Expert: Stephen Hayes - 2/27/2011

Question
QUESTION: I purchased a house about a year ago and soon after found that the vinyl tile in my basement contains a small percentage of asbestos.  The adhesive was free of asbestos.

I plan on covering the asbestos tile with a laminate wood flooring, however, i would like to seal off the tile as best as possible before covering it.  I noticed in one of your previous answers you used the term "white milk latex" as a solution to sealing off the tile.  Can you further describe this in terms of application procedures, associated costs of the latex, and things to consider with the latex?  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!

ANSWER: Hi Josh;Thanks for your question.  Being in a basement, I would assume the tile is installed over concrete.  Concrete is absorbent and always moves.  When the house was built, the builder probably put some sort of a moisture barrier over the ground before pouring the concrete.  Eventually, that barrier will break down and you may begin to find a moisture problem in the concrete.  Also, over time, the adhesive used to install the tiles will break down, causing the tiles to lift.  When you apply any sort of adhesive to the surface of the tiles, including white milk latex, that adhesive has a 'grab', which bonds it to the surface of the tiles.  If that 'grab' is greater than the 'grab' the adhesive under the tiles has to the concrete, you may find, even without any moisture problems, the tiles and adhesive will lift off the concrete in unison.  So you are taking a gamble in encapsulating the tiles in latex adhesive.

If you cover the tiles with a plastic or foam type moisture barrier and then install a laminate floor in the floating method, the problem you may encounter is that the tile floor is not level and may require a topical treatment with patching or a leveler.  Such a treatment would not probably present a danger in the tiles lifting, however NO SCRAPING OR ABRASIONS SHOULD BE DONE TO THE SURFACE OF THE TILES, because you do not want microscopic asbestos material floating in the air for you to breathe in.

I also want to remind you that some laminate floors should DEFINITELY NOT be installed in a below grade basement.  So if you feel that you want a hard surfaced floor covering in your basement, BEFORE YOU PURCHASE ANYTHING, do proper research.  Do NOT rely on a dealer or installer for advice.  Find out the name of the EXACT manufacturing of the hard surfaced flooring you like, 'google' that manufacturer's name, visit their website where you should find free, downloadable installation specifications and maintenance specifications for the flooring you like.  Read those specifications thoroughly.  They will detail all sorts of important information such as acceptable underlayments, if the product should be installed in areas below grade, proper acclimation, proper installation procedures, and proper cleaning agents and techniques for maintaining the flooring.  Once you gain the needed knowledge, you can make a more intelligent choice of flooring.

I will also remind you that hard surfaced flooring is non-absorbent, so all harmful soils including track-in soils, air polutants, allergents, etc., will become airborne with normal foot traffic and normal home air currents, allowing the human lung to become a trap and filter for those harmful soils.  Carpet is one of the healthiest floor covering one can have.  It has a pile that traps, filters, and holds those harmful soils until they are properly vacuumed away, and, on occassion, properly professionally cleaned away.  Visit the website, <carpet-rug.org>, to learn true health information, obtain lists of vacuums, spot cleaning agents, and professional cleaning systems that have been tested and certified as being 'green', healthy for your environment, and lots of other important information.  When installing the carpet over a proper pad, the tackless strip that is installed around the perimeters is usually nailed down, however, in your instance, that stripping can be contact glued to the surface of the tiles.  BUT, SINCE I CAN'T SEE YOUR INSTALLATION, I CAN ONLY MAKE SUGGESTIONS.  If it were my home, I would have a local, reputable asbestos removal company remove the tiles and adhesive.  That company is licensed, their workers come in hazmat type suits, and should properly dispose of the tiles.  Another thing I suggest that you do is have your air ducts cleaned and any filters on your HVAC system replaced.  Check with your homeowners insurance company and your city and state
environmental departments, since the cost of such removal may be totally covered, so you would have no or little out of pocket expense for such a removal to protect you and your family's health.   If you do decide that carpet is an option, please feel free to get back to me with the following information-how many people in your home including pets, what type of footwear is mainly used to walk on interior floor coverings, for what is your basement used (family room, game room, etc.), what type of soil conditions are immediately outside your home (concrete, gravel, asphalt, outdoor decking, pool, etc.), and the area of the world in which you live.  I would be happy to supply you with generic specifications for a carpet that I feel would meet your needs.  You can use those specifications to shop.  When you shop for ANY type of floor covering, I suggest that you do NOT shop at one of those large home supply stores or over the internet.  Shop at a local, reputable, floor covering dealer who can show you proper product, supply proper installation, warranty both of those things, and supply references, which you should check out.  I also suggest that you do not purchase ANY floor covering manufactured by Shaw Industries or one of its subsidiaries, or any product offered by Lumber Liquidators.

I do not know the costs of white milk latex or the cost for applying it in your area.  You might want to check with a supplier of floor covering materials to floor covering installers, in your area.  You also might want to visit the website of, <installersstore.com>, to see if they offer the latex, however pails of it are not light in weight, so shipping may be costly.  That's why it's best to check with a local installers' supplier.

But, again, asbestos is a killer, even in small quantities.  If you know you have an asbestos containing product in your home, GET RID OF IT PROPERLY.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to get back to me.

Cordially,

John Michaels

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answer John!

Quick follow-up.  I assume that hiring an asbestos removal company would be expensive.  I have about 700 square foot of tile that would need to be removed.  Do you have any guesses on what kind of cost I would be looking at?

Thanks again.

Answer
Hi, again, Josh;I really don't have any idea of cost.  Just 'google' asbestos removal companies in (put in your city and state), and see what websites come up.  Contact a few to get prices and ask them if they know if your city or state has a program for removal that eliminates all or most of a cost to you.  Also check with your homeowner's insurance company.  Remember that you don't want to gamble with your and your family's health, regardless of cost.  I would also suggest something else.  Contact your attorney (the first visit should be free as a consultation), and see if you have recourse against the seller of your home a year ago, since they may be culpable for selling you a home with asbestos in it.  Also, if you had a home inspection service do an inspection before you purchased the home, and that inspector did not address a possible asbestos problem, you may have recourse against them.  The longer you have that stuff in your home, the greater the risk to you and your family, so I would strongly urge you to start action tomorrow.

Cordially,

John Michaels