Asbestos Tiles

[amavadia]

Hi All, 

 

After a bit of advice. I just bought a house from the 1960s. It was completely original and doesn't even look like the wallpaper or carpet have been changed ever. I lifted up the carpet as I was taking the skirting boards off and discovered these 9" completely black tiles underneath. Im pretty sure they are asbestos and they have a black mastic under them which 100% contains some asbestos as I had sent a sample off to the lab to get tested when I found it under the ceramic tiles in the kitchen. Unfortunately this covers the whole bottom floor.

 

Having researched online these tiles seem to be relatively low risk compared to other asbestos materials and I plan to use a hot air gun and a water spray to lift up the tiles and get rid of them. The mastic I think will be more tricky however so was thinking I would just screen the whole bottom floor of the house using self levelling compound. 

 

Has anyone done a similar kind of thing and could recommend what kind of screed I should use? 

 

Thanks

[newhome]

Don’t have experience but very conscious of the risks. Is there a way that you could cover over the tiles too without removing them? You’ll need to follow H&S guidelines for removal of waste so covering over may be easier and safer if possible. 

[Gone West]

12 hours ago, amavadia said:

Having researched online these tiles seem to be relatively low risk compared to other asbestos materials and I plan to use a hot air gun and a water spray to lift up the tiles and get rid of them. The mastic I think will be more tricky however so was thinking I would just screen the whole bottom floor of the house using self levelling compound. 

 

If the tiles are well stuck down, permanently covering them would be a good idea. Although I removed my old Chrysotile asbestos roofing slates I would not be so happy about removing asbestos indoors. Also disposing of them legally would still be expensive.

[Ed Davies]

1 hour ago, PeterStarck said:

Also disposing of them legally would still be expensive.

 

Can't you just take them to the right tip? There were some bits of corrugated roofing in my back garden in High Wycombe, which I think neighbours had thrown over years before and only came to light when I cleared some undergrowth, that I took to the local tip. Nope, they said, asbestos, take to the tip in Amersham. Amersham tip had a special box for them. They wanted them double bagged first but took them for free.

[Gone West]

2 hours ago, Ed Davies said:

 

Can't you just take them to the right tip?

We had too many roofing slates to take to the tip and as we were having the Chrysotile wall and ceiling boards removed we had the same company bag up and dispose of the slates as well. If it's a small amount, around here one bag, the local tip will take it. I would have thought that floor tiles covering the whole ground floor would be more than the local tip would accept. You are supposed to also treat materials that are touching the asbestos as contaminated. We had to have the plasterboard disposed of as well.

[newhome]

2 minutes ago, PeterStarck said:

You are supposed to also treat materials that are touching the asbestos as contaminated. We had to have the plasterboard disposed of as well.

 

Yep, and any cloths etc used during the removal. It’s such a dangerous substance if you are susceptible to it I wouldn’t do it myself for any money. More people are now dying of cancer caused by asbestos in the UK than are killed on our roads and many younger people are being diagnosed, some of them children sadly. 

 

[vivienz]

I looked into local disposal when I had the roofs taken off the old garage block on our site, and the amount they will accept is surprisingly small.  I think it only amounted to a couple of refuse sacks in total.

[Ed Davies]

Ah, OK. I didn't have a lot. Three or four pieces about 1.5 metres by 0.3 metres as I remember it.

[amavadia]

Thanks for the replies. 

 

I did think about covering the whole lot but a local floor screening company said it would need to be minimum 65mm - 75mm deep reinforced screed to prevent cracking. The reason I wanted to remove the tiles was for that exact reason... if the screed cracks on top its back to square one with exposure. Also my ceilings are not high so losing 75mm is not really something I want to do let alone the problem i would have with doors etc. and thirdly I've been quoted £1100 for 45m2 of screed installed.

 

My local tip take the equivalent of 3 asbestos 'boards' per month. It needs to be double bagged and labelled as asbestos waste. Ive bought some asbestos bags off the internet.

 

There seems to be a few different products in the USA made from Soy Beans which just dissolves the mastic but I don't seem to be able to find any UK equivalents:

 

 

 

[amavadia]

So bit of an update.

 

I ordered the Bean E Doo from the USA. Tried it out in a cupboard under the stairs. It was very difficult to do as it kept running under the skirting boards. It removed about 80% of the mastic which I used cat litter to absorb but 20% is still there. That was after 2 applications. 

 

Ive decided not to use it in the rest of the house now so trying to think of other options.

 

The tiles in the test area came up quite easily. Only about 2 broke at all and the rest came up in one piece. 

 

I am thinking of using self levelling latex screed. But I was wondering whether I should remove the tiles or just screed over the lot. I'm not convinced the screed would adhere to the tile surface but the mastic under them seems to have a more rough texture which might bond better?