Can carpet be installed over asbestos tile?

Yes, you can carpet over asbestos floor tiles, provided they are in good condition. When undamaged, they are not a danger and can be left in place. To apply carpet, be sure only to use glue and no nails, not risk piercing the older tile and causing fibers to become airborne.

How do you remove asbestos tile from carpet?

The standard method of removing glued-downed carpeting is to use an electric vinyl-tile stripper available from an equipment rental firm. This would not be recommended if the tile under the carpeting has asbestos, as the carpet stripper would also damage the tile (releasing harmful asbestos fragments).

How do you remove asbestos floor tile adhesive?

Mastic must be removed using wet methods when it contains asbestos fibers. This can be done by dissolving the mastic with a suitable solvent, then using a HEPA-filter equipped vacuuming device to remove and pick-up the resulting slurry. Mastic cannot be ground, sanded or abraded to accomplish removal.

Can you use a heat gun to remove asbestos tile?

Use a heat gun (not a hair dryer, as this may blow asbestos fibers loose), chemical solvent or apply dry ice to help loosen one to three tiles to make removal of the rest of the tiles easier. Heat and cold both loosen adhesion, making tile removal easier.

Can asbestos come through carpet?

You can’t always see airborne asbestos fibers, which quickly circulate throughout an area and can remain suspended for hours or days, depending on their size. And, once carpet has become contaminated with asbestos, it can’t be decontaminated or recycled.

Can asbestos flooring be covered?

Tom Silva replies: The advice you received is correct: The best way to deal with old asbestos floor tiles is to cover them up. That’s enough to prevent the damage and wear that can release fibers into the air; no sealer is needed. You could also cover the tiles with new vinyl flooring, linoleum, or even ceramic tiles.

What is the black stuff under my carpet?

So, removing old linoleum or vinyl flooring may come as a surprise to some homeowners when they see smears of some type of black adhesive between the tiles and the subfloor. This is often called black mastic and it often contains asbestos.

Is black adhesive asbestos?

Black construction adhesives in buildings constructed before the 1990s should always be tested for asbestos. Sanding, scraping or grinding these adhesives can release toxic asbestos dust into the air, endangering everyone in the building.

How do you remove 50 year old floor tiles?

How to Remove Vinyl Tile Squares

1. Heat one of the tiles with a hairdryer until the vinyl softens.
2. Discard the tile pieces in a trash bag.
3. Soften a neighboring tile with the hairdryer.
4. Continue in this manner until you have removed all the old tiles.
5. Soak some old towels in hot water mixed with vinegar.

Do asbestos tiles crack?

However, a lot of them are already cracked & they crack even further the more I walk on them. I’ve swept up the ones that crack into small pieces, but for the larger ones I leave them be.

How do I know if my carpet is asbestos?

The only way to tell if you have asbestos carpet glue is to take about 3 square inches of carpeting, make sure the mastic is also with the carpet, and send a sample for asbestos testing to a lab for analysis under Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM).

Is it safe to remove asbestos floor tiles?

Workers must take many precautions to remove asbestos floor tiles safely, and it is always safest to leave asbestos removal to qualified professionals. What Makes Asbestos Floor Tiles Dangerous?

Should you remove nonfriable vinyl asbestos flooring?

If you decide to remove nonfriable vinyl asbestos flooring, you have to be cautious for two reasons: If you break the flooring into pieces while removing it, you have effectively turned it into a friable material. Even if the vinyl flooring is pulled up intact, the old adhesive underneath may also contain asbestos.

Does carpet glue test for asbestos?

If the carpet glue is negative for asbestos, but floor tile and/or mastic are positive, conduct a ‘test pull’ to determine the likelihood of the floor tile remaining intact or being disturbed during the actual carpet removal. What Happens If the “Test Pull” Looks Good And No Floor Tile Pulls Up?

What to do if floor tile starts to pull up with carpet?

If the ‘test pull’ is not good and floor tile starts to pull up with the carpet, your department can either: Keep the existing carpet. Pay for an asbestos abatement contractor to remove carpet and flooring materials. Cover over the existing carpet, if possible.