Homeowners Question Asbestos Risk During Floor Removal
14 posts across 3 communities in the last 30 days; 86% from r/Flooring.
“I have a rental apartment with sheet vinyl over some old tile probably asbestos. I have had holes from tenants in the past and have patched them with the left over sheet that the old owners left in the attic. My problem now is that 1. Im out of sheet and 2. It's starting to curl…”
“I wanted to redo my floor, but I just realized that some 9 x 9 tiles have asbestos.”
“I just bought an old house (first home!) and am currently in the process of removing the old carpet from upstairs. I removed the carpet and padding and found a thick layer of a felt-like material over what I can only assume are asbestos tiles (see picture 3). Should I leave the…”
A homeowner removing LVP flooring discovered older tiles and is concerned about potential asbestos contamination. They are considering self-leveling options or ignoring the existing floor.
SOURCES (44)
“We have a 1950s house. The kitchen has a cheap laminate floating floor which was probably made in the 90s based on the boxes we found in the attic. We want to replace the floor. The problem is the kitchen cabinets are on top of…”
“Hello! I am buying my second 1920s home! Love them. In my first, I found asbestos tiles and chose to encapsulate with new hardwood which I did myself. All was good. On the new house I am purchasing, the 2nd 1/2 story is floored with them. They are in good shape. I want to have a contractor plumb out an area above the main floor bath to tie in new connections for a small bathroom upstairs. I’m not sure what to expect from the contractor. Will they be okay cutting through it (with appropriate safe”
“I have a rental apartment with sheet vinyl over some old tile probably asbestos. I have had holes from tenants in the past and have patched them with the left over sheet that the old owners left in the attic. My problem now is that 1. Im out of sheet and 2. It's starting to curl on all the edges seems like a pretty bad glue job it seems random some spots are glued some not but its been in there for over 15 years so cant complain. Money is a little tight and costco is having a sale of the lvp”
“I wanted to redo my floor, but I just realized that some 9 x 9 tiles have asbestos. submitted by /u/Hen-kin [link] [comments]”
“I just bought an old house (first home!) and am currently in the process of removing the old carpet from upstairs. I removed the carpet and padding and found a thick layer of a felt-like material over what I can only assume are asbestos tiles (see picture 3). Should I leave the felt where it remains and lay the lvp over it? I do plan on putting down a vapor barrier. The floor isn't SUPER level, but there are no major dips or bumps. Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/Mirk_Dirkledu”
“Our builders tried to fix a 1/2” slope in an upstairs hallway. They removed the lvp and planed off large portions of the high spots in the subfloor. Should I be worried about the load bearing weight of this hallway if they planed off 1/4” of plywood in large sections and covered it with self leveling compound? submitted by /u/Glittering_Push1828 [link] [comments]”
“This is under the carpet pad in a super old trailer home. The glue was not used to secure the pad. submitted by /u/HumanBot008 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I’m getting ready to install LVP in my kitchen in California, house was built in the 50s. I’ve already finished the living room, but there’s a height difference of about 3/16 inch between the living room’s hardwood floor and the existing sheet vinyl in the kitchen. I’m trying to figure out the best way to create a smooth, level transition, but I’m hesitant to scrape or remove the existing flooring if it may contain asbestos. Does this 3/16 inch difference need to be leveled out befo”
“Is this asbestos? The greenish tile in the middle between the laminate on top and tile at the very bottom. Started pulling this up in a 1920s house and am worried submitted by /u/Lanky_Path_837 [link] [comments]”
“I had some slight water damage in my basement and figured it was a good time to replace the old carpet with LVP and after tearing the carpet out there were Linoleum(?) tiles underneath. I basically chipped them up with a scraper and later started thinking it may have asbestos in it (house built in the 1950’s) and chipping seemed like the worst way to go about removing them. Do I need to get this tested? Should I stop what I was doing in the meantime? I also have a 1 year old who I’m worried may”
“From your experience, does this look like asbestos? Will be getting it tested. Under carpet of old home submitted by /u/Lanky_Path_837 [link] [comments]”
“I started ripping up carpets today upstairs to install hardwood. I assumed everything was subfloor but it's part subfloor and part 9x9 tiles that seem likely to contain asbestos. We planned on hiring someone to do the actual install of the hardwood. The subfloor and tile are pretty level with each other. Can they just lay the hardwood on top of everything and will it be safe? Is this kind of standard in that line of work? It's 95% intact but there are a couple areas that have chipped ope”
“Helping an elderly relative seal up a drafty corner of their home, which houses their radiator. Flooring is laminate, but underneath is this gray tile that was breaking apart. I had to remove the loose bits, which were glued down, so I can level and replace the flooring. History: Floor was carpeted prior to 1997. Removed carpeting, along with old linoleum flooring underneath. They removed the plywood underneath and came across hardwood floors. They refinished the floors and kept them for a coupl”
“Post title typo should say *remove We had 2 quotes and one company is suggesting leaving the tiles in place and using a layer of latex to taper the height difference down. The other company is suggesting to remove the tiles so that all the floor is the same level. The first option is obviously cheaper, but is it a bad solution? What would you do? The kitchen tiles in the photo have 2 easily removable layers of laminate on top, the main floor height is the concrete with the carpet grippers. The h”
“Could anyone tell me what kind of flooring this is and if it contains asbestos? The house was built in 1949. I was going to replace the carpet with vinyl planks and this was under it. submitted by /u/Carnage1020 [link] [comments]”
“I’m going to lay LVP in my basement. I’m certain there are no water issues. The floor is pretty flat, less a couple random spots. I pulled up vinyl tile and there is dried adhesive underneath. Had it all tested for asbestos, so no worries about that. Anyway, the concrete and the adhesive create some dust when you walk on it. What, if anything, should I be doing to remove all this stuff before I put the vapor barrier down and start laying the LVP? I obviously don’t want what’s underneath to inevi”
“We ripped up parquet flooring in a 1975 house. One room was sanded in certain spots because we were attempting to make a level floor. Then we learnt that Asbestos can be in the glue. It’s not black but light grey and some areas are a dark grey. We are in Ontario Canada. submitted by /u/Careful-Ice-3288 [link] [comments]”
“They are 12x12 so that’s a good sign. I’ve been wanting to get rid of this flooring for so long cause parts are cracking, and I found my baby with the smallest piece hanging out of his mouth🙃🙃🙃 I want to just put flooring over it that are those snap tiles, but we have parts of the floor that are uneven so it would raise over the hardwood a bit, but it might just be worth it rather than the risk of ripping it up and also how much more work it’d be. submitted by /u/crystalkitty06 [l”
“Taking a stab in the dark if anyone has run into this. I know this a flooring sub and not an asbestos sub, not expecting a complete remediation guide. I'm doing a light reno/remodel of my sister's house. Part of this is new carpet. She's lived in the house for 10 years, never replaced the carpet so never knew what was underneath. The house was built in the mid to late 1950's and on a slab. Ripped up carpet in two rooms. After ripping up carpet and padding in first room, there is”
“I’m sure you guys get this all of the time but before I spend money on testing I’d like to get some opinions. House was built in 1967, ripping up old carpet to replace with hardwood (or similar) flooring. This is under the carpet in all of the bedrooms. submitted by /u/GraveHazeSix [link] [comments]”
“We are renovating a house that was built in 1976 and I’m assuming this black stuff is asbestos. If this were you would you get it tested & removed? It seems extremely expensive (~3k) or am I ok to just try to level & cover it with LVP? submitted by /u/AdministrationOk9978 [link] [comments]”
“I had to rip up LVP from my basement due to moisture and I found these old tiles underneath. They’re 9x9 which I know is a red flag but the texture feels more like a terracotta pot than vinyl. The house was built in the 40’s so no telling when these were installed. submitted by /u/CA_CASH_REFUND [link] [comments]”
“2nd floor is entirely carpet in 3 bedrooms. We plan to just rip the carpet out and do luxury vinyl plank. House was built in the year of asbestos so just wanted to check if it’s ok to rip and put LVP. Maybe need to watch out for any glue or whatever they used to stick the carpet? Thanks! submitted by /u/slayednoob123 [link] [comments]”
“Sorry if there are ten million of these posts already… first layer of linoleum on the subfloor, built 1910s-20s supposedly…. The 3 layers of flooring to get to it….mostly nailed in, it’s hard to tell if this is adhered to the flooring or if it was just stuck on there from so many years and floors on top submitted by /u/detectivenoodlebagel [link] [comments]”
“Hi! Hoping I can get advice on this. My partner and I are removing carpet from our bedroom and putting in laminate flooring. When we removed the carpet, there was something *like ODF underneath and then an underlayment of some kind that I assume was a moisture barrier and the plywood subfloor. The subfloor seems thin so our plan is to add another 1/2” layer of plywood subfloor attached to the joists, then the vinyl flooring which has an attached underlayment. My partner thinks there needs to be”
“Wondering if anybody has any idea if this pattern and brand has asbestos submitted by /u/Many_Device3195 [link] [comments]”
“I got some new LVT to put down in the kitchen. I was gonna rip up this old flooring first. It’s an old house so I was worried about asbestos. The 2nd layer of flooring has a glue on it, I guess the top is a glue down tile. But below all that is this wood looking stuff but it’s super dried out and breaks just by touching it. And under it is just these blue and black things submitted by /u/Grouchy-Possession74 [link] [comments]”
“What am I working with here? I just removed a bunch of 9x9 tiles come to find out they are known to contain Asbestos. Is the black residue also Asbestos? I was planning on doing a subfloor with dimples membrane over it. How screwed am I? submitted by /u/Interesting_Table566 [link] [comments]”
“Just bought this house built in the US in 1956. I had the house tested for asbestos before we did any demo, which came back negative, but I’m now having doubts. Area A was covered in a beige tile. I had someone rip it up and that’s how it looked after. I just pulled up carpet adjacent to area A. I’m assuming B was what was originally in area A, and at some point a previous owner pulled that up (leaving that tiny square of evidence). But I highly doubt that any testing was done or any precautions”
“Bought our first home (1983 build). We were ripping up green carpet and came across this tile under our laminate. We aren’t planning on ripping up the laminate on top of the tile- but will need to remove the gold transition strip to install our new flooring ourselves. What are the chances those tiles are asbestos? submitted by /u/ExcitementLucky1787 [link] [comments]”
“Recently had some carpet pulled up in my basement due to water damage and showed some cracked tiles in the first picture. When I bought my house some of these tiles were on the stairs and our inspector was confident it wasn't asbestos tile, but I'm not sure. How worried should I be? submitted by /u/Wambamflimflam [link] [comments]”
“Ripping up the flooring trying to get to the subfloor for a new cabinet install and found this. This is important because we're trying to get level with the kitchen subfloor and do hardwood flooring across both areas. I would rather not have to build on top of this because of leveling issues. The top linoleum says "Armstrong" on it. So far I haven't ripped up any of the lower red linoleum. House was built in 1953 if that helps. I did find this post and the image of that linoleu”
“I am redoing parts of my basement and have these tiles on the steps. I am fine going over it, however wanted to pull the strips off and put newer over it. Some of them are fine, some are chipped or cracked so wanted to know what I am getting into before getting too far. submitted by /u/Similar_Ad2447 [link] [comments]”
“Almost positive and don’t want to wait for a test. Aside from removal and buying a $250 jug of Perfect Primer is there any other workaround? submitted by /u/Living_Motor7509 [link] [comments]”
“I pulled up wall to wall carpet that was installed prior to when we bought the place 19 years ago and found this lovely surface underneath. I haven’t had it tested, but seems pretty safe to assume these are asbestos tiles held down with black mastic. The plan is to put in a floating laminate floor. Am I safe to put it in right over this, or am I going to need some kind of encapsulation layer or bring in somebody for abatement? It’s mostly intact, but there are a few cracked tiles from floor move”
“Yes the skirting are on No we don’t take them off bc we are installing LVT Yes it’s over tiles Yes it’s a rental property Yes you can go over tiles properly submitted by /u/HugeMaleChicken [link] [comments]”
“FTHB- Ripped up this and when I googled how to get the sticky stuff off it said stop as it probably contains asbestos. We’re getting it checked and tested by a contractor our realtor recommended this week, but should I be worried about myself and my fiance? It was a total of maybe 10 minutes from when I ripped it up to when we left, I was wearing gloves, and don’t even think I touched it with the gloves, washed my hands threw my clothes in the washer as soon as I got back to my apartment etc. &#”
“Taking out the carpet in this room and am concerned. We rent, the house was built in 1900. This is supposed to be the kids playroom but am removing carpet due to the carpet getting urine stained. submitted by /u/Ok_Assistance_1052 [link] [comments]”
“Pulled up some LVP and found these tiles underneath. Started to pull them up and thought to myself this is probably asbestos. I want to lay new LVP so should I try to do some self leveling or do I just ignore? Also wondering about these stains. Water intrusion? The LVP that I pulled up wasn’t wet or showing signs of water damage. submitted by /u/SolidBiscotti3540 [link] [comments]”