Q: We are wanting to install 3/4 inch solid hardwood in our kitchen. Do we really have to take up the old sheet vinyl? I can only imagine it would be a mess.Any thoughts?
A: You could install over the vinyl with a nail down floor, but I would not suggest it. Should the vinyl being to come up at any time, it can cause problems underneath the wood flooring and it also does not provide a truly solid surface to nail into. Now if you want to install over the vinyl, your best bet would be to install plywood over the top of the vinyl, screwing it in place. From here you would then nail the new flooring in place over the plywood.
Honestly your best bet will be to remove the vinyl and install directly over the subfloor. What you will need to do is cut the vinyl into strips roughly 12-14″ wide, then cut perpendicular to these strips down the center of the floor. From here, use a simple three foot pry bar to pry up the vinyl away from the subfloor. To remove any glue, just get a solvent built to remove the adhesive, typically citrus based ones work well here. Let the solvent do its trick and it should return the adhesive to a paste like state, which you can then scrape off the floor.
Once all of the adhesive is removed, you should then go around and test for noisy areas of the subfloor if your subfloor is wood. If you find any noisy portions, take some flooring screws and screw the subfloor down into the flooring joists. Keep in mind if your subfloor is concrete then you can’t install 3/4″ solid over the top of it. Once the subfloor is prepped, proceed with your installation and you should be set.
