home improvement question - linoleum/vinyl floor removal

[asim99]

i have changed the flooring in my condo -- from carpeting to laminate

i have yet to do the laminate in kitchen...however, kitchen has an old linoleum/vinyl floor that i am considering removing before laying down my laminate floor...

any tricks to make linoleum/vinyl removal easier?

[wanted]

I saw them using heat (gun) to make it slide off easier, while pushing/scraping it off.

[CSK'sMom]

My hubby is a flooring installer by trade with over 20 years experience. You do not need to take the vinyl off before installing the laminate. In fact, that's one of the major selling points to laminates, they can be installed over just about everything but carpet.

[Evil Techie]

yeah also the vinyl flooring acts as a barrier to prevent liquids seeping into the actual floor

i put cement and tiles on my bathroom and kitchen's vinyl flooring too
works out just fine

[kungpowchicken]

Just a warning - depending on how old it is, it may contain asbestos so it's probably best to leave it in place if you can - if you gotta lift it - don't chip it or make dust - try a heat gun and peel it back

[dolphie]

they can be installed over just about everything but carpet.

haha, the previous owners of my house would laugh at you. heh. those morons installed our dining room and den laminate over carpeting. It's just burber, so it's short stuff, and seems to have worked out fine...surprisingly......but it irritates me. if a drink ever seeps through we're beat. Considering ripping it up and tearing up the carpet underneath....
But it feels like all the other laminate I have...so it CAN be installed over carpet