Removing Lino & Bitumen from Floorboards

[Kapetanovski]

Hi

Hoping someone can help. We are about to start renovating the kitchen - House is approx 1950s.

The kitchen currently has lino flooring (not tiles) glued to masonite chipboard (reasonably easy to peel off), the chipboard is nailed & tacked to what looks like soft grey tiles (not sure what these are though) which are stuck to bitumen laid directly on Tassie Oak floorboards.

Ideally, I would like to maintain consistency in the house as it is open-plan and restore the floorboards underneath.

Any suggestions on the best way to remove the bitumen without destroying the floorboards underneath??

Appreciate any feedback..

[China]

I am no expert but I beleive the way to go is to scrape the bitumen off with the aid of a solvent such a turps, also be aware that the tiles may contain asbestos so try not to break them up too much

[Big Shed]

The only problem with that scenario is that the turps will dissolve the bitumen, turning it in to a black stain. Once that happens it will soak in to the Tas Oak floor boards and do what stains do, stain them black. This stain will then be impossible to remove.

You would be better off with a heat gun, gently softening the tiles and bitumen and scrape as much as possible off. Don't get it too hot, because then the bitumen will melt and do the same as the turps would do.

Do a small area at a time and be as consistent as possible.

Even with all this care you may still finish up with some black staining on the surface, this should then be removed by sanding the floor with a professional floor sanding machine.

China is spot on about the asbostos, very good chance that those tiles will contain it, so wear proper masks and keep dust down to an absolute minimum.