Asbestos Floor Tiles... What to do?


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Old 03-15-15, 02:41 PM
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Asbestos Floor Tiles... What to do?

I do not see an Asbestos thread, hopefully this is the right place.

I moved my wash machine and have found broken pieces of tile on the floor. These pieces were lab tested and confirmed to have 7.6% of Chrysotile which is an asbestos material.

As you can see pieces of the tile are cracked and broken. A contractor is very expensive ( I can get a quote) but is this something I can take care of myself?

What do I do? I have attached pictures showing the condition. Thanks.

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Old 03-15-15, 02:57 PM
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Best bet is to hire someone so they assume the liability for this.

Removal includes keeping everything wet, as it is the dust which is the danger.
 
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Old 03-15-15, 03:12 PM
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If you want to remove all the tiles, search google for remove vinyl asbestos tiles. There are a million sites that tell you how to do it. Personally, I think they make a mountain out of a mole hill. Otherwise, remove the loose tiles & cover the entire floor with rubberized flooring. Rubberized flooring is maintenance free. All you have to do is sweep & mop. It comes in tiles & rolls. I vote for the rolls.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...81.lCr1YOo4uuI
 
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Old 03-15-15, 03:15 PM
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It is something you can DIY, but generally you want to check into the disposal of these materials first... how you are going to get rid of it. Everyplace is different. For instance, the Minnesota Dept of Health states, "Flooring that contains asbestos, when intact and in good condition, is generally considered nonfriable and is not hazardous."

So check with your local landfill, sanitation station or trash service.
 
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Old 03-15-15, 03:44 PM
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I'm not worried about how to dispose of it. I am worried about how to proceed going forward. There is clearly dust debris there. Is this best with a HEPA vacuum? I found some 3M asbestos masks online for about $250 with filter.

1. Asbestos Mask
2. HEPA Vacuum
3. Tyvek Suit

Should I just rip out everything myself? Or clean it up... then get rubberized flooring.

If anyone has experience please comment.
 
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Old 03-15-15, 04:13 PM
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You are asking for anyone with experience... my experience is to rip it out and dispose of it in a proper manner after getting the blessing of the local transfer station, who (in my area) will accept it as non-hazardous waste. They don't require any thing special here. That is my experience, and its perfectly legal here. I'm not going to pay a special contractor to do a non-hazardous job.

Sure a hepa filter and a hepa vac would be great if it makes you feel warm and fuzzy. The bottom line is that floor tile with asbestos is the safest kind of tile there is... it is generally not friable. Unless you plan on grinding it into dust and snorting it, that is. It is not the same sort of friable material as duct insulation, for example, so personally, I forgo the space suit. Common sense would indicate you wouldn't sweep the floor with a broom when you're done. The hepa filter/vacuum is good because with no filter, a vacuum motor will just blow a percentage of the dust right back into the air.

The other end of the spectrum is to leave it all in place and cover it up with new underlayment and go right over the top of it with another type of flooring.
 
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Old 03-15-15, 05:13 PM
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I think you have some good advice here from Pulpo and Sleeper.
The tiles look like they will come up easily and are barely adhered. A big plus.

I would remove everything from room. Use a spray bottle to mist floor down, and proceed to using a floor scraper to lift tiles. Dispose of tiles using contractor bags (3 mil) and double tie.

You could also mist the floor after each tile is removed to cut down on dust.

This dust however will likely be normal household dust and dust/grime from age. Sleeper pointed out friable material, you will have very little of that. You are not shredding the tiles, you're simply lifting them up, intact. A good mop down when all tile is removed and you are done.
 
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Old 03-15-15, 05:30 PM
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Another bonus is that the glue/mastic used to hold it down is not black. Black cutback adhesive was another source of asbestos and would have been another layer of concern. Given that, I think you have received excellent advice on how to safely remove and dispose of what you have. Barring any physical limitations, you should not be overly afraid of removing.

What is the space so that we can recommend additional flooring options. Personally, I have never installed any rubber flooring. Although I have seen the large rolls used to outfit fitness facilities, and they are pretty intimidating from a sheer weight perspective.
 
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Old 03-15-15, 07:21 PM
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Thanks for the advice. I see what you mean that the tiles themselves are not friable, but you can see in the pics that pieces of the tile have been so abused over the years that they are now dust sitting on the floor.

So in this case it is grinded up dust that was made friable. This may or may not be hard to see in the pictures.

I have been gouging the internet all day on a really efficient way for this scenario. Do you happen to have any resources online that you could share?
 
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Old 03-15-15, 07:55 PM
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As was already mentioned, spray it with water... scrape it up... put it in a trash bag.

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Old 03-15-15, 08:06 PM
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Okay, thanks. Just sounds freaky once you start reading up about it. I'll buy a 3M Mask Respirator, and get on with it.
 
 

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