How to Remove Laminate Flooring

How to Remove Laminate Flooring

Follow the steps below to remove a floating laminate flooring and prep your subfloor for new flooring.

1. Remove the Transition Strips

   If your floor features transition strips between rooms or different flooring materials, carefully remove them with a pry bar. If you find a screwed-down bracket beneath the transition strip, remove that as well. All transition strips are a little different and you may need to adjust these methods to remove yours.

2. Remove the Trim

   To remove the quarter round, follow these steps:

   1. Carefully score the seam between the baseboard and quarter round using a utility knife to break any paint or caulk bond and prevent the paint from pulling from the baseboard.
   2. Starting in the corner, slide a pry bar into the joint and gently pry outward.
   3. Once you identify where the first nail is, move the pry bar directly behind it and pry outward until the nail exits the wall.
   4. Continue at each nail point until the quarter round is fully detached.
   5. Clip the nails to prevent injury.

   If the laminate flooring also sits beneath the baseboard, follow the same procedure to remove it from the wall. Score the seam to prevent the paint from pulling from the wall, then carefully remove it with a pry bar.

   If you plan to reuse any of the trim, label the back of it with a marker as well as the corresponding spot on the wall to make it easier to reinstall.

   Tip

   When removing trim with a pry bar, slide a piece of thick cardboard or thin scrap wood between the pry bar and the surface you're prying against to protect it from dents and scratches. This is a necessary step if you plan to reuse the trim.

3. Pull the First Row

   Grab the lip of the first row of laminate flooring and lift it to a 45-degree angle, then pop it out of the second row. If it's too close to the wall, use a pry bar to flip it up. Separating the rows may require you to shimmy and tilt the pieces a bit, but they should eventually pop loose.

4. Remove Remaining Rows

   Continue removing each row by popping the joints loose. To make quick work of cleaning up, create neat stacks of flooring as you go.

5. Roll Up Underlayment (optional)

   If your flooring has a foam underlayment beneath it, roll it up and discard it.

6. Clean Up the Subfloor

   Remove any debris from the subfloor using a wet/dry vac. If necessary, scrape up any adhesive or residue. For some stubborn adhesives, a heat gun will help soften them.