remove linoleum from tile floor

Hi, My house was built about 1945. In my bathroom there is linoleum laid over a black and white tile in a basket weave pattern. The linoleum is coming up and i would like to remove it and restore the tile underneath. There was probably nothing wrong with the floor when the previous owner covered it with linoleum left over from the kitchen remodel they did about 1990. A small section (apprx. 6 inches wide X 3 feet long) of the linoleum came up by itself but there are still patches of the backing and adhesive that I can't seem to remove. I have tried scrubbing it with a scrub brush and floor cleaner. I have tried scraping it off with a paint scraper. At the rate either of these are working my great great grandchildren with have great great grandchilden before its finished. Someone suggested using some kind of a floor sander like you would use to refinish hardwood floors but I'm afraid that that would damage the tiles. Any suggestions?

 

Get a ruler and measure the size of the tiles. Are they 8"x8" or 9"x9"? You should start worrying about asbestos before continuing.

 

Hi John
The white tiles are 1 inch by 3/4 inch and the black tiles are 1/4 inch square. I think they are a ceramic tile. The house was built in 1945 and I believe they are original. Thanks for the reply.

 

Sorry, I made a bad assumption.

How were they able to cover ceramic tile with sheet vinyl without creating an extremely lumpy floor? Did they apply some sort of leveling compound over the tile?

Try a heat gun.

 

Hi Lynn,

The tiles are porcelain mosaics and very tough. Still, you shouldn't use any kind of sander. You could scuff up the tiles. I would remove all the vinyl "wear layer" and then wet the backing and keep it wet for several hours. Even if the glue is solvent base, keeping it wet will often cause it to emulsify. You can then scrape it up with a razor scraper that you can buy at Home Depot and other places. This is the type of scraper that uses a 4-inch long replaceable blade.