I have old, crumbly tile as a subfloor in my apartment. I recently put in vinyl flooring when I took my carpeting out. It now looks as if this tile (wood-like vinyl planks) are taking the shape of the subfloor, which was not perfectly even. I don‘t like that I see shadows of peaks and valleys in the new flooring in certain light. It also doesn‘t feel even when I walk on it barefoot, but I‘m extremely particular.1. Should a coating have been applied to even-out the old tile BEFORE the vinyl flooing was installed? (the company didn‘t want to take these up as they felt it was asbestos. the worker who installed the new floor said the old floor did not need a coating)2. Was this vinyl tile installed correctly?3. If it wasn‘t installed correctly, could this affect the vinyl tile/planks over time -- could it warp, perhaps? 4. What do I do if it was installed incorrectly and the company does not do anything about it without a fee?? (There‘s a warantee on the floor IF it was installed correctly only)
The new vinyl floor should only have been applied to a good, sound and stable substrate. If the tiles underneath were chipping, flaking, bubbling or falling apart there is no way the new flooring should have been applied. Most asbestos tile comes up easily and requires basic Personal Protective Equipment. Not like asbestos pipe installation...the nasty stuff. Another option is to remove the loose tile and fill with a latex floor patch...not the best option, but OK for most. A better option is a 1/4 plywood underlayment on top of the tile and under the new vinyl. You still need to remove lose or bad tile and level uneven areas, but the new plywood underlayment will give you a much more stable surface. You'll need to prime the plywood with a floor primer and also consider a new threshold to account for the elevation difference.
Go visit a lawyer for an opinion. It sounds like the realtor knew about the problem with the drain and failed to disclose it. Did a licensed home inspector provide a report on the house for the bank? If so, who hired that person? The lawyer may determine you have a good case of fraud and negligence against them so could get them to pay for the repairs plus his fees. Sometimes just a letter from a good lawyer will bring them to Jesus.
Your new floor will look good when new, but will eventually match the surface of the floor that it was installed on top of. How much this bothers you is a matter of personal taste, but your contract should specify the installation standards. If the installation matches the specs in the contract and you simply don't like the way it turned out, you're pretty much SOL. Doubtful you'll get much satisfaction from the installer.
