LAY NEW VINYL FLOORING OVER 1979 ARMSTRONG ACCOTONE

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Sorry about the "I I think". When I posted the topic last night I tried to write a message, but gave up when no message showed as I tried to type! So here goes again!

Our kitchen has a concrete floor with original thermoplastic tiles stuck to the screeded top. When we moved here in 1979 we had the original (builder's) kitchen refitted with Alno units and the floor covered with Armstrong cushioned floor covering - "Accotone", I think. The original thermoplastic tiles were not very pretty, and not in very good nick,

The floor covering was stuck down onto the tiles all over with what I think was a latex adhesive. The flooring material consists, I think (again!) of a fibrous backing with a printed film stuck to it and then a polyurethane wear layer. The kitchen was well planned and is still in excellent condition. It still looks modern, but the wear layer of the floor covering, which has done incredibly well, is obviously scuffed and marked after over 36 years. So we want to keep the kitchen going for at least a few more years by laying a new floor covering. BUT:-

1. I know from odd jobs done on the floor that the Accotone adheres well to the thermoplastic tiles, but the tiles do not always adhere well to the softish surface of the screed below.

2. Both the Accotone and the tiles are said to contain some asbestos. This is apparently in the fibre in the backing of the Accotone.

Therefore we prefer not to disturb the Accotone, which is lying nice and flat, with no signs of lifting - either itself, or the tiles underneath. We would like to lay a new and fairly thin tough and hardish floor covering on top of the Accotone. It needs to be tough because both our cooker and fridge have wheels and - especially the cooker - put a lot of pressure on the floor covering when they are moved for cleaning, decorating etc. The fridge - even empty - is a tall larder model so is pretty heavy, too. It has wheels at the back and "sliders" at the front.

Even if it is possible on the polyurethane surface of the Accotone, we would be wary of gluing a new covering on top of it as the tension might start to lift some of the tiles underneath it.

So I doubt that an ordinary modern vinyl, especially a cushioned one, would be suitable. If not glued down it would get pulled and stretched even in normal use of the kitchen, and would probably react very badly to moving the two heavy items mentioned. Some modern vinyls - ones which seem to be quite hard and thin - have a textile or glass fibre backing. Are these intended to be laid loose, and, if so, would they stand the strains of a busy domestic kitchen plus the other strains mentioned?

What advice can members give me, please?

It's really out of the question at present to remove both old layers of floor covering and skim the surface of the screed so as to be able to start again. And we don't want ceramic tiles.
 

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