Vinyl Tiling on "Slightly" Unleveled Surface

[winlinmac]

I wish I can say I'm replacing the Vinyl Tile in my Basement, but I'm reluctant to remove the old and place the new. I'd rather place the new Vinyl tile on top of the existing one. My Basement floor already has two layers of Vinyl tiling. However, there are a couple of areas which are slightly (not drastically) un-leveled. Are there any suggestions as to how to work around these minor bumps? I haven't used grout and have been heavily dependent on the adhesive behind these tiles; I recently purchased a couple of Armstrong boxes and want to complete this project in the coming days ahead.

 

[Garage Flooring]

So many questions come to mind... What types of tiles are underneath and could there be asbestos? What is the tolerance listed by the manufacturer? Could you put down a sub floor like 1/4" luan underlayment?

 

[Armorpoxy]

How about just using skim coat/floor leveler and tiling over that, that is what is usually done in commercial applications where this problem is common. These products are available at any home center or flooring supply store.

 

[winlinmac]

Thanks for the reply GarageFlooringLLC, I currently have two layers of Vinyl Tiling (one stacked upon the other). I believe the several micro bumps and the couple or so ridges are as a result of Earth movement. The home is over 100 years old, and the basement is mainly utilized for laundry, shower, and entertainment purposes; nothing exists under the basement, other than dirt. Definitely lots of foot traffic. An underlayment would probably work, but I'm trying work around a tight budget and breaking the ground and having to smooth it out would cost thousands of dollars.

In one part of the basement, a part of the floor is intentionally depressed to act as a flood zone.

So many questions come to mind... What types of tiles are underneath and could there be asbestos? What is the tolerance listed by the manufacturer? Could you put down a sub floor like 1/4" luan underlayment?

 

[winlinmac]

Thanks for the suggestion, wouldn't the material crack, especially if its thin coat? Or is this material more versatile?

I also thought about removing the two layers of the existing tile and applying grout with the new Vinyl tile, but I believe the ground would have to be uniform for this to work.

How about just using skim coat/floor leveler and tiling over that, that is what is usually done in commercial applications where this problem is common. These products are available at any home center or flooring supply store.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Thanks for the reply GarageFlooringLLC, I currently have two layers of Vinyl Tiling (one stacked upon the other). I believe the several micro bumps and the couple or so ridges are as a result of Earth movement. The home is over 100 years old, and the basement is mainly utilized for laundry, shower, and entertainment purposes; nothing exists under the basement, other than dirt. Definitely lots of foot traffic. An underlayment would probably work, but I'm trying work around a tight budget and breaking the ground and having to smooth it out would cost thousands of dollars.

In one part of the basement, a part of the floor is intentionally depressed to act as a flood zone.

If you remove anything you need to check for lead and asbestos and follow proper procedure. 1/4" Luan is cheap.

 

[Armorpoxy]

If asbestos is suspect, suggest you leave it be and just cover over it. Skim coat shouldnt fail under new tiles, its low traffic.

A note, if the tiles are 12" square 95% chance they are not asbestos. If they are 9" square, most likely they are. Testing of course is the only way if you want to disturb them.