Installing Vinyl Flooring Over Asbestos Tile

Vinyl planks do not like to be installed over anything with grout lines.

Installing vinyl flooring over asbestos tile.

If you do not remove the tiles you will be forced to add cement to the grout lines to get a smooth flat floor. If you are hiring a flooring company they may be hesitant to work around asbestos tiles. No other specialized prep work or treatment is necessary. In your situation for a new floor the most effective but simplest way you yourself could get a new floor over the asbestos tile is a process called encapsulation.

This is trickier as you can t simply slap mortar down on top of old asbestos tile put down the new tile and expect a good result. Sometimes the cost to do this is very close to the same cost as removing the tiles 0 50 1 00 sf. Installing ceramic or porcelain tile over asbestos tile. If you aren t removing the old floor you may be creating a new floor that is too thick for doors to open and shut or for thresholds to have clearance.

So where feasible it makes sense to install the new flooring directly over the old without removing the old flooring. That said it can be difficult to get a level surface for the new floor especially if the old tiles have chipped away. The main caveat is that all vinyl formats call for a smooth subfloor including sheet vinyl vinyl tile and luxury vinyl planks and tiles. This can mean even a small corner piece you may not realize could be a hazard but it would be.

Fortunately it is not difficult to install vinyl tile over your vinyl floor as. If the grout lines in the ceramic tile are deep you ll see and feel them under sheet flooring and if you choose to install preglued vinyl tiles they won t stick. Vinyl tile is an excellent option for sealing in asbestos tiles. From the 1930s to the mid 1970s vinyl flooring contained asbestos which is not safe for you to remove yourself.

Installing vinyl flooring is a similar process. The installers refused to install over it due to the risk of particles becoming airborne. In many cases installing a new floor over the tiles encapsulates the asbestos fibers and is an acceptable way to manage the material.