Installing Vinyl Flooring Over Asbestos Tile

The installers refused to install over it due to the risk of particles becoming airborne.

Installing vinyl flooring over asbestos tile.

The vinyl asbestos tile vat you installed way back used asbestos as a matrix into which the vinyl was forced as a binder and a surface upon which to add the colors and designs. This can mean even a small corner piece you may not realize could be a hazard but it would be. 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. Vinyl tile is an excellent option for sealing in 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. Installing vinyl flooring is a similar process. Sometimes the cost to do this is very close to the same cost as removing the tiles 0 50 1 00 sf.

If you do not remove the tiles you will be forced to add cement to the grout lines to get a smooth flat floor. So where feasible it makes sense to install the new flooring directly over the old without removing the old flooring. 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 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.

Fortunately it is not difficult to install vinyl tile over your vinyl floor as. This isn t possible with every flooring material but it s often possible to install ceramic porcelain or stone tile over resilient flooring including standard sheet vinyl vinyl tile or linoleum. One of the biggest factors of installing a new floor over the old is thickness. That said it can be difficult to get a level surface for the new floor especially if the old tiles have chipped away.

Installing ceramic or porcelain tile over asbestos tile. If you are hiring a flooring company they may be hesitant to work around asbestos tiles. In many cases installing a new floor over the tiles encapsulates the asbestos fibers and is an acceptable way to manage the material.