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Chad Fleming Must remove linolium first. Tile needs cement board or at least plywood subfloor. Then use thinset morter to adhere tile to floor. I would not be worried of asbestos in that, but certainly wear gloves and quality mask when removing.

mom57 Thank you, Chad.

Ironwood Builders While I won't directly contradict what Chad is saying, there are few things that I need to add. The asbestos content of the old asphalt mineral tiles (not linoleum) is relatively stable, unlike the friable pipe insulation in my old grade school (friable means able to become airborne, like dust). Nothing says it is safe, just relatively stable compared to other types of asbestos....not relatively safe compared to linoleum (made from sawdust and linseed oil). My sister in law just lost her father to mesothelioma...diagnosed and dead in a month. Asbestos is a known killer, let's not treat it lightly.

Now that I've (hopefully) scared the bejasus out of you, let's talk fixes. Most areas of the US require certified abatement contractors to deal with asbestos laden material. A quick call to your local building department will determine what you are required to do in your area. Removal is not necessarily abatement...encapsulation is also considered abatement. While I often tell people not to "put lipstick on a pig" and cover over problems, encapsulating your existing floor is more like using sun block. If the current flooring is still holding tight to the sub-floor, it is OK to skin over it with an isolation membrane and thinset mortar. Isolation membranes (like Schluetter systems) adhered to thinset are a very good option for a couple of reasons...first...no screws. Second, any movement of the substrate is "isolated" from the tile by the membrane, reducing potential movement and cracking. We use Schluetter on most of our tile flooring jobs anyway...fewer cracks and loose grout...fewer callbacks.

Call the building department, get informed about your local guidelines. Best of luck!

ASVInteriors This is the same here in Europe - Many older roof tiles were made of asbestos and, like Ironwood states, these are considered stable. However, I watched an apartment block demolished and people in white suits and gloves took down the tiles piece by piece to ensure they didn't break. Know your asbestos before you deal with it.

Lizabeth You can cut a small sample out and send to a Lab for a small fee which can test for the asbestos. They will tell you to mask up and wet sample while cutting it out and double bag . Surprisingly on a 1920 s house with 7 layers we didn't have it. We could send one floor " sandwich" and get it all tested for less than $30. Everything Ironwood Builders says I agree with. You can encapsulate or remove following careful procedure to not make material airborn. My in laws once "hoed up" a floor trying to save money and their whole house became contaminated. Tenting and thousands were spent to clean it and they had to move out for more than a week.

Yes be careful. Linoleum might not have it but vinyl from the 1970s tends to have it. Test and know if it is present.

mom57 Thank you all...this discussion has been very informative.

Dezign Studio Inc Yes , so much information on this site !

Judy M I want Iron Man, haha, I mean Ironwood to build me a house.
Man, you are smart!

Ironwood Builders Judy M, thanks so much for the compliment! Not so much smart as old and made wiser by my experiences. Most everything I post here has been learned from the school of hard knocks....

Dezign Studio Inc I think its a good idea to share ones hard knocks, so others are saved from a few of them. Thanks Ironwood B