I have a 7/8" discrepancy between old asbestos tile and new kitchen tile. I want to overlay hardwood overtop of the asbestos tile, and apparently I need to go with float installation. First, is float installation the way to go over all tile (not just asbestos), and why wouldn't staples work on this substrate?

Secondly, what is the most cost effective/best way to go for this flooring to make up this height difference to make it level with the kitchen tile? I don't want to use a reducer but this is a big height difference to make up.

Thanks in advance!

3/8" ply over the tile + 1/2" engineered over the ply = 7/8"

if that's the case...can anyone recommend a good 1/2" engineered oak for a float installation?