![]() ![]() Once the floor boards are clean, order an air quality test that specifically tests for airborne asbestos (and other contaminates).Suit up in the appropriate protective clothing, and remove the adhesive.Purchase an adhesive remover specifically made for removing asbestos adhesive.Put on protective clothing, gloves, and a respirator thingy, and carefully bag up the tiles, taking every precaution so that I don’t break any tiles.But having that knowledge will help me develop a game plan from this point forward.Īt this point, I think my game plan will be this: If they areasbestos tiles, there’s not really anything I can do about the tiles at this point. So I gathered up a sample of the tile and a sample of the adhesive and took them to the asbestos testing place here in town. So yesterday, I decided that worrying wasn’t really accomplishing anything. And keep in mind that it’s not just the tiles that contained asbestos back then, but also the adhesive they used. I would suggest you have those tested before disturbing them. ![]() It’s actually impossible to tell whether or not tiles are asbestos tiles just by looking at them, but the age of these tiles certainly falls within the time period when asbestos tiles were widely used. ![]() What I found out was that instead of telling me, “Oh no, I don’t think those are asbestos tiles,” the inspector should have told me this… I lay awake tossing and turning, until finally I just decided to give up on the pursuit of sleep and I got on my computer and did some research (until 6:30am!!). And Monday night, the shouting was so loud that I couldn’t sleep. The next day (Monday) that nagging in the back of my mind became more of a constant shouting in the forefront of my mind. That thought nagged at me in the back of my mind for the rest of the day. So fast forward to me driving home (after having just plucked up every single tile from my kitchen floor, crawling around on my hands and knees, wearing regular ‘ole clothes, using my bare hands, and casually tossing each tile into a pile as I removed it) and the thought creeps in. And for some reason, I thought he probably knew what he was talking about, so I took his word for it. The last person who said that was the house inspector. So I got the opinion of two people (two people who I thought might have some insight on the subject), and both said, “No, I don’t think those are asbestos tiles.” And if they are, then I can’t remove them.”Īnd that nagging question stayed with me. In fact, when I saw those tiles the first time, my very first thought was “I wonder if those are asbestos tiles. It’s not that I’m so completely irresponsible or uninformed that the thought of asbestos tiles hadn’t even crossed my mind. So I headed home, so proud of myself for my accomplishment, and so excited about my amazing discovery so full of potential.Īnd then the thought crept in. It was seriously the quickest and easiest old flooring removal I’ve ever done… EVER…and IT.WAS. (Some of the tiles are broken, but they were already like that just from years and years of wear.)Īnd in about 30 minutes (yes, thirty minutes!!), the kitchen floor looked like this… I didn’t break one single tile while removing them. The rest required nothing more than a flathead screwdriver underneath one corner to get them started, and then they popped right up as well. Most of them were so poorly stuck to the wood that I could pop them up with my fingernails. So in my “I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THAT FLOOR RIGHT THIS SECOND!!!!!” zeal, I continued popping up the tiles. I was thrilled… ecstatic…to find a slatted wood floor underneath!! Here’s the very first iPhone picture I took of my exciting find… I lifted them up to see what was underneath. They were literally just sitting on top of the subfloor and could be lifted right off. On Sunday when I was taking pictures, I noticed that a few of them were completely loose. Remember those old tiles that were on my kitchen floor? What NOT To Do With Decades-Old Vinyl Tile,. ![]()
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