How to Remove Glued Down Wood Floors

Wood floors that are glue to the sub floor have certain challenges when it comes to removing them. If the floor is in good condition, you may simply wish to apply new flooring over the old wood floors, or refinish the wood floors. However, if you must remove the wood floor, use these steps as guidelines for best results.

Step 1: Remove any baseboards or other trim from the perimeter of the room. Number the backs of each piece sequentially if you plan on reinstalling it once you have installed your new flooring.

Step 2: Determine the depth of the wood flooring. You may be able to determine this by examining the gap that was covered by baseboard, and then using a piece of wire to determine the difference between the top of the sub floor and top of the wood floor.

Step 3: Set your circular saw so it will exactly to the depth of the wood flooring, but no farther.

Step 4: Cut along the seams in the wood floor, every 12 to 18 inches. This step will remove any tongue and groove pieces that connect the sections of flooring together.

Step 5: Cut in a perpendicular direction from your first set of cuts, creating a grid in the floor. This will divide the glued down sections of wood flooring into manageable bits.

Step 6: Insert a pry bar into the gap between the wall and the wood flooring. Pry up a section. If the wood flooring is securely fastened to the floor, you can use a mini sledge hammer to force the pry bar underneath the wood flooring. Just be careful not to damage the surrounding wall.

Step 7: With the first piece of the glued down flooring removed, continue removing the rest of the flooring, using the pry bar and mini sledge hammer as necessary to pry up the floor. Work until all of the wood flooring has been removed.

Step 8: Scrape away any adhesive left behind from the sub floor with a metal edges putty knife. If you are working on a concrete slab, you may be able to do this easily. If you are working on a wood sub floor, you may want to remove the sub floor as well and start fresh. This will depend, of course, on the type of flooring you wish to install. Carpet, for example, will probably not require a new sub floor.