Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - hardwood over asbestos tile?

I am still trying to decide on flooring. Ideally, I wood go with hardwood flooring, but the floors are covered with what I am told is probably tile which contains asbestos. I have been told all kinds of things about how to deal with this.

Install a floating floor.
I am not happy with what I have seen in engineered wood flooring. There seems to be much less of a selection and I have actually been able to find hardwood for less than engineered.

I have also heard that I can nail hardwood floor right through the tile. But wouldn't putting nails through it disturb it the tile? I have also heard that I can't do this at all.

I have also heard that I can remove the tile with a good mask and proper cleanup. I have also heard that this is a dangerous thing to do.

I also hear: Get a professional abatement specialist in your area to remove the tile. The problem is that I live in the boonies. I can't afford that anyway and I have my doubts that they really do anything all that special. I would really prefer to get that stuff out of there, start fresh and put down some hardwood flooring.

Any ideas on how I should proceed? Thanks for the help.

Lay a wet towel over the tiles as you remove them. Slide a 6" putty knife under them

Thanks for your help. I have been reading up and it seems that keeping the tile wet, sealing off the area, wearing a good respirator and cleaning up carefully should make the process quite safe. The towel idea seems particularly good. Wringing out the towel fromt time to time in a bucket of water also seems like it would help.

Many states allow homeowners to remove this themselves, like my state (NY).

How did our parents ever survive lead paint and asbestos? I guess they were more worried about getting through WWII.

The only way to know for sure if tile and/or adhesive contain asbestos is to have it tested. You can contact local authorities about where to send sample. There is risk involved if asbestos fibers become airborne. Thus, it is recommended by authorities that asbestos not be disturbed. If removed, a professional is also recommended by most authorities. Disposal of asbestos tile may also be an issue if removed as a DIYer. Regulations tend to vary from state to state.

Where to begin? Research the effects of asbestos fibers when airborne, your state regulations for removal and disposal, safe DIY recommendations for removal of small areas of floor tile and adhesive.

Thanks,

I am in the process of having tile samples tested. NY allows homeowners to remove tiles themselves as do many other states. Hiring an abatement specialist is quite costly though. But I will check around. The reason I would want to remove it is because it limits the choices of flooring I can use with it there (like hardwood).

i have a related question when i first moved in to my home, i removed old asbestos tiles from the basement floor (without wise precautions) and am left with the black tar-like adhesive on top of a cement basement floor. i had wall-to-wall carpeting installed since that time. i would like to replace the carpeting with interlocking laminate floor. how do i need to prepare the tarred cement surface?