Learning how to remove parkay flooring is usually the first step in a much-needed home renovation project. Those classic wood-slat squares had their heyday back in the 60s and 70s, but if you're staring at a floor that's seen better decades, it's probably time for it to go. I won't sugarcoat it—this isn't the easiest DIY project you'll ever take on, but it's definitely something you can handle yourself if you've got a bit of patience and some decent upper body strength.
Before you go swinging a sledgehammer, you need to know what you're up against. Parkay (or parquet) is essentially a series of small wood pieces held together in a mosaic pattern, usually glued directly to a subfloor. Because of that adhesive, you can't just "unclick" it like modern laminate. You're going to have to fight for every square inch.
Getting your gear ready
You don't need a massive workshop of tools for this, but having the right ones will save you a massive amount of back pain. First off, grab a heavy-duty pry bar and a solid hammer. These are your primary weapons for getting under the wood.
If you want to make life significantly easier, I highly recommend renting or buying a long-handled floor scraper. It looks like a shovel but with a flat, sharp metal blade at the end. It allows you to stand up while you work, which your lower back will thank you for later. You'll also want a circular saw if the wood is particularly stubborn, but we'll get to that in a bit.
Don't forget the boring stuff: safety gear. Old wood floors can splinter like crazy, and the dust from the old glue isn't something you want in your lungs. Get some decent work gloves, safety glasses, and a dust mask. If your house was built before the mid-80s, there's a chance the adhesive underneath (often called black mastic) contains asbestos. If you see black, tar-like stuff, stop what you're doing and get it tested before you start kicking up dust.
Finding your starting point
The hardest part of how to remove parkay flooring is just getting that first piece out. Once you have a gap, you can get leverage, but until then, the floor is a solid, interlocking unit.
The best place to start is usually at a doorway or along a wall where you've already removed the baseboards. If you haven't removed your baseboards yet, do that now. Just use your pry bar to gently pop them off the wall. Once the edge of the flooring is exposed, you can try to wedge your pry bar underneath the first row of tiles.
If the floor is tight against the wall and you can't get a grip, you might have to sacrifice a tile in the middle of the room. Use your hammer and a chisel to break one square apart. Once you get those first few splinters out and see the subfloor, you've got your "in."
The pry and lift method
Now that you've got a starting point, it's time for the grunt work. Slide the blade of your floor scraper or the tip of your pry bar under the edge of the wood. You want to get as close to the subfloor as possible.
Give it some muscle. If the glue is old and brittle, the tiles might just pop up in whole chunks. This is the dream scenario. You'll find a rhythm where you push, lift, and clear. However, if the glue is still holding strong, the wood might splinter into a million tiny pieces. If that's happening, don't get frustrated. It's just how it goes sometimes.
Work in small sections. Don't try to clear the whole room at once. Clear a three-foot area, sweep up the debris into a heavy-duty trash bag, and then move on. It keeps the workspace safe and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed.
Using a circular saw for stubborn floors
Sometimes, you run into a room where the parkay is practically fused to the subfloor. If your scraper is just bouncing off or you're barely making progress, it's time to bring out the circular saw. This is a bit of a "pro move," so you have to be careful.
Set the depth of your saw blade so it's just barely shallower than the thickness of the parkay. You want to cut through the wood but not into the plywood or concrete subfloor underneath. Cut the floor into a grid pattern—maybe 12-inch squares.
By cutting through the wood slats, you break the tension and the interlocking strength of the tiles. This makes it much easier to get your pry bar underneath and pop the pieces up. Just keep an eye out for nails or staples that might be hidden in the wood, as hitting one with a saw blade is a quick way to ruin your day.
Dealing with the leftover adhesive
Once all the wood is gone, you't likely see a messy remains of glue on the subfloor. You can't just lay new flooring over this; it needs to be relatively smooth.
If you're lucky, the glue is dry and you can scrape it off with your floor scraper. If it's being difficult, you might need a heat gun. By warming up small sections of the adhesive, you can soften it enough to scrape it away like peanut butter. It's tedious, but it works.
There are also chemical adhesive removers available at most hardware stores. They work well, but they're messy and often smell pretty strong. If you go this route, make sure the room is well-ventilated and you're wearing the right gloves. You don't want those chemicals sitting on your skin.
Preparing for the new floor
After you've finished the main task of how to remove parkay flooring, take a look at the subfloor. You don't need it to be perfect, but you do need it to be flat. If you've gouged the plywood in a few places with your pry bar, fill those holes with some wood filler or floor patch compound.
If the subfloor is concrete and there's still a thin film of glue you just can't get off, you might need to use a floor sander with a very coarse grit paper. Just be careful not to create a massive cloud of dust. Keep a shop vac running nearby to catch as much as possible.
A quick word on disposal
Wood flooring is heavy. You'll realize this pretty quickly once you start filling bags. Don't overfill your trash bags, or they'll rip the second you try to move them. If you're doing a large room, it might be worth renting a small dumpster. Most local trash pick-up services won't take thirty bags of heavy wood and dried glue left on the curb without a special (and expensive) pickup.
Wrapping things up
Taking the time to learn how to remove parkay flooring the right way pays off when it comes time to install your new boards or tile. It's an exhausting job, and you'll probably be sore the next day, but there's something incredibly satisfying about seeing that old, dated wood disappear to reveal a clean slate for your home.
Just remember to take breaks, stay hydrated, and don't rush the process. Whether you're scraping it up inch by inch or using the saw method to speed things along, you're doing the hard work that makes a home renovation successful. Once that new floor is down, you'll completely forget the struggle of the removal—mostly.