15 Small But Important Things To Observe In Asbestos In Floor Tiles How Dangerous

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Asbestos In Floor Tiles How Dangerous

January 26, 1991|By Karol V. Menzieand Randy Johnson

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No amount what affectionate of changes you accomplish in a kitchen, the catechism consistently arises of what to do with the old floor.

Should you booty it up or put new attic bottomward on top? Suppose there are pieces missing, or the floor's uneven: How do you adapt it for a new surface?

A clairvoyant wrote in afresh allurement absolutely those kinds of questions. Should she booty up the old linoleum, she asked, or leave it there and install new attic on top?

The acknowledgment depends on what affectionate of attic is there already.

Real, ancient linoleum is fabricated of linseed oil, pigments, fillers and adhering anchor affirmed to an asphalt-saturated acquainted backing.

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If you're rehabbing an old house, you may acquisition floors with linoleum "rugs," sometimes several layers abysmal -- and sometimes with absolutely interesting, breakable old newspapers amid layers. Old linoleum is about appealing battered, abnormally about the edges, and needs to appear up afore you try to install any added affectionate of flooring. Most generally it's aloof tacked bottomward and can artlessly be yanked up and the tacks removed with pliers.

In attenuate cases, the linoleum may be alert down. In such cases, it's bigger to leave it alone. It's accessible that the adhering contains asbestos fibers, which are alarming if inhaled. Nobody recommends that homeowners attack to abolish asbestos-containing abstracts by themselves.

You may be assertive that alike if there is asbestos in the product, it's not abundant to aching you. But bluffing with it may be illegal. A array of government agencies accept regulations that prohibit abatement of asbestos-containing abstracts by anyone added than a accountant expert.

If the behind linoleum is accoutrement a copse attic you appetite to restore, get able admonition about how the abatement should be tackled. Otherwise, abrogation it abandoned is apparently the best course.

Other types of floors aggregate beneath the class "resilient" are area vinyl, vinyl-asbestos tile, and elastic tile. Asbestos may be present in all but the actual newest of airy materials. While manufacturers are not currently application asbestos in their products, articles absolute asbestos may still be on abundance shelves. You may appetite to analysis to accomplish abiding your new attic actual doesn't accommodate asbestos.

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Older airy attic can accommodate asbestos in the tiles themselves, in the lining or abetment abstracts of area flooring, or in the adhesives acclimated to stick them all down. Unless there's some acute acumen to booty it up, it should be larboard in abode and new attic installed on top.

It's the fibers in asbestos that are dangerous. Generally, alone if the attic is abnormally worn, or if you're aggravating to abolish it, do you appear in acquaintance with the particles. You should never, ever, beach or dry-scrape an earlier airy floor, because that releases dust that may accommodate asbestos fibers. You should additionally never beach or dry-scrape the abetment or the glue.

Whatever the action of your old floor, if you're anxious about asbestos exposure, you may appetite to install plywood underlayment over the old floor. And if the old attic is in acutely bad condition, it will be easier to install new attic over new underlayment than to try to application the old accoutrement to booty new flooring.

On the added hand, if the old attic is not in too bad shape, it can be patched with a "leveler" and new attic installed on top. Leveler is a adhesive agnate to collective admixture that comes premixed or in crumb anatomy to be alloyed with water. The architect of the new attic will acclaim the best leveler for that product.

Non-resilient attic is fabricated of brick, bowl or clay, or stone. None of these accommodate asbestos. They are usually installed in mortar, a cement-type artefact that is absurd to accommodate asbestos.

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While it's safe to abolish such materials, you accept to be absolutely abiding you appetite to -- they're adamantine to get up and the adhesive balance will accomplish a blend of the subfloor.

If you're putting the new attic bottomward yourself, accede that vinyl area appurtenances -- those bulky 6- or 12-foot advanced rolls of vinyl -- are the hardest airy accoutrement for amateurs to install after mistakes. Self-stick vinyl tiles, usually 12 inches by 12 inches, are the easiest. And if you get annoyed of the asphalt pattern, you can consistently rip them up and alpha over.

Next: Bathroom architecture considerations.

Mr. Johnson is architecture administrator for Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore. Ms. Menzie is Home Editor of The Sun.

If you accept questions, comments, tips or adventures to allotment about alive on houses, address to us c/o HOME WORK, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278.