2

One of my smaller hallways is carpeted, for no highly obvious reason. That carpet is on its last legs, and I'd prefer a wood floor anyway.

Taking a peek under the carpet, it looks like the surface is flooring squares... which, given the age of the house, are almost certainly asbestos linoleum.

I didn't see any obvious fraying of the linoleum. But I still hesitate to tamper with it, even just to take up the carpet and put down hardwood over it.

Is there a good way to approach this? Or should I just treat it as a hazmat and call my favorite contractor?

(The most important skill in DIY is how to recognize when you're in over your head. Preferably before you need rescuing.)

EDIT: Took another look, and it's the same linoleum as the bathroom floor next to it. So either there's no problem, or I have a larger problem.

EDIT 2: Contractor looked at it.

"In that pattern, I'm guessing 1970's. Asbestos is not likely, but not impossible either in the tile or in the adhesive. Typical installation was adhesive, tar paper (as a water seal), more adhesive and the tile.

"The best way to remove these tiles is to use a heat gun to soften the adhesive and lift them up gently with a flat scraper. Homeowners are allowed to DIY even if you suspect asbestos, and if you're careful it shouldn't be a problem... but that still leaves you with the question of whether the adhesive residue will be a hazard.

"I'd suggest taking up one tile and some of the adhesive, putting each in a ziplock bag, and asking the local lab to test both. That'll cost you about $50 total, and you'll know how careful you have to be with the rest. After all, you might be lucky enough that there's a decent hardwood floor under there."

(I doubt the hardwood floor, but one can always hope.)

So: I have a Plan Of Action, and it's probably less of a problem than I feared. That's about what I expected, but... "Better to ask, and be thought a fool, than to not ask and remove all doubt."

Thanks for the sanity check, folks.

keshlam
  • 33,603
  • 5
  • 56
  • 110

2 Answers2

3

You should be able to remove the carpet and padding without disturbing the tile. Then you can install a floating laminate wood floor without any concern.

A hardwood floor that requires nailing would be a bigger concern.

The Evil Greebo
  • 25,971
  • 16
  • 91
  • 125
1

Asbestos tiles can be dangerous but only if they crumble and the asbestos becomes airborne.

I'd suggest trying to remove one tile and see how it goes. The process I've used:

  • spray area with water from a mister (keeps dust down)
  • get a tile remover (essentially a large, flat blade on a handle that you can use to pry up the tile)
  • at a low angle, thrust the remover into the side of the tile and see how well it pops up.

If the tile pops up in one entire piece (or even two) you can likely DIY.

If it comes up in a shattered mess of fragments, then some options:

  • decide you want to outsource it all and bring in the abatement crew.
  • DIY. Get a good mask. Seal off other rooms. Get a couple box fans to vent the workspace well. Continue with the wetting and scraping.
  • Do nothing. Just add new flooring on top (likely a floating engineered floor).

Asbestos isn't a good thing, but remember it's not Cyanide, either. Harm from asbestos comes from a) prolonged exposure and b) time.

In the grand scheme of things, taking out a small hallway of asbestos tile yourself--if done carefully--is likely waaayyyyy down the list of things to worry much about. :)

DA01
  • 24,586
  • 30
  • 82
  • 153