Some people cover them over with another flooring... some people lift them up, bag them and bring them to the city dump, they have a designated container for that... some people call asbestos removal company and have it them remove it for a few grand.

If they are 12"x12" tiles they may not contain asbestos, since it was more common in the 9"x9" tiles. However, they still used adhesives that contain asbestos with the larger tiles. Removing adhesive mechanically (grinding or chipping) creates dust, so most abatement companies use a liquid solution that eliminates friable fibers in the air.

If you have enough ceiling height to be okay with losing an inch, encapsulation is probably the easiest and cheapest solution. You can use lightweight concrete, wood, or several other materials to cover and seal it, but I would consult with a licensed contractor to make sure its an approved encapsulation solution.

Having it properly removed and abated may not be as expensive as you think. We had it done by a licensed contractor for about 500 sq ft and I believe it was about $2500. When they got done we had a cement floor that was a mottled color, like a floor where someone had removed oil stains. However, it was ready for paint or stain without any additional prep, and it took standard garage floor paint very well. For the long run, I think it was the best solution.

Also remember that older basement floors may not have a vapor/moisture barrier under them, so they can always have a small amount of moisture coming through the cement. Your flooring solution needs to be able to handle the moisture.

Bruce

Get a floor scraper and some heavy duty plastic (construction grade) plastic bags. Put a box fan in the window to exhaust the air. Wet the floor to eliminate dust. Scrape up and bag the tiles. Wear a 3M dust mask.

That's all good except: a typical dust mask you can get at the hardware store will do little for the particle size that actually causes problems. You would need a P100 rated aka HEPA filter mask. 3M does make those but they also make cheap garden variety dust masks and I wanted to make sure the difference was clear.

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/homeowner/ppe.html

The "big" fibers that don't penetrate deeply into the lungs are the ones over 2 microns. The ones below that are what needs to be filtered. That's incredibly small.

The good news is if you wet the material and use proper techniques you won't generate many airborne fibers.

When you take up the tiles, the mastic will be left behind. Some mastic contained asbestos. You could get it tested, but IMO you might as well just assume it's there.

You want to remove the mastic without putting asbestos in the air, and potentially your lungs. So you don't want to scrape it off.

When I took up some of those tiles, I removed the remaining mastic with some stuff called Bean-e-doo. Basically it's overpriced soybean oil. You'll need at least twice as much as the label claims for coverage. Maybe three times.

Spread it on and let it soak longer than the label says. A week probably wouldn't be too long. It turns the mastic into goo that you just scrape up. You end up with slimy, slippery black goo all over the floor (and your clothes).

Spread Flor-Dri or cheap generic kitty litter over the entire floor to soak up goo, and double bag it in garbage bags. Check with city hall and/or the trash haulers for what to do with the bags.

Then have fun getting the residual grease off the floor. :) I used TSP. If I were going to do it again, I'd probably try that purple heavy duty commercial floor cleaner you can get from industrial and restaurant suppliers. Rinse thoroughly.

The black adhesive is called 'cut back'. Just wet it, and scrape gently. No need to get it all off, just so the floor is flat. I tiled over it with thinset and ceramic tile. Vinyl planks are also popular.

Most of the comments I would agree with but even using a mask and a scrapper if they break which is very possible due to the age it “could” get in the air. What area is your property in? If it’s not too far I would try to get someone to help you remove them properly. It is also supposed to be bagged separately and disposed of seperatel.

I'm not sure what the largest mass hysteria is. Global warming, ozone hole, or asbestos. Only in hundreds of years will historians be able to accurately describe out of these three which was the largest "the sky is falling".

Thanks for the comments. At this point, I'm looking for solutions that are not removal. So if there are any other suggestions, please let me know.