Melissa wrote:
snip
I now have an uneven
floor with a lower band of cement around ancient vinyl tiles.

After thinking about various possible flooring surfaces, I thought a
nice laminate might be a good idea. However, I am concerned that the
uneveness will result in project failure (and possibly void the
warranty). There are two possibilities that I see: removing the rest
of the tile, or using a leveling compound around the perimeter of the
room to get everything level to the top of the tiles before laying
laminate. I read an interesting post by someone who popped off ancient
vinyl tiles by putting blocks of dry ice on top of them. Others have
said that leveling compound is difficult to work with and the job
requires two people.

Which way would you go? Would you a) do it yourself, b) try to level
or try to remove the tiles, c) give up laminate and do something else?
Thanks.

If the existing tile is not coming loose then a floor leveler is a good
idea. The mix & pour kind will probably not work well in your
situation because you are working with such a shallow depression. It
would probably be worth your time to go to a tile store ,not the Borgs,
and ask what they recommend. It shouldn't be that difficult to lay out
the material and screed it using the existing tile as a guide.