Painting an asphalt tile floor?

[bgrosser]

I have an asphalt tile floor most likely laid in the 50's. It's your standard 9x9 tile, brownish in color, with flecks of this and that. I also realize it may have asbestos in it.

I want to paint it it a light gray. The tile is hard and glossy, so I started looking into primers that could work with that kind of surface. I had some zinsser 1-2-3 around so I painted a small patch. The next day I cut an X into the primer with a razor blade, stuck some scotch tape down, and yanked it up. Little bits of the primer came up with it. So, that didn't seem like it was adhering well enough.

Looking at paint manufacturers I saw that Sherwin Williams has what they call a 'bonding primer' which is intended for hard, glossy, smooth surfaces. I went to a sherwin williams store, and asked about it. The guy there said it wouldn't work for what I want. He said it works well on walls but that it wouldn't stand up to the use a floor would get.

Anyone have any ideas? I can't sand or etch because of the potential asbestos content. I don't want to remove it for the same reasons (and I'm not looking for a job that big right now). I really want to paint this floor, though. Has anyone tried this and been successful?

thanks

[roger61611]

Is it 9x9 or 8x8. I believe 8x8 from that era is asbestos.

Why do you want to paint it so bad, it doesn't seem like that would ever work.

[bgrosser]

They're definitely 9x9. I suppose it's possible they were laid later than the early/mid 50's. I know that the first floor, which was also asphalt tile, was laid when the house was built in '53.

I want to paint it because it's ugly and I want it to be a different color. Taking it up and re-prepping the floor for something else and then laying something else would be a much larger job. I

The room is used mostly as an art studio so I don't need it to be elegant, just bright and durable.

One other idea I've had is laying a thin layer of 4x8 sheets of plywood down as a new floor, although this would cause issues with the baseboard heat, as it would reduce clearance underneath where the air enters.

[philkryder]

so,,, its an art studio - paint it white with an epoxy garage floor paint and "spill" drops of brightly colored streaks and drops over it -

Redo it when it starts to wear and try something else...

might be future in it - it worked for Jackson Pollock...

you'll want to find a very strong chemical stripping agent to remove any wax or other coatings... then use the bonding primer - then coat...

It's a floor - don't worry about...

[Mikepier]

I had the same tile in my basement. I just went over it with new Armstromg Vinyl composition tile. Very easy to install. Painting the floor might lead to more problems.

[hallerb]

yeah just add another layer of tilke directly over the old, after cleaning the old tile real good.

never sand old tile its a asbestos hazard.