Floor Covering Removal Equipment

Hardwood and Laminate Removal

• A circular saw and pry bar are the main pieces of equipment you'll need to pull up old hardwood floors or laminate. The circular saw is used to cut a line parallel to the length of the wood planks. Once that's done, the pry bar can be wedged in between and under the plank to pry up the first row. Now that you have one row pulled up, the pry bar is all that's needed to pull up the remaining flooring.

Carpet Removal

• You'll need a number of basic tools for carpet, whether it's stapled or glued in place in the middle of the floor. A utility knife is used to cut the carpet into more manageable strips prior to pulling it up, while needle-nose pliers are needed to pull up the first corner of carpet to give you something to grab onto. Once the carpet is removed, you'll need to use a pry bar and hammer to pull up the tack strip around the perimeter of the room.

Ceramic Tile Removal

• To remove ceramic tile, a chisel, sledge hammer, circular saw and pry bar are required. The chisel and sledge hammer are used to break out one row of tile. Then, similar to when removing hardwood, you'll need the circular saw to cut through the cement backer board or plywood underlayment the tile is attached to. You can then use the pry bar to pull up the backer board or plywood underlayment, which will pull up the flooring in entire sheets. This is much easier and less messy than breaking out each individual piece of tile.

Safety Gear

• No matter what type of flooring you're removing, you'll always need to wear the protective gear. Safety goggles are always a must, as are heavy-duty work gloves to protect your hands. When tearing up old ceramic, which can stir up a lot of dust, a respirator or dust mask should also be worn to prevent you from breathing in all of the airborne material.