Removing old vinyl floor tiles
by
Larry
+1
Our kitchen floor has vinyl floor tiles over the conc. slab. They are original installed in 1951. I,m trying to remove them before installing ceramic tiles. My problem is that I've tried chiseling, heat gun, scraping, prying etc with little success. They are really stuck down. This is taking for ever! Any suggestions?
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http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/skills-and-know-how/masonry-and-tiling/how-to-remove-tile-flooring
Did you check for asbestos first? Our house was built in 1950 and when we remodeled the kitchen we laid flooring over the vinyl so that we didn't disturb the asbestos.
Are you sure they don't contain asbestos? If they are down securely you can tile over them.
Since they were installed before 1978 they more likely have asbestos. If the tiles are stiff and 9" square they are asbestos. Do not mess with them. They were more likely adhered with a black tar based adhesive. You can legally cover them. This is know as encapsulating. You can tile over them. Use a floor tile mastic as thinset will not hold to the floor tiles.