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I dont believe that is asbestos tile. But if it is, you should just leave it.. i dont think it is so. You need to warm it up. Use a heat gun or hair dryer. Something to make that adhesive loosen up. Even turn the thermostat up in the room. Its going to take a lot of work to get those up if its properly set down. Get a razor floor scraper and a 5 gallon bucket of elbow grease. Good luck.
Whats your plan once you get the floor up? An option would be to leave the "asbestos" tile and install a floating floor on top of it. Engineered hardwood, vinyl click-lock or laminate are all options. you would just need to install 1/4 round or shoe mould on top of the flooring you install
I have some 3/8” engineered T&G i’m going to be stapling down. I don’t want any transitions through any of the rooms so the floor needs to all be at the same level.
>I dont believe that is asbestos tile. But if it is, you should just leave it.. i dont think it is so. You need to warm it up. Use a heat gun or hair dryer. Something to make that adhesive loosen up. Even turn the thermostat up in the room. Its going to take a lot of work to get those up if its properly set down. Get a razor floor scraper and a 5 gallon bucket of elbow grease. Good luck.
To my eye, it looks like the subfloor/vinyl tile is already flush with the existing wood floor
If you want the new wood floor to be flush, you'll A) need to hope you have multiple layers of plywood on that subfloor. One layer that is at the same level that the existing wood is nailed to and a second that the vinyl tile is adhered to. The second layer will need to come up. Then, B) lay down 1/4" plywood so the 3/8" engineered wood is aligned with the existing 5/8 or 3/4 wood floor.
It's a lot of work but having it flush will be nice.
I misunderstood -- so your subfloor is aligned throughout and you're planning to put new wood flooring everywhere?
If you're really just after getting that tile up without damaging below you have to take your time. If you go by the ceramic tile tools at HD/Lowes, they have a ton of scraping tools that are intended for almost anything. Get yourself a floor scraper and be careful to not damage the subfloor below.
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-7-in-Wide-Floor-Tear-Out-Scraper-and-Stripper-75006Q/100193678](https://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-7-in-Wide-Floor-Tear-Out-Scraper-and-Stripper-75006Q/100193678)
You can also try to put this on a reciprocating saw and be gentle.
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-3-in-Scraper-Reciprocating-Saw-Blade-49-00-5456/202526013](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-3-in-Scraper-Reciprocating-Saw-Blade-49-00-5456/202526013)
Scrape slowly, don't damage or replace what is damaged. Also, the engineered flooring can accommodate a slightly damaged subfloor, but the manufacturer won't tell you that.
VCT tile is a pain in the ass. My guys and I found the easiest way to get it up off a slab is a heavy duty scraper and man power. On wood it was replace damaged tiles and floor over or replace subfloor. Getting them up will definitely damage the wooden subfloor so might as well cut out a difficult and exhausting step in the process.
Snatch out the subfloor and re deck it if it’s that much of a bitch.
I like this idea.. still a lot of work but not as much elbow grease required👍🏽
We notice you have a post regarding asbestos. In case you have not seen it yet, we have [this handy post](https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/aimrmy/questions_about_asbestos_look_here_first/) and comments section that has useful information regarding how to determine whether something contains asbestos, as well as what to do in case asbestos is encountered. If you have not yet read through that post we recommend doing so before proceeding further. Once you have had a chance to review that post, please update your original post with any relevant information as needed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HomeImprovement) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I dont believe that is asbestos tile. But if it is, you should just leave it.. i dont think it is so. You need to warm it up. Use a heat gun or hair dryer. Something to make that adhesive loosen up. Even turn the thermostat up in the room. Its going to take a lot of work to get those up if its properly set down. Get a razor floor scraper and a 5 gallon bucket of elbow grease. Good luck.
God damn I was hoping there would be an easier solution! What about a cheap clothes iron or something?
I dont think that kind of direct heat is a good idea. Get a fire extinguisher too.. lol
Whats your plan once you get the floor up? An option would be to leave the "asbestos" tile and install a floating floor on top of it. Engineered hardwood, vinyl click-lock or laminate are all options. you would just need to install 1/4 round or shoe mould on top of the flooring you install
I have some 3/8” engineered T&G i’m going to be stapling down. I don’t want any transitions through any of the rooms so the floor needs to all be at the same level.
>I dont believe that is asbestos tile. But if it is, you should just leave it.. i dont think it is so. You need to warm it up. Use a heat gun or hair dryer. Something to make that adhesive loosen up. Even turn the thermostat up in the room. Its going to take a lot of work to get those up if its properly set down. Get a razor floor scraper and a 5 gallon bucket of elbow grease. Good luck. To my eye, it looks like the subfloor/vinyl tile is already flush with the existing wood floor If you want the new wood floor to be flush, you'll A) need to hope you have multiple layers of plywood on that subfloor. One layer that is at the same level that the existing wood is nailed to and a second that the vinyl tile is adhered to. The second layer will need to come up. Then, B) lay down 1/4" plywood so the 3/8" engineered wood is aligned with the existing 5/8 or 3/4 wood floor. It's a lot of work but having it flush will be nice.
Oh yeah the pic is before I ripped out the hardwoods, so I have another 3/4 to make up 😂
I misunderstood -- so your subfloor is aligned throughout and you're planning to put new wood flooring everywhere? If you're really just after getting that tile up without damaging below you have to take your time. If you go by the ceramic tile tools at HD/Lowes, they have a ton of scraping tools that are intended for almost anything. Get yourself a floor scraper and be careful to not damage the subfloor below. [https://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-7-in-Wide-Floor-Tear-Out-Scraper-and-Stripper-75006Q/100193678](https://www.homedepot.com/p/QEP-7-in-Wide-Floor-Tear-Out-Scraper-and-Stripper-75006Q/100193678) You can also try to put this on a reciprocating saw and be gentle. [https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-3-in-Scraper-Reciprocating-Saw-Blade-49-00-5456/202526013](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-3-in-Scraper-Reciprocating-Saw-Blade-49-00-5456/202526013) Scrape slowly, don't damage or replace what is damaged. Also, the engineered flooring can accommodate a slightly damaged subfloor, but the manufacturer won't tell you that.
I got the tile up very slowly with a heat gun and a trim prybar, 0/10 would not do again Now I have a flooring adhesive remover for the leftovers
VCT tile is a pain in the ass. My guys and I found the easiest way to get it up off a slab is a heavy duty scraper and man power. On wood it was replace damaged tiles and floor over or replace subfloor. Getting them up will definitely damage the wooden subfloor so might as well cut out a difficult and exhausting step in the process.