Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
bilmo

unorthodox idea for new flooring

bilmo
12 years ago

Hi All! basically what I want to do is cover up the old floor with 3/4" plywood, wall to wall, all thru the whole house, and then on top of that I want to add a pretty top layer in a diagonal pattern. there's number of reasons for not tearing up existing tile. one is that most of the house is black asbestos tile. not vinyl asbestos, but asbestos. I don't want to jar any dust loose, which supposedly the part than can hurt people. anyway, it would add an inch and 1/2 to my floor

and I'd lose that much headroom on the top, or ceiling. no big deal there. would it pass code? thanks for any feedback.

Comments (14)

  • bilmo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    and the replies come flooding in. better hire some new post persons :)
    well, after reading 10,000 other flooring posts, I found some interesting info. the search feature here is useless. I tried every configuration of words possible to not repeat a bunch of questions already asked. anyway, cheers!

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    How do you plan on holding the plywood down?

    Is their a basement underneath or are you on a slab?

    Plywood will warp pretty badly if it is not fastened down and one side has a higher moisture level than the other.

  • bilmo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    howdy brickeyee! no basement. just slab that's been there for 40 years. I wish there were a basement. that would make things much easier, I think.....
    I was thinking of using liquid nails to hold the plywood down. but now I think my idea is not so great. my reasoning for a floor on top of a floor is because of all the old old asbestos tile. it's ok as long as it is not disturbed. my understanding is the bugaboo is the dust and so on. so even using concrete nails or drilling would cause more dust than I would care to be around. anyway, thanks for your reply.am now considering putting a 4 or 5 inch slab on top of the old slab. lots of money, yes. but no scraping of asbestos tile. thanks again!

  • lazy_gardens
    12 years ago

    You can use a much thinner underlayment - one meant for tile, such as wonderboard.

    There may even be some "pour and seal" products for exactly your situation. Have you talked to at lease three asbestos abatement specialists?

  • bilmo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    would I still need a new moisture barrier under the wonder board? I doubt if the people that built this house put a moisture barrier in when it was new. it's in phoenix. they likely assumed it would never get wet :)
    that's a good idea though. wonder board and tile. what would hold the wonder board down to the existing floor?

  • hosenemesis
    12 years ago

    What kind of flooring would you like in your house? You mention a diagonal top layer, but of what material? Tile? Vinyl? Stone?

    You can tile over asbestos tile without a plywood base. You can put a wood floor over it without disturbing it. Some wood floors are tongue-and-groove and glue down. You could also put new laminate or vinyl down over the existing floor without pulling it up, unless it is damaged or coming up.

    I think the main problem with asbestos is disposal, not removal. If you have a good mask it's unlikely you'll die of asbestos in your lungs from just this one job. I'd check into it, anyway.

    Renee

  • bilmo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Renee, the vinyl tongue and groove/glue down idea sounds best so far. I should have thought of that. thanks very much. it is all on the back burner now anyway, as my 2 brothers, my sister and myself are about to engage in a knock down drag out lawsuit over my mothers estate. I don't think this is what Mom had in mind, but she should not be all that surprised either :)
    in the meantime, I have no money, as I was an unpaid caregiver for Mom for 5 years before she passed away. my sibs are paying me back by screwing me 14 ways from Sunday. new floor now on hold! thanks for the tips!

  • andrelaplume2
    12 years ago

    I assume you are not interested in the cheapest option which is probably carpet. I would think there would be some sort of floating floor available...even one that looked like tile....

  • bilmo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    carpet is out as well :)
    I have no sheckles. but I have an appointment with an attorney on march 22nd. I am supposed to get 25% of whay my mother left, not zero. until this is resolved, I learn to love the hideous tile I already have. thanks for the nice idea :)

  • glennsfc
    12 years ago

    Of course, this is off topic, but you brought it up, so I am curious to know if this is your house you will be improving with this new floor?

    As for your fight with your siblings is concerned...if there was no will, then the state will decide who gets what. If you were given her house before her death, then it gets complicated. Hopefully you can resolve estate issues with your siblings before the lawyers eat it all up.

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    "Hopefully you can resolve estate issues with your siblings before the lawyers eat it all up."

    The attorneys WILL be paid from the value in the estate if you ad your siblings are not paying directly..

    They do not work for free, even if appointed.

  • sweeby
    12 years ago

    What about a membrane like Kerdi? Thin, simple, glue-down...

  • bilmo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    it looks quite interesting sweeby. I had not heard of it, but just now looked it up. since we're back on the topic of floors and off attorneys hopefully, is this product flexible enough to float in with different floors? example, in this house, the original tile men were excellent. probably the most talented of all the tradesmen. the kitchen/dining room family room are all whitish vinyl/ asbestos and it still looks good. it's all still stuck down and not shrunk after 40 years. the rest of the house was the black "asbestos only" stuff. also a very good job. my parents put horrid carpet in the living room and horrible tile on top of the black tile in the halls and bedrooms. would verdi cover up such a multitude of sins? obviously the carpet must go. I'm paranoid about ripping up the carpet and tacking strips on the black asbestos.

  • tectonicfloors
    12 years ago

    There are three main things you need to keep in mind when choosing a floor: your room type, amount of traffic and budget. Hardwood�is one of the most popular options these days because the elegance of this type of flooring will add character to any room in your home.