you are ever in a similar situation trying to tear up a linoleum floor, I highly recommend cutting it into squares before ripping it out. not only did it make the project easier, just my wife and I were able to get the bulk of the floor removed in a matter of a few hours. Without doing that first, we would still be ripping up the floor today.For anyone interested, this is definitely one of those situations where you need the right tool for the job. I have a fairly cheap corded circular saw, and figured I would try using that to cut up the floor. As it turns out, it was not as easy as I thought it would be. After an hour of cutting, I made it about two thirds of the way through the first of maybe two dozen cuts, and managed to heat up the blade enough to warp it. After a trip to Lowes, we picked up a carbide-tipped framing blade
I have included pictures below of our progress. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures of our new tile floor in the next couple weeks.
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