Asbestos In Flooring Adhesives

Q: Our current project is replacing the flooring in our sunroom. The sunroom was added in the 1960's and has beautiful avocado green linoleum. The floor is sliced in places, curling at the edges, and there is at least one soft spot in the subflooring. My fear w/ tearing it up is asbestos. I've read the adhesive used to glue the linoleum has asbestos in it and when you tear it up you release the dust into the air, which can be dangerous. Is any of that true? And, if so, is it safe to tear it up? Wet it first? Any advice, experience, or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

A: Yes, asbestos was used in some adhesives for flooring. Once you start removing asbestos you will most likely (depending on where you are) fall under some environmental guidelines for the safe removal. In many areas homeowners are not permitted to remove asbestos products themselves and must hire a licensed contractor.

The best way to solve the problem is to leave the current floor in place and cover it with a layer of 1/4" plywood and place your new flooring on it.

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Asbestos Siding Repair

Q: I'm considering buying a home with asbestos siding. I have been told that I can remove it myself if I keep it wet, take my time, and don't break it as I remove it. But I have also been told that I can leave it and it won't be harmful as long as it's not disturbed. I was told I can paint it or I could side over it. I'd rather not have to remove it, and initially I'd like to just paint it until I decide what to do long-term. Is it true that I can just paint it and it won't be a health issue? A few of the pieces are already chipped--the house was probably built around 1912--but all the chipping looks to have happened quite a while ago.

A: This type of siding, also called "transite" or "asbestos slate" was pretty popular in the 1940's and 1950's. Someone probably put in on the house then as an attempt to make the house more maintenance free. I really like this siding because paint lasts a long time on it, and it is somewhat fire resistant. Some manufacturers are making fiber cement panels in matching profiles so people can use the new stuff to patch the old.

Back in 1994, when I bought my first house with this type of siding, I was told that I could remove it myself, but my local laws have changed, and now I would have to hire a licensed abatement contractor to remove it.

The stuff is really, really brittle. You will never, ever, get more than a couple of pieces off the house without breaking them.

A very important consideration is disposal - even if you are allowed to remove the siding yourself, very few dumps will accept asbestos.

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Concrete Slab Under Stove

Q: Today I ripped out all the tiles in my apartment's kitchen in preparation for installing my laminate floor. They came out easily, but under the stove I discovered I don't have a floor. Instead, I have a thick slab of concrete or cement board, apparently resting directly on the joists and sticking up about 3/4" above the planks of the floor around it.

Maybe stoves in 1901 (when this building was built) sent so much heat toward the floor that this was thought desirable, but it certainly isn't needed today, and I'm not sure what to do now. The goal was to add another electrical circuit, lay down a laminate floor in a few hours, buy a new stove, and finally be done with this unending renovation. With a crowbar or come-along I could probably get this thing up, but then I'd have bare joists and have to install a wood floor just to cover it up with the laminate floor, (plus I'd have a slab of concrete a yard square to carry down four flights of stairs). Or I could put the laminate floor on top of the slab and slice off the top layer of laminate to trim the "riser" part of the slab. This would leave the stove up in the air an inch or so, as it was before, and it would look OK, but it would limit a future owner's ability to move the stove. Any ideas?

A: Consider, that the slab might be asbestos! It was common to use asbestos to insulate against potential fire hazards, so you have to be careful about breaking it up.

I would lay the laminate on top of the slab and use a laminate stair nose molding, if the size is right or another molding to hide the edge.

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