Home Design Question! Asbestos underneath fake brick floors?

Question

In my parents kitchen they have this fake brick floor from the 60's. It's mushy and/or padded... Just looks like total c**p. I've wanted them ever since I was a teenager to rip it out and just have wood floors but a few months ago she had someone look at it and tell her that it has asbestos underneath it. Is there anything we can do?

I had an idea, but I'm not sure if it's possible. What if we bought just regular kitchen tile/flooring and put over the fake brick floor? Can that be done without the tile breaking or tearing?

If anybody has any other suggestions.... please lemme know!

Answer 1

Your grout joint and the mortar bed will crack if you installed a new tile material over your existing condition.  Depending on the material that you choose, if you chose a brittle material, that also could crack.  Another drawback is the additional thickness of the material.  Your kitchen floor will be approximately 1.5" higher (trip hazard) than the rest of the house.  The removal of asbestos is a major undertaking and will require a Hazmat crew.

http://www.maacenter.org/abatement/diyab...

This article may help if you decide to remove the material yourself.