Cutback on plywood and new vinyl tile, need advice.

[statepenn99]

Hello,

I have read through other posts in this group relating to cutback removal. My problem is most advice is given for cutback on concrete subfloor, with the intention of putting ceramic tile on top. My problem is slightly different, and I need some advice. I am putting in about 30 sq ft of self-adhesive vinyl tile. I pulled up the old vinyl tiles, and there is a layer of cutback on a plywood subfloor. I tested to see if a scrap piece of the new tile would stick to the cutback, but it was a no go. Any advice on how to sovle this problem. Scraping will be difficult due to the plywood, sanding is a bad idea in case of asbestos, and solvents won't work b/c they will most likely absorb into the plywood and eat at the new tile's adhesive. Is my only option to install a new plywood subfloor over this crap? Thanks for any advice.

John

[DanG]

There are several manufacturers of skim coating materials meant to isolate cut back.

Here is one that is just an isolator:

There are others made by Armstrong, Mapei, and others. Many are cement based trowel products. which may be better if you have nicks, dings, and trowel tracks that need to be filled anyway.

(top posted for your convenience) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) [e-mail]