swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 to begin updating it from the hideous 70s decor of orange shag carpet and mirrored tiles. I was quite surprised to find a tile floor under the carpet. Due to teh age of the tiles they likely have asbestos in them so we will not be lifting them before doing the new floor. I will be sealing the spaces between them and then doing the new floor. Question though. I am going to do the paper bag flooring technique in there. I had planned to do it right on the subfloor but now will be doing it on the tiles. Other than sealing cracks to make it all smooth do I need to do additional prep to the tiles? They are not ceramic, but they are shiny on top. They make me think of old classrooms etc. Should I use a primer on the whole floor first to have the paper actually stick and not lift? Or do you think it will stick just fine with out that step? Today after our field trip and regular chores, I am removing the strips of carpet tacks from around the room and the random staples left from the underlay. ANd then comes the task of removing the mirrored tiles from the wall. I really really hope I do not damage the wall behind too much. They are on wallpaper so hopefully that helps. THough then I will have to remove the wall paper. NOthing like jumping into a huge project right before school begins that required me boxing up all the school books lol Avoidance much :tongue_smilie: Here are the first before pics and during pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 No advice on the floor, but man, it's an improvement already! :lol: And those mirrors? Holy moly! Good luck! Make sure to post pics when you're done with the project. I love before and after pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 No advice on the floor, but man, it's an improvement already! :lol: And those mirrors? Holy moly! Good luck! Make sure to post pics when you're done with the project. I love before and after pics! Thanks! Yes you are right it was an immediate improvement. When we moved in it also had matching orange velvet drapes lol Don't you just love the ring of mud behind dd. The night before the kids let the dogs in and didn't tell me they were covered head to toe in mud. They had mud EVERYWHERE in no time flat because when they come in from outside they always run the "loop" (the kitchen and livingroom side by side with 2 entrances so the dog run this circle. Anyway since I knew I was going to start this overhaul I didn't even bother trying to shampoo the mud out of the carpet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I was thinking the same. Those tiles look much better than the carpet. I'd probably send the kids out and get a mask for self then do a rough sanding of the tiles to help with the sticking. Make sure you wipe down floors and walls with wet cloths so as to not have air-borne dust particles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 The tiles look like they might be linoleum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 The tiles look like they might be linoleum. I don't know. The linoleum tiles I always knew were quite thin these are farily thick (1 was broken so I could really see thickness). I will have to take pictures of the original electrical outlets I found in the floor. THis house was built inthe 30s, when electiricty was put into it it had very cool outlets that they simply covered with the underpad and carpet. They look so cool lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Oh yikes. That is a hefty job. I think anything its better than carpet though. I have carpet and want to rip it up. I just don't have anything to replace it with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I would totally leave those tiles alone. They are beautiful, sturdy and wax like glass if you clean them. A really nice area rug with a non slip pad would look great on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb44 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 No advice on the tiles.Remodeling is always a ton of work, but the satisfaction of seeing everything looking so different and beautiful, done from your hands, is worth it in the end. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 DO NOT SAND IF YOU THINK THERE IS ASBESTOS IN THEM! (Sorry for shouting but this is very, very important.) I have done asbestos removal of a ceiling and I know the number one concern is avoiding airborne particles. I would go down to a paint store and ask about primer etc. There is a special primer for ceramic tile but I don't know if you would need that for this kind of tile. You are supposed to sand and then use an oil based primer on linoleum floor. I think I would be inclined to skip the sanding and just use the oil based primer but I would ask the paint specialist. They might suggest the ceramic tile primer simply because that is designed to stick to a slicker surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 What a great change! I remodeled our last house in Oklahoma City, and it had that kind of tile in two rooms. I had it tested (which cost about 10$ and took 5 days processing time at a local lab - check the phone book). They are definitely made with asbestos, which made them sturdy but dangerous if broken, sanded or burned. The lab guy told me how to remove them safely. I had only about 250 sq feet of it, and couldn't hire an abatement company for such a small job without crazy expense. Please do NOT sand those tiles to smooth any raised edges. That is exactly the wrong thing to do. If you want to remove them, they need to be damp, to keep the dust down, you should try NOT to break them in the process (though that is hard) and you should wear a respirator (which should cost 30-40$ at the hardware store). I had my family leave the house, and kept it all wet with a garden pump sprayer. Ours were installed with tar onto the plywood underneath and onto concrete, and I removed them with a scraper made for ripping tile of a roof, like a hoe but flat, with a blade front edge. It took about 2.5 hours of horribly hard work. Some of them were already loose. If you can leave them in place, I'd do that. I replaced ours with ceramic tile. Good luck - it looks like it will be a beautiful room. I love the window alcove. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 No advice on the floors (sorry!), but nothing says elegant like leopard print mirrors. The seventies: where good taste up and died... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 but nothing says elegant like leopard print mirrors. The seventies: where good taste up and died... :lol::lol: It's true! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Oh yikes. That is a hefty job. I think anything its better than carpet though. I have carpet and want to rip it up. I just don't have anything to replace it with! We ripped up carpet and did vinyl squares in one room. I couldn't live with the carpet anymore and we really couldn't afford an expensive redo. We got the squares on cleararnce at Lowe's for 50 cents a square foot, I think. We did the room for around $150. It's so much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Adding my voice to Jean's: DO NOT SAND IF YOU THINK THERE IS ASBESTOS. There probably IS asbestos. I have had two houses with a major asbestos problem (airborne, friable, very dangerous). The second house was a rental that we left. The other house is the house we own, and we had to do the full removal involving a big plastic containment tent, rubber suits, and masks. Asbestos is very, very dangerous when it breaks down and becomes airborne, and the protocol for cleanup and removal is elaborate, exacting, and expensive. Don't touch the tile, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 What a great change! I remodeled our last house in Oklahoma City, and it had that kind of tile in two rooms. I had it tested (which cost about 10$ and took 5 days processing time at a local lab - check the phone book). They are definitely made with asbestos, which made them sturdy but dangerous if broken, sanded or burned. The lab guy told me how to remove them safely. I had only about 250 sq feet of it, and couldn't hire an abatement company for such a small job without crazy expense. Please do NOT sand those tiles to smooth any raised edges. That is exactly the wrong thing to do. If you want to remove them, they need to be damp, to keep the dust down, you should try NOT to break them in the process (though that is hard) and you should wear a respirator (which should cost 30-40$ at the hardware store). I had my family leave the house, and kept it all wet with a garden pump sprayer. Ours were installed with tar onto the plywood underneath and onto concrete, and I removed them with a scraper made for ripping tile of a roof, like a hoe but flat, with a blade front edge. It took about 2.5 hours of horribly hard work. Some of them were already loose. If you can leave them in place, I'd do that. I replaced ours with ceramic tile. Good luck - it looks like it will be a beautiful room. I love the window alcove. :) Some additional protocol: Seal the room with the tile using plastic tarps and duck tape. Make sure it is entirely contained. Once the tile is removed, it must be double-bagged and sealed with duck tape, and it has to be disposed of at a hazardous waste site. Once the tile is removed, you must wipe every square inch using paper towels and water with a small amount of soap (something like Simple Green is fine--the soap just helps the dust particles off the wall). To do the wiping, use paper towels folded into fourths. Each side of the paper towel gets ONE wipe in only one direction, then fold and wipe. Eight wipes per towel. Every inch of the room should get wiped twice. This is to prevent you from spreading the particles wiping back and forth. All this must be done with a mask and full suit on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2jjka Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 We had tiles just like those in our old house ( built in the 1950's) and yes, they did contain asbestos. We were told that we could lay stuff over them (wood, carpet, vinyl, laminate) but NOT to disturb them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reflections Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I *think* you can encapsulate the tiles by sealing them. This site may help: http://evergreentransformation.com/2010/02/10/handling-asbestos-floor-tiles-for-safety-on-a-budget-going-green/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope in God Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Asbestos is nasty. Where I live you need a building permit to do anything to your house and it is the law to have a company come to check for asbestos before any work begins. A lady that I talked to had to have her entire house remediated for asbestos because they found 1% asbestos in the drywall tape (that is just the 2" wide tape that is used between the drywall seams!). Her entire house was encapsulated in a bubble and they had the hazmat suits and the shower and everything! The dump out here no longer accepts drywall becuause of asbestos concerns. So, yes, do not sand it. There is a product that people usually use on cement floors to seal them. Is is an epoxy type product that is clear. At my husbands work they painted the company logo on the floor and then sealed it with this industrial epoxy floor stuff so maybe look into that. Oh, and that window is crying for a cozy little window seat. What a great place to curl up and read a book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Yikes! I hope you can get it covered easily. I can't wait to see the paper bag flooring. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I love that door! That's a real door! hehehehe Are the tiles linoleum? It looks like it to me and they were used heavily in the 70's. I don't know what the paper bag method is so I don't think I can be helpful with advice. I've done tiling before, but I went the standard thinset, tile and grout method. That room is going to be so awesome when you're done! :) :hurray: Cupcake shots after! :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
---- Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Personally, I'd leave the floor alone and concentrate my efforts on the mirrors... Your daughter is adorable!! Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 As you don't want to sand, maybe you could use a liquid deglosser before putting down the paper? I used some when I painted a counter, and it worked really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I don't have too much advice. As mentioned be cautious about the asbestos. Considering the age of the materials, asbestos is most likely present. I'm sure it will look wonderful when you are finished. I do hope that you post pictures as I am eager to see them. It's a big task but it will be so worth it. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 No advice on the floors (sorry!), but nothing says elegant like leopard print mirrors. The seventies: where good taste up and died... :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 I love that door! That's a real door! hehehehe Are the tiles linoleum? It looks like it to me and they were used heavily in the 70's. I don't know what the paper bag method is so I don't think I can be helpful with advice. I've done tiling before, but I went the standard thinset, tile and grout method. That room is going to be so awesome when you're done! :) :hurray: Cupcake shots after! :p That door we never use. It is the original front door but it is the only way to allow fresh air into the room, the windows don't open. It is a solid wood door which is so nice compared to most now a days. I think these tiles date back before the 70s. Today is simply more prep. I will be buying whatever primer or sealer or whatever on Monday when I buy all my supplies to get started. Buying 2 babygates to block the entrances before I even start the real work to keep the dogs out during and after the reno is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Personally, I'd leave the floor alone and concentrate my efforts on the mirrors... Your daughter is adorable!! Anne She is my camera bug. If I pull out the camera she has to jump into the frame lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Dd9 and i ripped up the carpet in the kids' bedroom 2 days ago, and laid down the paper bag flooring yesterday afternoon. Hopefully it'll be finished drying tonight and we can either stain it or lay the first coat of poly (Haven't completely decided whether to add color or not. It'll be so much easier to match and repair if I don't, but the color is pretty light.) Good luck with your floors! I want to see pics of yours. I had initially planned to do the girls room first and then the livingroom next but yesterday I had enough of it and ripped it all apart lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 As you don't want to sand, maybe you could use a liquid deglosser before putting down the paper? I used some when I painted a counter, and it worked really well. Please, please do NOT do anything that will break down the structure of the tile at any level. The only option is to seal it or remove it using the correct protocol. Not to be a downer; I just have painful experience and a lot of research from that painful experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 That door we never use. It is the original front door but it is the only way to allow fresh air into the room, the windows don't open. It is a solid wood door which is so nice compared to most now a days. I think these tiles date back before the 70s. Today is simply more prep. I will be buying whatever primer or sealer or whatever on Monday when I buy all my supplies to get started. Buying 2 babygates to block the entrances before I even start the real work to keep the dogs out during and after the reno is done. It's going to look so awesome when it's done! I'm sending you lots of energy and Alleve! :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Asbestos is nasty. Where I live you need a building permit to do anything to your house and it is the law to have a company come to check for asbestos before any work begins. A lady that I talked to had to have her entire house remediated for asbestos because they found 1% asbestos in the drywall tape (that is just the 2" wide tape that is used between the drywall seams!). Her entire house was encapsulated in a bubble and they had the hazmat suits and the shower and everything! The dump out here no longer accepts drywall becuause of asbestos concerns. So, yes, do not sand it. There is a product that people usually use on cement floors to seal them. Is is an epoxy type product that is clear. At my husbands work they painted the company logo on the floor and then sealed it with this industrial epoxy floor stuff so maybe look into that. Oh, and that window is crying for a cozy little window seat. What a great place to curl up and read a book! I have thought that since we bought this place. I need to fix the windows first though. They are single pane and the condensation is horrid in the winter. I am recaulking them and such during this reno and then will be looking seriously at building a window bench with lift lid for storage. I had dd's hope chest there for storage previously but she is ready to start using it for it's intended purpose so it was coming out of that space anyway. We have a monster front window too but the security blilnd on it is broken so it is always blocked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 It's going to look so awesome when it's done! I'm sending you lots of energy and Alleve! :p The aleve will be good. I actually had to take some today, I could barely walk when I woke up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie Dawn Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Our house came with the same mirror tiles on the wall and asbestos tiles on the floor. The shag carpet was a little different, though. :001_smile: It's amazing what a huge difference bringing a house ahead 40 years does for it. We went though a huge hassle to get carpet because of those tiles. After the company came and measured, they called to cancel the installation unless we had all the tiles removed. They had noticed on their paperwork someone wrote "asbestos tile" as our current flooring and they didn't want to nail tack strips into it. They finally agreed to lay the carpet anyway once they realized it isn't recommended to remove it if you can avoid it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Please, please do NOT do anything that will break down the structure of the tile at any level. The only option is to seal it or remove it using the correct protocol. Not to be a downer; I just have painful experience and a lot of research from that painful experience. No worries on that front. We had the same tile when I was a little girl. I remember my parents worries when they started to remodel. I will not be doing anything to break down the tile or lift it. I will fill cracks and then seal/prime the whole shebang before starting the flooring. It will add time to the process but will be much safer for us as a family and worth every minute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Please, please do NOT do anything that will break down the structure of the tile at any level. The only option is to seal it or remove it using the correct protocol. Not to be a downer; I just have painful experience and a lot of research from that painful experience. Oh, I'm so glad you pointed that out. I didn't realize that the deglosser would be just as bad as sanding. Thanks for saying so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Oh, dear, I can see why you'd want to get rid of that carpet. Good luck with the new floor! Your dd is so cute! And very photogenic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Oh my goodness! We had a basement exactly like that in the house my parents bought in 1980. Orange shag (even shaggier) and an entire wall of those mirror tiles, with the gold paint crackle look. Thanks for the blast from the past. :001_smile: No advice, but looking better already! Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 It's VCT (vinyl composite tile), which is solid all the way through. It wears very well and can simply be stripped of old wax and re-waxed to bring up the shine. I can't speak to asbestos content. You can certainly have it tested, but encapsulating it and laying a different material over it is also an option, should you dislike the look of it. (I'm a fan of mid-century design, so mine stays.) :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELITEANDLOVINGIT Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I thought of your mirrors when I saw this post this morning... It might be easier just to rip them down if you really hate them, but they aren't that bad to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELITEANDLOVINGIT Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 AGREE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 It's VCT (vinyl composite tile), which is solid all the way through. It wears very well and can simply be stripped of old wax and re-waxed to bring up the shine. I can't speak to asbestos content. You can certainly have it tested, but encapsulating it and laying a different material over it is also an option, should you dislike the look of it. (I'm a fan of mid-century design, so mine stays.) :001_smile: I thought VCT tiles didn't come out until the 80s? these would have been in before the horrid 70s carpet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I just did paper bag flooring on my stairs, which included a square of vinyl on the landing. Keep in mind that any pattern in the tiles will show through the paper floor (not color, but shapes.) A page I read suggested a 50-50 water-glue mix. Some places suggested using polyurethane instead of glue directly on the floor. I used glue though. I did 12 coats of polyurethane when the glue dried (yes, 12. High traffic area.) Seemed to stick fine to the vinyl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I have no idea about the floor, but I can give you tips about the mirrored tiles on the wall. We had a house with cheap 70s paneling and it was open living room/dining room with a big section of mirrored tile (with a frame around it) in the dinning room side. I painted the paneling a pale yellow. We wanted to take off the tile, but when we tried it looked like it would rip up the wall. So I primed the mirrors and painted an abstract painting over it. Since it was framed it looked like a big art work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torikei Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Put Luan plywood over it. Then you are free to do whatever you want. It's thin and relatively inexpensive. You have to fill cracks and screw holes-- then sand but it's not horribly difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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