Hi. I would recommend grinding the concrete.. don't know how big the area is but if it is less then 100 square feet I would say buy a small grinder and buy a diamond wheel for it.. they have them at the big box orange or blue stores, it'll run you about $100.0 Is it worth it? oh, you are also going to need a vacuum. Just yesterday I uploaded a video to Instagram and it was about grinding concrete before installing flooring, you should check it out here's the link Concrete grinding Feel free to call if you guys need more help.

Whether you grind or rip the whole thing out, bear in mind that the old tile could well have asbestos in it...something you don't want to be ripping into. I had just such an installation in my last home and used self-leveling compound to avoid contaminating my home or having an asbestos removal on my hands. Usually it's not that hard to apply leveling compound, but it must be mixed properly and you have to work fast. If you can grind what you now have fairly flat, without disturbing the old tile, you could then apply another thin layer of leveling compound (or maybe have a professional do it). And note that I said leveling compound, which is an entirely different thing from self-leveling concrete.

Demo it - rip it up. Get a floor scraper. This is what you should have done in the first place.

Go to the nearest tool rental shop and ask about their mini jackhammers.

@Kudzu9 - there is a very slight chance of ceramic tile having asbestos. You're more likely to find asbestos in the old vinyl composite tile (vct tile) due to the amount of fibers within the product.

You didn't say what kind of tile you have, ceramic or composite.

Old composite may indeed have asbestos. If it's from the 60s or 70s, there's a pretty good chance that it does.

IMO, people worry too much about asbestos tile. You can remove it safely if you can avoid fracturing the tiles. This means they aren't crumbling, and you can remove them without breaking them into more than 4 pieces. I've found that a putty knife often lifts them right up, but leaves the mastic behind. That mastic is another problem, but a solvable one.

Unfortunately I think you've probably foreclosed that option by dumping floor leveler on top of the tile. Going at the tiles with a jackhammer, grinder, or other power tool is likely to disperse any asbestos fibers into the air where you can inhale them.

If I were in your place, this would be where I'd call in the pros. You may have to call around a lot though if your tile is composite. I've found that, at least around where I live, many flooring contractors won't touch flooring that might contain asbestos.

Good luck.

@kudzu9 - I am sooooooo tired hearing about asbestos. You don't get Mesotheloima from a casual exposure to asbestos. Wearing a dusk mask, and keeping the room closed off will be fine. If you're really concerned - wet the floor down to eliminate dust.

How big is the "little mountains" you talking about? They can't be that big and they can be easily fixed with filler Durabond 90 or something like this.

That being said, if you making a quick facelift on the budget, I wouldn't put peel-and-stick tiles into the laundry room, they will not last and that's like throwing your money out.

You can buy cheap tile for 75 cents per SF or stop at the local tile shop and ask if they have leftover discontinued tile, some will give it to you for free just to get rid of it and when you install the tile you can straighten out the bumps with thinset... and you will have a decent floor that will last you for years.

Good luck.

P.S You can also call a handyman who can install tile and for a small job like this it will cost you next to nothing if you think this is too much for your husband and your step-father to handle and you don't have to see them do this again:

Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

geoffrey-

Sorry you're tired about hearing about asbestos. You should feel free to do whatever you want in your own home.

I worked in the area of asbestos toxicology and remediation for 20 years and have a different view, which is that it's good to be aware of potential remodeling hazards and minimize them, rather than pooh-pooh them. While it's unlikely you will get cancer from a single asbestos exposure, no exposure to asbestos is a good thing, particularly if it is being ground or sanded and disbursed throughout your house. Standard dust masks don't provide adequate protection from asbestos because the particles are so small they pass right through.

The OP can make up her own mind about this potential problem and make an informed decision, but at least she's aware of it...

Cinar Interiors-

Good catch! You're right: if this is ceramic tile, I wouldn't be concerned about ripping it out. I made the assumption that this was vinyl tile as it's a laundry room, but maybe that's unwarranted.

kudzu9: Standard dust masks don't provide adequate protection from asbestos because the particles are so small they pass right through.

Since you don't know how small the particles are - no cannot make this statement.

Ok... Respirators and dust masks

And, given the small particle size, that's also why standard vacuums shouldn't be used for cleanup as the fibers pass right through the filters and get dispersed.

Hi everyone! Thanks for the feedback. The tile definitely wasn't ceramic. When we tried to pull it up, it just crumbled into tiny pieces. We didn't want to deal with the potential of asbestos (we don't know when the flooring was installed but the house is old enough where it was a concern) so we decided to cover it. Maybe that wasn't the smartest idea but that's what we did so we can only move forward! The "little mountains" aren't huge but definitely hurt when you step on them and range from just a little bump to extremely noticeable.

This might be a stupid question, but can we just ground the lumps down so they're equal to the rest of the floor? If we go that route, is there something we need to do to afterwards before putting down the tile?

And can someone explain why peel and stick tile in the laundry room is a bad idea? I've read mixed reviews about that type of tile, but my personal experience has always been positive (though I've never experienced it in a laundry room). Thanks for all of the feedback! I really, REALLY appreciate it.

I assumed it was ceramic. Ugh. At this point, call in a pro. I don’t think you have the skills to pull this off.

Peel and stick is fine. You need an IMMACULATELY CLEAN substrate. That’s all. You also have to place it very close together or it will look terrible soon.

My $.99/sqft peel and stick that everyone thinks is wood:

Installing any flooring material - the preparation is the most important part.

Clay body and quarry tiles saltillos soft stone etc all come out in tiny dusty messy pieces and leave behind little mounds. lumpy self leveler is poor mixing and pouring and or over working the leveler or bad product thats been wet or exposed..

You have now arrived on a website full of misinformation, oddities and opnions in an age where everyones a genious since yesterday

Asbestos aside the whole mess comes out and the substrate and underlayment first need be rated to support sellf leveller and prepared properly to do so.

You said everything you needed to right here

"The flooring was uneven anyway because the tile only went across half of the room (because we made it bigger) so we thought this would be the easiest solution."

stop hacking up your home making things bigger the easiest wrong way