I am doing a reno job on a home that has a 3/4″ plywood floor that has had 1/2″ particle board glued and nailed down with ring shank nails then covered with Lino.

The goal is to get the lino and underlayment up and put down slate.

The problem is the particle board does not want to come up.  I have tried cutting the underlayment into 2’x2′ squares and prying/scrapings away from the subfloor.  This has proven to be unproductive.  The particle board just chips away and the nailing pattern is so heavy that progress is very slow.

I have considered lowering the depth of my saw and cutting through the subfloor and pulling it up along with the particle board then replacing the subfloor as well.  I figure there must be a better way to get this stuff off the floor.

Any time or cost saving tips?

Thanks

Greg