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alanawilson

Asbestos in Linoleum flooring

alanawilson
hace 4 años

My 18 son is home helping with projects around the house during the “social distancing.” He started scraping the linoleum floor and I told him to stop because it could contain asbestos. I realize I should take a sample to get tested but a lot of places are closed at the moment. Is this something we should be worried about?


Respuesta destacada
  • SJ McCarthy
    hace 4 años

    The word linoleum is the generic version for vinyl. You have vinyl. Vinyl used to be produced using asbestos fibres (not so much in sheet vinyl but still). The backing used to incorporate asbestos as well as the cut back adhesive (normally shows as 'black').


    Asbestos was commonly found in building materials into the mid-80's. Yep. It was allowed almost a decade longer than lead in paint (ended in 1978 in the USA).


    The other bit of fun: mold spores and lead in the painted surfaces of the home. If the home dates BEFORE 1980's, you have a good chance of having both.


    As for the testing (asbestos, lead, etc) is through the mail. Each sample is $75 - $100. The vinyl surface = 1 test. The adhesive = test sample #2.

    Comentarios (9)

    • User
      hace 4 años

      Yes.

    • worthy
      hace 4 años
      Última modificación: hace 4 años

      Best to cover over with another flooring thus preventing the asbestos fibres from circulating. To safely remove the flooring, a speciality hazardous waste removal company would be required.

      Of course, since mesothelioma can take decades to develop, you may be fine. Your son less so.

    • Stax
      hace 4 años

      " To safely remove the flooring, a speciality hazardous waste removal company would be required."

      That would be IF the floor tested positive for asbestos.

    • DavidR
      hace 4 años

      Yeah, the teenager should quit with that stuff stat.

      Still.....

      I'm sure I'll get jumped on for posting this, but I wouldn't test. I'd just treat it as possibly asbestos-containing, and remove it myself.

      I'd start by contacting city hall to find out what I had to do to dispose of possible asbestos. In some places, all you have to do is double-bag it and put it in the trash collection.

      I'd keep the whole floor very, very wet and just scrape the stuff off. Water keeps the fibers from becoming airborne.

      If it has black cutback underneath, that can be removed safely with a product called Bean-e-doo mastic remover. Use at least twice what the label says you need, and let it soak at least 3 times as long as it says.

      Or, if you're not trying to prove you're following protocol, just use plain industrial or restaurant soybean or other vegetable oil, for a fraction of the price.

      If you use cutback remover oil, cleaning up the oily floor will be a headache. When I used Bean-e-doo several years ago, I followed up with TSP.

      Not everyone will agree with me, but I'm not afraid of asbestos when it's handled properly. If you don't feel comfortable with it, by all means get your savings accounts or home equity line of credit in shape, then call a remediation company to test and/or remove it. Good luck.

    • kudzu9
      hace 4 años

      David-

      You're right...not everyone agrees with you. I'm also "not afraid of asbestos when it's handled properly," but the instructions you list are not adequate to prevent contamination or provide personal protection. And this could also result in violations of environmental laws and regulations, depending on requirements of your locality.

      For people who want to do this correctly and not compromise their homes and health, here is an example of what is typically recommended: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/asbestos/floortile/resft.html

    • PRO
      Johnson Flooring Co Inc
      hace 4 años

      If you don't get lots of replies, a quick search for "vinyl floor asbestos" on Houzz in Flooring will yield 3879 results. Lots of advice and wisdom stored here.

    • DavidR
      hace 4 años

      Thanks for posting that link, Kudzu. I'll admit that some of what they recommend is a little beyond what I'd do, but I agree with much of it and would refer most homeowners to the page. I've bookmarked it.

    • alanawilson
      Autor original
      hace 4 años

      Thank you for all the advice and suggestions. It looks so much better!

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