Picture FirstA slow leak has caused some mildew/mold to grow up through our linoleum tiles over the last ~10 days.We've isolated the leak and will fix it in short time, but we decided we wanted to take up all the tiles in the affected area so we could dry it out and bleach it.EDIT: Just realized I didn't actually state my goal: I am hoping to fill the height difference (which varies across the span from 1/8" to almost 1/4"), and reapply the same exact linoleum tiles as the rest of the area, thus making the transition invisible.I discovered that there are quite a few layers to the current flooring. From bottom to top:Concrete slab (no vapor barrier)9x9 VAT tiles (I've crossed this bridge once before in a bathroom reno. I take precautions (wet down area, wear a mask, don't sand/pulverize or otherwise make it friable. They come up very easily and I only spend a small amount of time handling them. I really don't want a lecture on the dangers of personal asbestos removal here. It's already done)1 or 2 layers of older linoleum (some spots have 1, some have 2)The top layer of linoleum (we can source enough to replace what I ripped up)My question is how to 'fill' the 1/8" - 1/4" gap left from removing the various layers on top of the concrete before reapplying the same linoleum top tiles. Here are some of my thoughts:Floor leveling compound. I have used this product before and did not have great results (probably from inexperience). I don't think this is a good solution anyway because the floor is definitely not 'level' in its current state and I need to match that since I'm only doing a small section (~20sqft).1/8" plywood. This would mostly fill the gap left from the VAT tiles. It's easy to cut and would follow the curve of the floor well. I'd still need to account for the height of 1 or 2 layers of linoleum (~1/16") in most of the areas. Maybe just slap down some more linoleum first? My concern here is moisture. I've read conflicting things about whether a vapor barrier between concrete and plywood is actually more harmful than not. I'm also not sure whether only doing it over ~20sqft is going to make any difference if the rest of the floor isn't installed this waycement board. This seems like it would be similar to plywood, but would be more similar to the original flooring (concrete) so maybe moisture wouldn't be an issue. The problems are (1) it's harder to cut to size and (2) I can't actually find it in 1/8" thickness, only 1/4"+. Maybe it doesn't exist in that thickness?foams for laminate floor underlayment. This seems like a flexible option that won't be as prone to moisture damage like plywood, and might come in the correct thicknesses (or close to). The problem I see is that it might compress under weight of the tiles and foot traffic, thus making the floor bumpy or sloped.Thanks for your advice! via /r/DIY http://bit.ly/2UHUasv
