[88carrera]

Can anyone recommend an asbestos removal company? I'm moving into a house and the basement has a 4 x 5 foot section of dark 9x9 vinyl tiles. the inspector says most like the tiles or glue contain asbestos.

I would rather cover it and encapsulate but most of the online forums say putting ceramic/porcelain tiles over vinyl will eventually fail.

Has anyone used a company for testing? If the sample is positive how about a removal company? Thank you.

[BlackTalon]

The tiles are usually considered non-friable them you remove it with scrapers, etc. No grinders or saws allowed. You don't need a special asbestos abatement company for the tiles. You may want to sample/ test the mastic as well. If that has asbestos you may need to pony up some $$ to have a certified company do the removal.

We send (or drop off) samples for testing at Labcorp.

If abatement is actually needed (for mastic, not for the tiles) you will need to look up abatement companies. Try bluebook.com. The companies I am familiar with would likely not take on such a small project.

[88carrera]

So if I gently pop off the tiles and don't break them I don't have to cordon off the whole section with plastic and wear the plastic coveralls and respirator?

[BlackTalon]

It's okay if they break -- just don't create dust by using a saw, grinder, etc. A flat scraper bar will typically work fine. Or even a chisel.

The asbestos fibers are encapsulated 'in the matrix' and will not release unless you grind, etc.

You do not need to wear a space suit and HEPA respirator.

[Trak Ratt]

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

It's okay if they break -- just don't create dust by using a saw, grinder, etc. A flat scraper bar will typically work fine. Or even a chisel.

The asbestos fibers are encapsulated 'in the matrix' and will not release unless you grind, etc.

You do not need to wear a space suit and HEPA respirator.

It's asbestos for dog's sake, wear a high filtration mask! Check the interwebs for suggestions on type

[roundel]

Consider wetting the area with a mop before during and after. Avoid using a vacuum. The goal is to prevent airborne dust.

[BlackTalon]

Originally Posted by Trak Ratt

It's asbestos for dog's sake, wear a high filtration mask! Check the interwebs for suggestions on type

Anything short of a properly fitted respirator with a HEPA filter is fake safety if there trtuely is airborn friable asbestos... Use removal methods that keep the asbestos boud in the matrix. This is very routine. "It's asbestos for dog's sake..." is simply alarmist.

[Cliff Claven]

asbestos or not, i wouldn't do a job that creates any kind of dust without wearing a properly fitted respirator with a HEPA filter. good way to get yourself sick. 3M makes some very nice ones with task-specific filters. friable asbestos of course is a different animal and something i would not want to DIY in the first place.

[HoodPin]

Shoot......cutting out a 4x5 section of the slab and repouring new concrete might be cheaper than full blown asbestos abatement. Break up the removed slab into manageable chunks and take to the dump. Any chance you could install a bathroom in that spot to take advantage of the temporary hole in the slab for some plumbing?

Alternatively, if you're lucky and the floor's got a low spot there, perhaps you could pop off the tiles, and then cover the area, and old mastic, with epoxy sealer/leveler.

[Vicegrip]

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

Anything short of a properly fitted respirator with a HEPA filter is fake safety if there trtuely is airborn friable asbestos... Use removal methods that keep the asbestos boud in the matrix. This is very routine. "It's asbestos for dog's sake..." is simply alarmist.

This. It is not plutonium. I use a garden sprayer to wet the work area and then run a sharp edged long handle tool under them to remove. Don't make the dust in the first place by working it wet. Mop/wetvac things up and your rock wool goes down the drain not all over your house. Black mastic often called cutback does have some fibers in it but very little and there are solvents that can be mopped down to soften it. There are also tile mastics that say they can be troweled over old cutback. I have installed tile over old cutback and also did the full removal thing. Both worked. YMMV.


People get sick from asbestos after long term extensive exposure not a little bit here and there.


Besides I learned from the whole foods/mother earth gang that It can't be bad for you if it is an all natural product.