If you do not remove the tiles you will be forced to add cement to the grout lines to get a smooth flat floor.
Installing vinyl flooring over asbestos tile.
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.
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 can mean even a small corner piece you may not realize could be a hazard but it would be.
In many cases installing a new floor over the tiles encapsulates the asbestos fibers and is an acceptable way to manage the material.
The installers refused to install over it due to the risk of particles becoming airborne.
Vinyl planks do not like to be installed over anything with grout lines.
The main caveat is that all vinyl formats call for a smooth subfloor including sheet vinyl vinyl tile and luxury vinyl planks and tiles.
Installing ceramic or porcelain tile 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.
Installing vinyl flooring is a similar process.
No other specialized prep work or treatment is necessary.
Vinyl tile is an excellent option for sealing in asbestos tiles.
Fortunately it is not difficult to install vinyl tile over your vinyl floor as.
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.
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.
If you are hiring a flooring company they may be hesitant to work around asbestos tiles.
From the 1930s to the mid 1970s vinyl flooring contained asbestos which is not safe for you to remove yourself.
One of the biggest factors of installing a new floor over the old is thickness.
So where feasible it makes sense to install the new flooring directly over the old without removing the old flooring.