How to Replace the Underlayment Subfloor in a Kitchen

Remove everything from the surface of the floor. This includes tables, chairs, trashcans and even the baseboards. Pull up the baseboards carefully with a hammer and pry bar so you can replace them later.

Pull up the floor. This process depends on the type of floor, but it almost always involves a lot of hard work. Use hammers, scrapers, pry bars, shovels or anything else handy to pull up the old flooring until you see the original plywood or floorboards.

Place all the debris into a wheelbarrow, a plastic barrel or a tarp. Sweep the floor and then vacuum to remove as much of the grit and debris as possible. Pull up any residual nails using a hammer or pry bar.

Measure the dimensions of the floor using a tape measure, and purchase the appropriate amount of cement backer-board, which is suitable for covering the imperfections of the subfloor. Cut with a utility knife, straightedge and a measuring tape. Attach to the floor using corrosion-resistant screws, sinking the heads slightly below the surface with an electric drill.

Cover the screw heads with resilient patching compound using a 6-inch putty knife. Tape all the seams and follow the manufacturer’s directions for drying times. Then you can install your new flooring.