bh_homeowner
Member
Hi ya'll.
Just bought a 1,488 sq. ft. house in Los Angeles suburbia. Slate-style tile (appears to be 8mm thick) in the living room, kitchen and hallway. Different tile types in each of the two bathrooms. Carpet in each of the 4 bedrooms. The house is currently empty and vacant and we're planning to also repaint all of the interior surfaces. Attached are images of each of the tiled areas.
The seller said the slate-style tile was installed in the 80s, and in one of the bathrooms, in '94. I'm assuming the reddish brown tile is the newer tile. Not sure about the second bathroom.
I have a minor worry regarding asbestos. Although, the flooring guy seems to think there is Wonderboard under the slate-type tile and one of the tiles is already missing in one of the bathrooms, so I can clearly see what is underneath. Doesn't look like black mastic, which I guess is a good start.
So my question is, would it be safe for the flooring guy to demo all of the tile and carpet, if we're doing the entire house while vacant and painting everything anyway? I'm also considering covering all of the a/c vents with sheeting and tape while the floors are being done to prevent any asbestos (if present) or dust from settling in there.
Now, questions. Is my worry even warranted? Is it overkill? I know tiles (esp the thinner vinyl) and adhesives installed in the 40s – 60s were more likely to contain asbestos. But, 80s and def 90s are far less likely. I feel like doing the entire floor and painting everything while uninhabited is a very clean way to go and pretty much all of the surfaces will be "new" afterward. Also, hypothetically, if the house had been a rehab, I'm almost 100% the contractors would not have been careful regarding the dangers of asbestos, and would have essentially done exactly what I'm planning to do. I've considered testing for asbestos, but figured it probably wouldn't be worth it. I also really don't want to have to deal with the heavy expense of having to demo the entire floor plan with asbestos-safe practices, in the off-chance the flooring comes back positive.
Thoughts?
Thanks all.
Just bought a 1,488 sq. ft. house in Los Angeles suburbia. Slate-style tile (appears to be 8mm thick) in the living room, kitchen and hallway. Different tile types in each of the two bathrooms. Carpet in each of the 4 bedrooms. The house is currently empty and vacant and we're planning to also repaint all of the interior surfaces. Attached are images of each of the tiled areas.
The seller said the slate-style tile was installed in the 80s, and in one of the bathrooms, in '94. I'm assuming the reddish brown tile is the newer tile. Not sure about the second bathroom.
I have a minor worry regarding asbestos. Although, the flooring guy seems to think there is Wonderboard under the slate-type tile and one of the tiles is already missing in one of the bathrooms, so I can clearly see what is underneath. Doesn't look like black mastic, which I guess is a good start.
So my question is, would it be safe for the flooring guy to demo all of the tile and carpet, if we're doing the entire house while vacant and painting everything anyway? I'm also considering covering all of the a/c vents with sheeting and tape while the floors are being done to prevent any asbestos (if present) or dust from settling in there.
Now, questions. Is my worry even warranted? Is it overkill? I know tiles (esp the thinner vinyl) and adhesives installed in the 40s – 60s were more likely to contain asbestos. But, 80s and def 90s are far less likely. I feel like doing the entire floor and painting everything while uninhabited is a very clean way to go and pretty much all of the surfaces will be "new" afterward. Also, hypothetically, if the house had been a rehab, I'm almost 100% the contractors would not have been careful regarding the dangers of asbestos, and would have essentially done exactly what I'm planning to do. I've considered testing for asbestos, but figured it probably wouldn't be worth it. I also really don't want to have to deal with the heavy expense of having to demo the entire floor plan with asbestos-safe practices, in the off-chance the flooring comes back positive.
Thoughts?
Thanks all.
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