Has anyone here done this? Not sure how difficult it will be and what I need to use? Will an iron pry bar and hammer be enough?
It depends on how it is fastened. If it’s glued it can be a little more difficult, but hammer and pry bar is a good start. If that doesn’t work, get a bigger hammer and a bigger pry bar. 
A flat chisel can work on some of the tough spots. If it gets really tough, you can rent an electric hammer (looks like a large drill) at your local equipment/tool rental center.
Good luck.
I’d have to say you are one handy fella to have around. I appreciate your construction expertise.
I’d have to say you are one handy fella to have around. I appreciate your construction expertise.
Now you sound like my wife. There are certain things that even though you’re good at, you rather not have anyone know ; Like laying hardwood floors or wiring a plasma TV with no cables visible.
First of all, why must it be removed? What is the substrate? Also, how old is it? and what are you putting down in its place? Often, if in good condition, underlayment can be floated and resurfaced. Is there water damage? If lain over concrete, it is almost certainly glued so I would use a heavy floor scraper along with your flat bar, chisel and hammer. If lain over wood subflooring, check to see if it is nailed, screwed, glued, stapled or a combination of any or all of the above. If there are screws, remove as many as you can before you start tearing things to shreds. If you can get your pry bar under a corner and it begins to lift easily, you may be in luck and not have to contend with glue. If not, it’ll be a bugger and will probably come up in shards and small pieces. You may want to consider cutting it out along with the subfloor down to the joists and replacing it with new subfloor. You may find this to be time and aggravation saving in the long run as you may very well damage the subfloor beyond salvage during the removal.
Also, like Bossman says, you may want to keep a bigger hammer and a bigger pry bar close by. My first rule of general construction has always been, “Don’t force it, just use a bigger hammer…” (second rule is, “Don’t throw power tools,” but we can get into that later…)
As usual, ditto what Dave sez.
Why is it coming up? If its down good (that’s redneck for “if it will serve as a proper substrate for the new layer of flooring”)…there may be no reason to take it up.
As usual, more information can really help.
My bad on leaving out the details (my wife says this is a major problem of mine). Anyway, I have just purchased the house and the kitchen has two layers of linoleum adhered to the underlayment. I spent 3 hours to no avail last night and realized this will take me forever to remove. I am on a time crunch to get this out and lay the new floor (half room hardwood/half room tile) by the end of March. I would rather spend a little on new luan and get the job done quick as to spend a month of Sundays trying to smooth out and remove all linoleum and glue. Is this the best approach?
Having done this recently, for the same reasons, the best tool for the job was a roofing shovel (the kind that you use to get off asphalt shingles. Once you get a bit up (assuming its nailed), you can continue to work the shovel. If you don’t have a roofing shovel a regular flat (transfer) shovel should also work, but it doesn’t have the “built-in pivot” of a roofing shovel.
LONG BEFORE (and I never scream) you purchase tile, please let us know everything about your substrate…
From the top down. We know about the surface you’d like to get rid of. What about the subfloor, then the joists (or slab); if joists, what centering, and what span. We need to know everything (I’m assuming you’re not an expert)…
This is extremely important for the tile job, and could be critical depending on the hardwood of choice.
I want to hear something in the order of:
I know what the fark I’m doing, we’re on a smooth slab with no structural issues, or
We’ve got two layers of 5/8" OSB, the first nailed to the joists, the second glued and screwed.
Joists are 2x8 fir, 16’ center, braced and they run 14’.
Or whatever, be specific…
Or not.
LONG BEFORE (and I never scream) you purchase tile, please let us know everything about your substrate…
From the top down. We know about the surface you’d like to get rid of. What about the subfloor, then the joists (or slab); if joists, what centering, and what span. We need to know everything (I’m assuming you’re not an expert)…
This is extremely important for the tile job, and could be critical depending on the hardwood of choice.
I want to hear something in the order of:
I know what the fark I’m doing, we’re on a smooth slab with no structural issues, or
We’ve got two layers of 5/8" OSB, the first nailed to the joists, the second glued and screwed.
Joists are 2x8 fir, 16’ center, braced and they run 14’.
Or whatever, be specific…
Or not.
Obviously, I do not know what I am doing but I will try and find out or find someone who does. Thanks for the tips and help.
Please don’t take offense.
It really is important that the integrety of the entire structure (the floor) is examined and understood. With the tile, flex is a critical issue and with certain hardwood applications the type and direction of the substrate play a huge role. All of this is far more important than the current covering.
I have learned over the years that the local “professional” often has no clue. If you’ll give us a hint what you’re dealing with, there are folks here who do know. For starters; regarding your tile work, please go here:
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1
And study up on deflection and floor systems. You may or may not want to know the truth, but the fact is the tile job will fail if not done correctly from the joists up.