H e l p!!!
Hey thanks, poppameth...
The cutback is from 1960...and the 8" asbestos tiles over it popped off intact pretty easily with a 4" putty knife, kinda like pancakes. I'm told nothing adheres to the cutback and the mortar used for ceramic tile (thin set?) will "rot out" from air pockets after a few years and the only thing holding the tile together would be the grout...then the tile floor has a "hollow sound" when tapped, and possibly break if something like a pot is dropped on it. I haven't attempted to remove any of the cutback as it is smooth and I can only faintly feel the ridges in the original laydown of 8" tiles. The salesman who spoke with Armstrong execs (they told him nothing can completely remove the cutback) said he wet sanded his floor but still had residue as the cutback "seeps" into the concrete and the mortar will still eventually "rot out". That's why I'm switching gears...first to wood laminate but changed to allure ultra because of wood laminate having a problem in wet areas, like kitchens. The ultra is the click/lock system, completely waterproof, and not the type with "glue tongues" as I've read too many complaints about chemical odors from that "model". The salesman told me I can lay it on the floor as is w/out treatment. I asked about an underlayment which he said might make the floor a little softer. Of course, I found info on the product and any underlayment would void the warranty... Most of the people I talk with don't know what cutback is...so when I ran into this allure ultra product, I thought it was the perfect answer until yesterday when I found this exchange on some site:
Question CAN THIS PRODUCT BE PLACED OVER BLACK TAR WITHOUT A SUB FLOOR? HAVE REMOVED CARPET AND FOUND BLACK TAR ADHESIVE UNDERNEATH
asked 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Anonymouson TrafficMaster Allure,
Wild Cherry Resilient Vinyl Plank Flooring
1 answerAnswersanswer 1
NO….that is most likely a cut back adhesive and will eventually migrate through the seams. You will need to install a new sub floor (plywood) over the “old” cut back adhesive.
answered 1 month, 1 week ago by AllurePro
Well, I'm not "sub-flooring" anything for appliance reasons plus I think I would end up having to "sub-floor" the entire house. I'm not quite sure how 50 year old cutback stuff could move up, detour around the tongue (and then back) and then up the seam, but what do I know? I thought this project would be fairly simple but this has become one major, probably very expensive, headache and I am utterly frustrated.
Hey thanks, poppameth...
The cutback is from 1960...and the 8" asbestos tiles over it popped off intact pretty easily with a 4" putty knife, kinda like pancakes. I'm told nothing adheres to the cutback and the mortar used for ceramic tile (thin set?) will "rot out" from air pockets after a few years and the only thing holding the tile together would be the grout...then the tile floor has a "hollow sound" when tapped, and possibly break if something like a pot is dropped on it. I haven't attempted to remove any of the cutback as it is smooth and I can only faintly feel the ridges in the original laydown of 8" tiles. The salesman who spoke with Armstrong execs (they told him nothing can completely remove the cutback) said he wet sanded his floor but still had residue as the cutback "seeps" into the concrete and the mortar will still eventually "rot out". That's why I'm switching gears...first to wood laminate but changed to allure ultra because of wood laminate having a problem in wet areas, like kitchens. The ultra is the click/lock system, completely waterproof, and not the type with "glue tongues" as I've read too many complaints about chemical odors from that "model". The salesman told me I can lay it on the floor as is w/out treatment. I asked about an underlayment which he said might make the floor a little softer. Of course, I found info on the product and any underlayment would void the warranty... Most of the people I talk with don't know what cutback is...so when I ran into this allure ultra product, I thought it was the perfect answer until yesterday when I found this exchange on some site:
Question CAN THIS PRODUCT BE PLACED OVER BLACK TAR WITHOUT A SUB FLOOR? HAVE REMOVED CARPET AND FOUND BLACK TAR ADHESIVE UNDERNEATH
asked 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Anonymouson TrafficMaster Allure,
Wild Cherry Resilient Vinyl Plank Flooring
1 answerAnswersanswer 1
NO….that is most likely a cut back adhesive and will eventually migrate through the seams. You will need to install a new sub floor (plywood) over the “old” cut back adhesive.
answered 1 month, 1 week ago by AllurePro
Well, I'm not "sub-flooring" anything for appliance reasons plus I think I would end up having to "sub-floor" the entire house. I'm not quite sure how 50 year old cutback stuff could move up, detour around the tongue (and then back) and then up the seam, but what do I know? I thought this project would be fairly simple but this has become one major, probably very expensive, headache and I am utterly frustrated.
