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Asbestos floor covering

2K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  Alice In TX/MO 
#1 ·
I have been looking and researching but there really is quite a bit of differing opinions. I am working with a 12 x 15 basement concrete floor,covered with asbestos 9"tile,center floor drain.Wearing my respirator,can I use my shop vac to clean off debris on the floor,and prep for applying concrete feather patch? There are some areas that the tile material is missing and will need to be filled.What material or paint should I use on top of the floor after the feather patch is dry to seal the floor,before I install linoleum,to recover the floor. Thanks for your help
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
A good P100 respirator would be top of mind. I wouldn't use a vacuum, but a use a damp mop (toss after job). The idea is to remove tiles without breaking them up too much (which causes dust). Keep area moist with a spray bottle, so any fibers don't become airborne. I would be inclined to remove tiles, than to cover them up...Guess it depends on how well they are glued down.
In some locations you are required to state whether your home has asbestos if you sell (which becomes a downer). Once floor is clear of tile, can throw down whatever...cheap laminate, self leveling concrete, epoxy, etc.
 
#4 ·
Those 9x9 tiles are really pretty safe to deal with. Just scrape them up with a floor scraper and sweep and vacuum the rest. Wouldn't be a bad idea to wear a good dust mask. There is not a high percentage of asbestos in those tiles and it's not a dusty job because the tile adhesive tends to hold everything together pretty well. Little if any asbestos particles will become airborne where you would breathe them in.

Usually your waste disposal company will want you to have the stuff tested, then bag that material separately and they charge a premium to take it. A 12' x 15' room isn't going to be very much volume of material. If it gets too expensive, you can probably come up with a creative way to make it go away.;)
 
#5 ·
If you are not causing asbestos fibers to become airborne you have no worries. If you are thinking you will have airborne fibers then weart a respirator. Most asbestos damage came to those who worked in an industry where they worked with it daily. A one-off small job is safe enough. As far as disposal, if you can simply bury it on your property you will be fine as long as you keep your mouth closed.
 
#6 ·
Just take a look at these so you can be safe.

Step by step permitted removal of the tiles (in plaing English)
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/floortile/resft.html

Other legalities like disposal
https://www.thespruce.com/is-do-it-yourself-asbestos-removal-legal-1822434

Something else to consider BEFORE you do this:
One thing not covered in here is if you don't pull a permit/have a licensed removal company perform the work and certify it,
you will have big problems selling the property. We have moved 16 times (I know, crazy) and in each time we bought (as opposed to renting), there was a disclosure required on the seller's form. Since you are performing the work, you have direct knowledge and have to declare.
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/asbestos-hazards-seller-disclosures.html

General info
https://ehs.oregonstate.edu/asb-when
 
#8 ·
We contemplated buying a fixer upper a couple years ago. While I was wrangling with the bank to get the money, someone came by with cash. I told the seller he would be crazy to pass up the cash, because I had just gotten a request for more info from the bank. Glad now that it worked out that way. We went by the place a few months later and there was a plastic tent around it. Asbestos tile abatement and termites! I'm sure the buyers spent twice as much fixing it up as they did buying it. Glad we are building our own instead!
 
#9 ·
One thing not covered in here is if you don't pull a permit/have a licensed removal company perform the work and certify it,
you will have big problems selling the property. We have moved 16 times (I know, crazy) and in each time we bought (as opposed to renting), there was a disclosure required on the seller's form. Since you are performing the work, you have direct knowledge and have to declare.
You don't need a license to work on your own stuff typically, only if you are hiring out a as a contractor.
And what's to disclose? If you removed the asbestos, there isn't any there you need to make a buyer aware of.
 
#10 ·
Not true. Not saying you can't remediate but as in most states, if you ever had it in your home you must disclose.

Then they ask you all about it. So you tell them how it was remediated. And without proper proof of how you handled it, was it friable, did you dispose of it according to the law and on and on, it makes it very hard to sell.
Just giving him the info.
 
#11 ·
First of all, you should disclose it if you know for a fact it was there, assuming a product has asbestos doesn't mean it does. Unless you took a sample and had it tested and it came back with a positive result check the box marked unknown on the disclosure form. I wouldn't tear up the tiles unless its going to affect the new floor covering, just go over them. If your worried about it causing problems seal them down with an oil based sealer and run your new flooring over them. Asbestos tiles is like lead paint, you don't usually perform abatement ( which you have to be EPA certified to do) you perform remediation, which is basically applying 2 coats of paint sealing the lead in.
 
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