How to Replace Plywood Underlayment in Kitchen

Pry the trim pieces around the floor edges and along the bottom edges of the cabinets using a pry bar. This allows you to remove the existing flooring and get the new underlayment close to the wall and cabinets.

Pull up the old flooring in the kitchen. Cut vinyl flooring into strips with a utility knife and use a pry bar to remove it if necessary. Chisel and pry up tiles if they cover your floor.

Cut the existing underlayment with a circular saw to create smaller pieces to remove. Cut only through the underlayment and not into the subfloor below. Pry up the pieces with a prybar.

Remove any nails that were left behind. Clean up the subfloor underneath before installing the new underlayment.

Lay the pieces of 1/4-inch plywood on the floor in the kitchen. Start in one corner and work across the room in rows. Stagger how the edges of the pieces line up to increase the strength of the subfloor. Cut the pieces of plywood with the circular saw to fit in along the edges where you can't fit a full piece.

Nail the pieces of plywood in place using 1 1/4-inch underlayment nails.

Apply leveling compound on the seams of the plywood. Spread the compound using a wide drywall knife. After the compound dries completely for 30 minutes or longer, smooth out the edges using 100-grit sandpaper. Clean up the dust left behind before installing the new kitchen flooring.