Question - We are considering laying a new vinyl floor in our kitchen. Our home was built in the 1930s, and there are some dips and sags here and there - nothing serious though. Do you think it's a good idea for us to take up our existing vinyl flooring and add a layer of underlayment before installing the new floor?
Answer - Your new floor will have a more uniform look if you do this, but you have to realize the job you'll be undertaking. Laying underlayment involves quite a bit of work. Not only will you have to scribe all the sheets to fit, you may also need to cut off the bottom of any doors to allow clearance above the now-thicker floor. The cracks between the underlayment panels must be filled and the depressions caused by the numerous nails must also be filled.
You should consider, too, that many resilient flooring and flooring adhesives installed prior to the early 1980s contained asbestos.
All and all, a vinyl-over-vinyl installation is a better bet as long as your existing floor has no serious problems.