vinyl flooring/ asbestos, painting


  #1  
Old 09-13-02, 11:49 AM
roundtoit
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vinyl flooring/ asbestos, painting

Hello, and Peace be with you! I have two vinyl floors--one put down in 1968, and the other one put down in 1974. I have been reading in some posts that '70's vinyl had asbestos backing. Is there any way to tell if mine does? Along the seams and a couple of other places where it seems there is a separation in the subfloor--nothing warped, just the way it was layed--the vinyl has come up, and small pieces broke off. If I were to paint it, is there a leveler or some type of 'filler' that I could use to even out these places? Also, if I were to lay new vinyl, what would I have to do with these wear spots and subfloor separations? These separations are about 1/16 to 1/8 inch wide.
I know that this is not the painting forum, but... I had a hardware counter guy tell me that the new latex paint could be used over oil base with no need for primer. My house was stained about 15 years ago using Ben Moore product, but I cannot remember whether it was oil base or not. Is this true about the new latex? Also, I am about to repaint my ceilings. Again, I cannot remember if the paint was oil or latex--I only know that it is flat. There are some places that I must prime (I'm using Kilz 2) but how do I know if I must prime it all?
Thank you for any help you can offer! I appreciate it very much 'cause I'm just learning to be somewhat handy Mary
 
  #2  
Old 09-22-02, 03:03 PM
aikanae
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Cool old floors

i was interested in hearing if there was a leveler, but see you haven't gotten any replies. guess not?

there is no way to test for asbestos yourself or by sight. my floors and ceilings were installed in '67. i did have someone come in and ck it out (non-pro) and tell me "it didn't look like asbestos". duh - i took out the floor. later i learned i didn't have to and they could not have known. it was a messy job and took a razor blade. don't if you don't have to.

i'd use your current stuff as a underlayment if it's tight - like they laid floors back then. the areas your talking about missing, i'd just fill in with a filler - like it was wood and your covering a large nail. spackle comes to mind too.

i wouldn't trust the paint store guy - after all the work you've done, do you really want to go back and do it again? he won't. basic physical fact - oil and water don't mix. if you begin with an oil paint it will have an oil sheen as the nature of the paint. anything cleanable with water is water soluable and won't adhere to oils. i have heard they've gotten around it somehow - but until i know more about the principles involved, i'll stict to my oil and water don't mix therory.

wash surfaces well with tsp - will take the top thin layer of paint off along with dirt - desheens it. then prime with kilnz. kilnz is a shellac and that's why it can go between the oil and latex - it's a good idea to use anyway. your paint will last MUCH longer, adhere better and you'll use less paint - by a lot!

something i know i'm probably going to repaint again soon (cheap redecorating) i use the kilnz to prime and i've gotten away with a single coat of good paint. skipping primer and it'll take many coats of paint, whether it's good paint or not.

nothing like seeing paint chip away in less than a yr or something start bleeding through because you didn't prime. the fix is a lot worse than doing it right.

just my thoughts.
 
  #3  
Old 09-22-02, 06:23 PM
T
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Painting vinyl floors

Some forum members report painting vinyl floors that are in good condition. Peeling, cracked, damaged vinyl is not a good prospect for painting. Typically, the floor covering must be sanded prior to painting to give it 'tooth' for adhesion. Asbestos should not be disturbed. Asbestos contains microscopic fibers. These fibers can not be seen with the naked eye. A test must be done by either a professional or yourself with a test kit.

http://doityourself.com/home-safety/asbestos.htm

Floor coverings containing asbestos are usually left in place and covered over by appropriate 1/4" plywood underlayment and new vinyl installed.

Loose and damaged floor covering can be cut out and floor patch spread to fill and smooth embossing and imperfections in vinyl floor covering. These areas will, however, appear to be different from the rest of the floor when primed and painted. Forum who have painted vinyl tend to recommend 2-3 coats of non-yellowing polyurethane to seal the painted floor.
 
  #4  
Old 09-23-02, 06:50 PM
roundtoit
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Floor Patch?

Hello, and thank you for your reply! What is floor patch that can be spread and used to fill imperfections? I'd like to know a brand name so I could hunt it down---it sounds like just the ticket! M
 
  #5  
Old 09-23-02, 07:00 PM
roundtoit
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Paint and stuff

Thank you Aikanae, for your reply. Sounds like you had a mess of an experience with your floor--thanks for the warning! I agree completely with you about priming with the Kilz--I'd rather not do it again in a couple of months. I also just found out the joy of using TSP--man, I love that stuff! Thanks again, M
 
  #6  
Old 09-25-02, 09:17 PM
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Remember, your floor will only look as good as the quality of floor prep.

If it is lifting in one spot, will it lift in others later.

If one layer of vinyl is down, then cutting out the loose spots and skim coating the entire floor twice with Ardex SD-F Feather Finish polymer fortified patching compound.
http://www.Ardex.com/intro.htm

Not only to fill your holes but to emboss the pattern in the face of the existing vintl, if there is one. If not, it will telegraph through the thin vinyl when the glue stucks it down.


Now if it were my house, it would get scraped up down to the concrete or I'd pull the underlayment and vinyl at one time, and replace the 1/4" underlayment.
 
  #7  
Old 09-26-02, 08:35 AM
aikanae
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Talking lol!

>>Now if it were my house, it would get scraped up down to the concrete
 
  #8  
Old 09-26-02, 09:39 AM
donhleo
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Asbestos vinyl flooring

Just finished tearing up 230 square feet of Asbestos vinyl in a cement floor garage. It took roughly 140 man-hours of very intense labor to do it in accordance with OSHA regulations. Asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer. It usually takes 15 to 20 years to show up. I am relating all this, because the best thing you could do would be to install another sub-floor. Most safety people and government agencies urge people to use some type of encapsulation to cover the asbestos vinyl. There are two ways to do this. One: Use a self-leveling cement. Home depot and most hardware stores carry it. It is expensive. Two: Install a new plywood floor over the old one. I think twelvepole has the right idea. "Floor coverings containing asbestos are usually left in place and covered over by appropriate 1/4" plywood underlayment and new vinyl installed." Whatever you do, don't mess with the old vinyl. It's a very dangerous killer.
 
 

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