Using garage floor epoxy sealer on basement floor tile

[FIRE me]

I have a semi-finished basement room that has 9"x9" floor tiles. Although I have not had the tiles tested, they look like the tiles that were sold in the 1960's that may contain asbestos.

For that reason I want to seal the tiles. My plan is to use epoxy or epoxy type sealer meant for garage floors.

Home Depot carries epoxy Rust Oleum 2.5 car garage floor kits for about $120. There is a new option from Rust Oleum for $215 that is polycuramine instead of epoxy. I am also considering more expensive options like Armorpoxy. 

Any experienced advice is welcome, especially regarding adhesion on floor tiles, coverage rates and number of coats needed on floor tile, and more premium brands versus more affordable Rust Oleum.

Any DIYers here actually used this type of product on floor tile, or know someone who has? How did it turn out?

[lthenderson]

I have never done an epoxy floor over tile but I suppose it could be done with a few caveats. First, if the tiles were glossy or had a smooth surface, they would probably need to be ground or etched to give the epoxy something to bond too. Also, grout tends to absorb contaminants that can also mess with epoxy adhesion. Finally, anytime you are trying to lay a perfectly smooth surface onto a surface that isn't perfectly smooth, tiles with rounded edges and grout lines, you run the risk of ghosting or having the grout lines telegraph up through the material that you want perfectly smooth.

Asbestos isn't really that hard of a DIY project to do depending on the circumstances. If you can seal up the room with plastic and vent to outside, it is just a matter of wearing a good respirator and putting the tiles in plastic bags to dispose of at the landfill. At least in my area, there aren't any permits or other requirements necessary but you might want to check your local jurisdiction.

[Fishindude]

Typically those 9x9 old tiles are the ones that contain asbestos.   
You can remove that stuff yourself no problem, that type of asbestos tile is not very friable and doesn't turn to airborne dust like many asbestos products.   Just scrape it up and bag it, will probably have to ask your waste disposal company how to dispose of it.

I would have my doubts about a coating working very good.

Another thought would be to just leave the tile and cover with rolled vinyl flooring or new 12x12 vinyl tile.

[FIRE me]

Probably should have mentioned that it is about 430 SF of tile. No way I want to tile bully that much tile, and worse than the tile is the glue left stuck to the concrete.

The roll flooring is a good idea. There was carpet over the tile when I bought the house 12 years ago, but the occasional basement rainwater seepage revealed the unpleasantness of soggy carpet.

I have fixed the leaks (hydrophobic polyurethane is fantastic stuff) but in case a leak should return I don't want anything on the floor that would trap or hold moisture.

[Telecaster]

I'd probably just overlay a new type of flooring as well.   These days, a polyurea coat seems to be superior to expoxy, if you still want to go the roll on option.

[BudgetSlasher]

Asbestos tiles are only a concern if they are in bad shape and can release fibers into the air. Otherwise, they have do not pose a health risk.

[Sibley]

I've seen both options - leaving them in place and encapsulating somehow vs removing. There's two things I would consider. First, floor height. In a basement, it might not be an issue, but if you don't remove the old tile and put something on top, does it cause a problem anywhere? Check around plumbing, HVAC, door frames, etc.

Second thing to consider is future removal. If you were to remove the tiles now, you can probably do it pretty cleanly without breaking them up too much. If you go over them now with something, what would future removal look like? Dealing with the old glue is a factor regardless of when the the tiles are removed.

I would tend to lean towards removing them. They're relatively easy to remove now, and you're not kicking the can down the road. Sometimes its best just to suck it up and deal with the problem rather than ignoring it. Sometimes it makes sense to ignore it. On various projects in my house, I've done both options, but it is a deliberate decision. If you do decide to remove, look into renting or borrowing a floor scraper (I think that's what they're called).

[meghan88]

I'd vote for removal too.  You never know when the regulations might change in your area, such that you might be required to get an abatement done before selling.  Or at least a requirement to disclose that there's asbestos onsite.  In some countries, there are experts called in pre-sale to test for asbestos, lead, etc.

[Bearblastbeats]

You can rent a mechanical floor scraper at home depot for probably $100/day. 430 sf will come up in a few hours with this machine, it weighs a bit but you can bull the thing around, lift it up on edge to get the real hard stuck pieces of tile. try to drive no more than half a tile at a time unless you see them coming up easy.

What are you planning to lay over the floor?

If you are installing a floating floor, going over the tile should be ok, using a primer should be ok but id be weary as the tiles may pop in the future.

If you are adhering something with glue, you will need to rough up the tile with a sander. If you are using cement, you will need to remove the tile completely.

If you are using a primer/sealer you will need it to be latex based.