If your floor had been leveled with quick setting plaster-like compound, you will need to break it with a hammer. To keep down the dust, this is best done before pulling up the old linoleum.

Set the blade depth on your utility knife so that it will cut through the linoleum but not score the floor below. This is especially important if you are lifting a linoleum floor not covering a concrete floor or basement floor.

Cut the linoleum into manageable 12 inch strips.

Use the long edge trowel to pry up the linoleum. You might find using the heat gun to loosen the adhesive the easiest way to go.

 After you remove the linoleum you will likely need to remove the stubborn pieces of linoleum and adhesive with the heat gun and a scrapper until most of the adhesive is removed.

Depending on what type of flooring you wish to replace the old linoleum flooring with, you may need to use a sander to remove the rest of the adhesive.

WARNING
The felt backing of your linoleum may contain asbestos and the only way to know for sure is by contacting the manufacturer or by sending a sample to be analyzed by an accredited laboratory. If your flooring contains asbestos, manufacturers recommend that the flooring not be removed because the hazardous fibers can become airborne. Because asbestos is a minimal health risk if left undisturbed, manufacturers' recommend that one just cover the old linoleum with new linoleum.

Asbestos

 Homes built or remodeled before 1978 likely contain some form of asbestos within the construction material. Undisturbed and undamaged asbestos poises no health risk. The health problem occurs when the asbestos becomes damaged so that the fibers are released into the air.