Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: The hardwood floors in the dining room have been covered with plywood sheeting, nailed down into the hardwood, with linoleum tiles on top. How can we remove the plywood sheeting with a minimum of damage to the floor underneath?
A: If you can get a large wrecking bar under the edge of the plywood, you should be able to pull up the entire sheet. It may be helpful, if you know how much distance you have from the tile to the hardwood, set a circular saw to slightly less distance, and run it across the floor in sections so it will be easier to pull up the plywood and tiles. Wear eye protection as there is a fair chance you will hit some nails along the way.
Original / moved link https://faceliftfloors.com/q-and-a/ripout.php
How do I remove the 1/4 inch subfloor that is glued down to my hardwood?
Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: I have a foyer that is 8 x 10 with a hardwood floor that may have once matched the rest of the floors in my house. It has 1/4 inch plywood glued down to that and linoleum atop of that. I want to remove the flooring down to the hardwood. This was done by previous owners. How do I remove the 1/4 inch subfloor that is glued down to my hardwood? I don’t want to damage the hardwood.
A: This sounds nasty! The foyer is not very large. Are you sure it wouldn’t make better sense just to remove everything and install a new floor? I don’t know why this plywood is glued down to the hardwood. Strange. What kind of glue is it? You may get lucky, in that the adhesive is of a type that has become brittle with age. Also, if the floor had any kind of wax or another coating on it, the adhesive may not have gotten a good bond with the wood. I would find a spot to get a large wrecking bar under the plywood and see if you can lift it. If the hardwood is old 3/8 thick, it may really not be worth the effort. These floors are not thick enough, and with 3 sandings, one is really pushing the envelope.
Original / moved link https://faceliftfloors.com/q-and-a/foyer.php