I assume you mean vinyl vs linoleum-- though my advice would be the same. yes -- start with a very clean surface. you may also want to abrade the surface. Coat with a floor fill to even out the grout lines. Be aware- the floor has to be smooth - -vinyl telegraphs imperfections. The fill products are made by maipei, ardex, and others. Check all tiles before proceeding to make sure they are bonded well to the substrate. If they come off with the vinyl on top, it will ruin the install.
A good way to check that tiles are firmly adhered to the substrate is called the sounding test. Walk thru the installation with a golf ball, dropping it. Hollow sounding tiles mean they are not well bonded.
