
Sprinkling sawdust and or baking soda will make the subfloor less sticky without you needing to scrape off the adhesive. It is best to remove the adhesive if installing new peel and stick vinyl tile or any glue-down flooring.In this case, there is no need to remove the sticky adhesive. The adhesive left on the subfloor will not interfere with the floating planks or tiles when installing floating vinyl floors.Depending on your next project, you can make the subfloor less sticky, or you can choose to remove the adhesive completely. If you remove the entire floor, the adhesive that remains behind will make the subfloor super sticky.A better, faster option would be to use a heat gun. If your vinyl flooring is ten years old or more, a hairdryer might not be the most efficient way to weaken the adhesive. The adhesive on vinyl peel and stick tiles strengthens over time.That’s all there is to removing a peel and stick tile from your subfloor! Check out the extra tips I have included to help make this project a success. Try as much as possible to remove the tile you want to replace without breaking it. When removing just one tile for replacement, you want to be extra careful not to tamper with the adjacent tiles. Try to make the removal process as clean as possible to pave the way for the rest of the tiles. In my experience, how well you remove that first tile will have a bearing on the adjacent tiles. If you want to remove more than one tile, repeat the heat, pry, and pull method, I have outlined in the first three steps above. All you are doing is applying tension and agitating the adhesive until the tile comes loose, so you can easily remove it as a whole piece. I like the idea of pulling the tile toward your body, as you are almost guaranteed that it will not break if you do it firmly but gently. Then pull the tile toward you to create enough tension to break the bond between the adhesive and subfloor. Lift the tile enough for your fingers to slip underneath. So, you want to do everything possible to remove the tile as a whole piece. Removing the smaller piece that remains bound to the floor can be annoying and time-consuming when self-adhesive tile breaks. Prying the tile up straight is a sure way to cause it to break. Instead of lifting it straight, pry it at a 30-degree angle until you are satisfied that the tile has lifted enough for you to slip your hands underneath the tile. Use moderate strength as you pry up the tile. Be very careful as you lift the tile with the pry bar remember, the goal is to lift the tile as a whole piece and avoid breaking it. With the seam broken, you can easily insert a pry bar to lift the tile. Simply place the scrapper’s blade along the seam of the tile, and strike the floor scraper with a hammer to break the seam. Start at the corner of the heated tile and use a hammer and the floor scraper to cut into the tile’s seam. Now that you have applied some heat, the tile should be easier to remove. As such, it is advisable to position the dryer at least one inch away from the tile to diffuse the heat.

#How to install peel and stick tile over hardwood pro
Pro Tip: Holding the dryer closer warms the tile faster, overheating the dryer as the hot air circles back into the motor. Move the hairdryer around for about 60 seconds to heat the tile adequately. Put your hairdryer on the highest setting and hold it an inch away from the tile. But, you must be extra-careful as these can easily burn the tiles, destroy a plywood subfloor, or create a fire hazard.

It is possible to use alternative heat sources such as a heat gun or an iron box. I have found a hairdryer to be the safest way to heat self-adhesive vinyl tiles. To do this, you will need to apply some heat to melt the glue holding the tile to the subfloor. The most efficient way to remove self-adhesive tiles is to lift each tile as a whole and separate it from the subfloor.

The first time I tried to remove my tiles, I went at it with only a floor scraper and hammer, but this method only helped break up each vinyl tile bit by bit and was time-consuming. The secret to easily removing peel and stick tiles is to apply some heat to the tiles to weaken the adhesive. Follow these steps to get rid of stubborn peel and stick tiles and remove the glue on the floor.
