Aesbestos floor tile

[tjm73]

I would throw away the loose ones rather than trying to reattach them to the floor. They are thin and the difference in height will easily be taken up by the thinset.

True. I was assuming the existing tile had some thickness to them. They might be wafer thin.

 

[skwerl]

VAT or VCT tiles are less than 1/8" thick and are 12"x12" square. Think of the floors in a school or government office building.

 

[Mach2burnout]

The asbestos is not in the tiles themselves. It was used in the glue that adheres the tiles to the substrate. It is very difficult to remove without producing airborne particles and that is what is dangerous about asbestos. The particles are so light that they will stay airborne for quite some time with almost no air movement. If you have loose tiles now, every time you walk across them you could be causing the fibers to become airborne.

As was said before, remove the loose tiles carefully. Seal in bags and discard. Seal over what is there with thin set and move on!

If you abate this material completely you are responsible for it from then on. It should be documented where it came from and where it was disposed of.

There are specialty materials for sealing over the old tile. Do a little more research.


Sent from iPhone

 

[50tbrd88]

I'm going to call the place I am buying my tile from to see what they recommend I use.

The tile themselves are made from asbestos as well as the mastic that holds them to the floor. I sent samples in and they do contain 10% chrysotile asbestos.

 

[tjm73]

This kind of stuff makes me glad my wife and I bought a house built in 1990. Lead paint and asbestos are not in our house. Though I suspect something that is in the house will be found to be hazardous at some point in the future. For now I can set those fears aside and worry about other things. LOL

 

[50tbrd88]

It kinda sucks for me because I bought this house from a relative (who had inherited it) for cheap.

The plan was to live here for a few years and slowly fix it up to sell. I knew it needed some cosmetic thing fixed. Stuff like this is killing it for me though.


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[Doug M]

Yeah, just call and see what the manufacturer recommends you do about it, since you are unsure, they will steer you in the right direction. good luck man, don't give up just yet

 

[topbliss]

Not true. I deal with this on a daily basis in my career. BOTH the tiles(9 x 9) tiles are asbestos as well as the mastic glue. 12' x 12" are generally not asbestos but all the 9' x 9" ones are.
I would recommend having it removed by a professional. He may be able to finance the project for you to make it more palatable

The asbestos is not in the tiles themselves. It was used in the glue that adheres the tiles to the substrate. It is very difficult to remove without producing airborne particles and that is what is dangerous about asbestos. The particles are so light that they will stay airborne for quite some time with almost no air movement. If you have loose tiles now, every time you walk across them you could be causing the fibers to become airborne.

As was said before, remove the loose tiles carefully. Seal in bags and discard. Seal over what is there with thin set and move on!

If you abate this material completely you are responsible for it from then on. It should be documented where it came from and where it was disposed of.

There are specialty materials for sealing over the old tile. Do a little more research.


Sent from iPhone

 

[NastyStang113]

Not true. I deal with this on a daily basis in my career. BOTH the tiles(9 x 9) tiles are asbestos as well as the mastic glue. 12' x 12" are generally not asbestos but all the 9' x 9" ones are.
I would recommend having it removed by a professional. He may be able to finance the project for you to make it more palatable

Listen to this.

 

[sleepy06]

I'm just a lurker on the mustang forums but I couldn't help but chime in on this subject. As a former certified asbestos abatement contractor I would suggest talking with a professional about removing or encapsulating asbestos.
To a degree, yes it is overblown in many cases but try telling that to a person whose relative died from Mesothelioma. Asbestos cannot be seen by the naked eye. Some people see shiney crystals or whatever in something and go yup that's asbestos be careful or think what they see is to large to be inhaled so they are safe. Not the case. Hundreds of thousands of single asbestos fibers can fit into a pen dot. The fibers are shaped like fish hooks, with smaller fish hooks on them. In reality it only takes one fiber to get into your lungs which gets stuck, slowly tears lung tissue, forms a scar while continuing to tear as you breathe, eventually causing cancer. It may or may not be likely to cause harm with little exposure but I say that so understand the seriousness of properly dealing with asbestos.
There are other reasons like the fines, as much as $25,000 per violation per day. Also, improperly disposing in the regular garbage exposes the unknowing workers at the waste facility and eventually will contaminate trash that will end up being recycled like paper products. I'm by no means an environmental tree hugger, I drive a v8 mustang, but there are reasons for proper disposal of hazardous material.
Having it properly removed or covered can be expensive but the alternatives can be costly in just as many ways. I would at least talk with a professional abatement contractor before making any decisions and not let any jack leg tell you any different.

 

[08 Vapor]

I agree that both the tiles and the mastic used contain asbestos. Abatement, for me, would be the only viable option if my family were involved. Find three reputable and licensed abatement contractors in your area and get estimates. Competition will drive the price down, especially if there's a little bit of a shortage of work amongst them. If you do decide to seal the tiles down, please inform the new homeowner of what's down there. You don't want that on your concience.