Flooring Tile - Floor Thickness

We are planning to remodel our kitchen, and I would love a tile floor. Now it is old linoleum. Do I need to remove it before laying down the cement backerboard? Would tile make my kitchen floor higher than the wood floors in the neighboring rooms? How can I make the floors fairly level so I don't trip (if anyone would trip over this, it would be me).

Thanks

If your linoleum is secure to the subfloor securely and not peeling or cracked you can install a cement backerboard over it. Follow durarock directions here:
http://www.usgcorp.com/diycb/diycb2.htm

It is best to have at least an 1 1/4" of subfloor under your tile. As far as the height considerations between the wood and tile floors you will need to look into installing either a reducing thresholds or a transition strip.

You can also install 1/4" hardiboard instead of cement backerboard (I prefer the latter). For installation instructions refer to:
http://www.jameshardie.com/hardibackerinstallation.htm

I hope this helps. Good Luck :)