the good, the bad and the ugly....kitchen floor content...

[kfeusse]

the kitchen remodeling has begun and we discovered BEAUTIFUL hardwood, maple floor under the linolium....and a THICK layer of tar paper. Does anybody have a good, not so hard, way of removing this stuff? We have tried mineral spirits, turpintine, lacquer remover and now a heat gun. The heat gun has worked the most completely....but it is SLOW going...we cleared a rectangle of 10 x 12 inches in 30 minutes....

 

SO PLEASE I beg you, if you have any ideas, I need to hear them.

 

thanks.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

I had a similar kitchen floor. Heat works, but go for something you don't have to hold in one tiny place as you do with a heat gun. Some use wallpaper steamers, which cover a bigger area. I like the Heat n Strip, which looks like a toaster oven heating element in a box with a kickstand. Heat one section, then move and scrape while the next section heats. You might be able to rent either one.

 

Scrapers have to be sharp, and better ones can be had at real paint stores as opposed to home depot.

[kfeusse]

thanks...I will look into this...

[El...]

Something I really hope does not apply to you: if it is the old-school square-tile flooring with the "sparkles" in it, it may contain asbestos.  You would need to keep the dust way, way down.  I removed some of it in our last remodel-while-living-in-it project, and had to go to significant lengths to be safe. 

 

If that isn't an issue, the scraper they sell for roofers to remove old shingles is very heavy and sharp and might help! 

 

Good luck.  :)  I'm so happy for you about the hardwood underneath!

[Harriet Vane]

Something I really hope does not apply to you: if it is the old-school square-tile flooring with the "sparkles" in it, it may contain asbestos.  You would need to keep the dust way, way down.  I removed some of it in our last remodel-while-living-in-it project, and had to go to significant lengths to be safe. 

 

If that isn't an issue, the scraper they sell for roofers to remove old shingles is very heavy and sharp and might help! 

 

Good luck.  :)  I'm so happy for you about the hardwood underneath!

 

Sparkles or not, the tile may truly have asbestos. I cannot tell you strongly enough how dangerous this is, and how potentially detrimental to your health. There is only one way to tell if the tile contains asbestos, and that is to get it tested.

 

When I had this done, I found a local testing facility by looking in the Yellow Pages. I called several and found one that was a little less expensive and that would accept samples I collected myself (as opposed to sending out someone to do it for me). I paid $25 per sample, with a $100 minimum order. They advise you to test all layers of the tile as well as the mastic.

 

Collect your sample by first spraying the area wet and carefully lifting the tile. It's best to keep the tile intact--do not break it up. The lab needs a piece at least as big as the palm of your hand, but they are happy to work with larger pieces. Place the sample in a labeled ziplock bag, and double-bag it.

 

If you do have asbestos, it is possible for you to do the removal itself if you are willing to be painstakingly careful and perfect about the removal protocol. Since you have already done some removal, you will also have to clean your house (wipe your walls and possessions) in a specific way in order to remove the asbestos particles from your home.

 

I don't like to scare you, but I have researched this extensively and have had to cope with it myself in two houses. It must be taken seriously.

[kfeusse]

we are NOT removing tile, but rather linoilum laid down on top of tar paper which is stuck to our wooden floor.  Does that make any difference? There has been VERY little dust in what we are doing...

[Annie G]

I don't know if this will help or not- when we were removing the 1960's carpet on top of our 1880 hardwood, we had to remove a thick layer of glue. Since it had been there for some 45 years, it was difficult. We had tried a heat gun, chemicals, and then just resorted to scraping it. Well, we'd finish  a section and have dd bring us some hot water and rags to wash the area down.    Dd (middle dd was about 11 at the time) was tired of being our water-fetcher and hated dumping and rinsing the bucket every half hour.  So she decided to do such a poor job that we'd just do it ourselves. To accomplish that, she brought us scalding HOT water. We discovered that it softened the glue better than a heat gun, and that if we boiled water and used that, the glue came right off.  

 

All that to say, really, really hot water might work if you can get it under the tar paper. And it's way less scary that using a heat gun or chemicals.  

 

BTW, dd didn't lose her job, but it did go much more quickly once she found that method.  And thin scrapers were prized around here- they're more flexible and easier to break, but the thinness made it easier to get under things. Some folks prefer the more rigid scrapers but try a thin one if you haven't yet- you might like it. 

[flyingiguana]

http://www.ehow.com/how_7514343_tell-there-asbestos-floor-tile.html

from this page:

 

Do not attempt to handle suspected asbestos tiles or to remove them to bring them to a lab for sampling yourself. Call a trained professional to remove a sample if desired. Otherwise, treat the floor as if it does contain asbestos and encapsulate it or have it removed by a trained professional.

 

Asbestos fibers were used in the production of vinyl and linoleum tiles, and in the adhesive binding them to the floors, until the early 1970s. These tiles may have been installed in homes until the mid-1980s, leaving many homeowners wondering if their floors could contain this hazardous material.

 

1. • 1

     Look for any records that indicate when the house was last remodeled, built or the floor installed. Production was stopped on asbestos materials in the 1970s, and the last materials used by the early to mid-1980s. A vinyl or linoleum floor from the mid-1980s to present day is very unlikely to contain asbestos fibers.

   • 2

     Measure the tiles. Many asbestos-containing tiles measure 9 inches or 13 inches square, as opposed to the 8 or 12 inches that are more commonly seen today.

   • 3

     Look at the color of the tiles. Black or dark-colored tiles such as hunter green or burgundy are more likely to contain asbestos fibers than are lighter colored tiles. Asbestos was one of the ingredients used in pigmenting vinyl and linoleum tiles, which resulted in a dark color.

   • 4

     Look at the color of the adhesive. If the tiles are loose or missing, check the color of the adhesive. Black adhesives are the most likely to contain asbestos fibers in their makeup.

 

 

[Harriet Vane]

we are NOT removing tile, but rather linoilum laid down on top of tar paper which is stuck to our wooden floor.  Does that make any difference? There has been VERY little dust in what we are doing...

 

Flying Iguana posted some good guidelines. I had asbestos in a home I was rehabbing, and I discovered friable asbestos in a home I rented. I have done the research and I have dealt with the construction on a large scale. Because of our long-term exposure (ten years) to a floor that was breaking down (dusty), my family has to have asbestos screening periodically for the rest of our lives. In other words, asbestos is something I really know about. If you search my name on this board, you should find some posts describing our journey.

 

There is NO way to know whether or not your flooring has asbestos unless you test it. It doesn't take long to process and is well worth the investment.

 

Asbestos can be in aaaaalllll kinds of flooring materials as well as the adhesive. Personally, I have dealt with asbestos in tile, in vinyl sheeting, and in a "poured" floor that looked like concrete but was actually 20% asbestos. Asbestos is a versatile material that was widely used, so there is NO way to know if your flooring contains asbestos without testing.

 

The lack of dust is immaterial. Asbestos fibers are very tiny and very persistent. When airborne, they stay airborne a long time. There is no safe exposure to asbestos. If your flooring has released any dust, then your house has more contamination in it than you would want to know about (from airborne dust and from carrying it on your feet).

 

When laws were passed forbidding asbestos use in homes, the law allowed for companies to use up their existing stock. This means that asbestos was actively used in building materials for quite a while after the law went into effect (like a decade or more). Because of this, knowing the age of your house or flooring is immaterial.

 

You will find a lot of information on the internet about asbestos, but not all that information is accurate. Your best bet is to get the flooring and the mastic tested, and then make your decisions. I can answer any further, specific questions.