Hey everyone! I'm a relatively new homeowner and I'm tackling my first big remodeling project. The main floor of my 1980's house has these unattractive grayish faux wood vinyl floors that the previous owner laid down about 10-15 years ago. I'm planning to rip it all up to lay down a mix of tile and hardwood. To do this properly, I need to get down to the subfloor for the decoupling membrane or vapor retarder.
I started in the bathroom and noticed that the vinyl is glued to a layer of 1/4" plywood, which seems to be stapled to another plywood layer underneath that I assume is the actual subfloor. My question is: should I be removing both the vinyl and the 1/4" plywood? I'm hoping to avoid excessive glue scraping, so I want to make sure I'm on the right track before I dive into the rest of the floor. Any advice from experienced remodelers would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
Yeah, you're correct! That 1/4" plywood acts as an underlayment for the vinyl, and you should definitely remove it along with the vinyl. Just make sure to adjust your circular saw to the right depth to avoid cutting into the subfloor. You'll have quite a few staples to pull out, but it's better than scraping glue all day! Good luck!
Exactly, it's mainly just for that little extra thickness. Thanks for confirming! Pulling staples sounds way better than dealing with all that glue.
Definitely remove the 1/4" luan plywood layer when taking out the vinyl. It's pretty standard for installations like these. You’ll get a cleaner surface for your new flooring that way!
So, just to clarify, the 1/4" plywood is just there to make the vinyl feel sturdier? Seems a bit unnecessary. Glad to hear it's easier than I thought!