Scraping up a monolithic floor coating is tricky without the right tools. Types of monolithic floors include carpet, linoleum, vinyl, and rubber. This type of flooring is installed as one giant sheet and is either chemically bonded or heat welded together. With no breaks or sections worked into this flooring application, contractors need to have a method to their removal job.
The key to removing this type of floor with a scraper is to take it up in sections. This sectioned approach works with either a walk-behind or ride-on floor scraper. To begin, keep a checkerboard pattern in mind as you make your first passes. Work the flooring in straight lines from front to back and side to side. This will cut the flooring into sections resembling a checkerboard.
Make a few passes to set up your checkerboard pattern before approaching the bulk of the removal. The result is that, instead of large, gummy roles of carpet, you get small sections that can be easily managed. Roll these smaller sections up and throw them in a dumpster, on a pallet, or stack them on a dolly with the sticky side in. This strategy simplifies clean up and speeds up the job.