Removing asbestos vinyl tiles?

[Mr Sparkle]

I need to get these tiles up in order to do some electrical work

However, there is a possibility that the vinyl tiles contain asbestos.

My question is, do I have to get 'professionals' to test and remove these?

Or is it safe to wear suitable PPE, use a heat gun and pries them up?

 

[Tigercubrider]

There's not much asbestos in them and afaik it's not the worst type
I was unaware of any risk when I lifted the ones in my house and afaik I am fine
I used a long handled scraper to lift mine, I guess sloshing water around would kill any dust? I don't remember it being a dusty job. You need to get under them, not smash them into bits.

 

[denso13]

https://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/guidance/a23.pdf

 

[^woody^]

Any asbestos is in the backing adhesive instead of or in addition to the tile.

But the fibre content is relatively low and well held in the material, so safe to lift and seal the bitumen/adhesive yourself.

 

[dontbelieveawordofit]

I’ve lifted hundreds of them , and with a heat gun .
Not that i’m suggesting you do.

 

[WoOt]

Any asbestos is in the backing adhesive instead of or in addition to the tile.

But the fibre content is relatively low and well held in the material, so safe to lift and seal the bitumen/adhesive yourself.

What would you seal the bitumen/adhesive with?

 

[^woody^]

What would you seal the bitumen/adhesive with?

Self leveller is best IMO, but you can use a thick tough paint - floor paint, or normal gloss for small areas if you already have some

 

[WoOt]

This might be a silly question, but is there any reason to not put the self leveler on top of the tiles itself? I guess adhesion might be an issue.

 

[23vc]

This might be a silly question, but is there any reason to not put the self leveler on top of the tiles itself? I guess adhesion might be an issue.

yep, it won’t stick. If you want to do that, use the correct primer which is like a gritty paint you paint on first. Can be pricey tho if a big area.

 

[Wayners]

We took entire floor tiles up in about 30 mins. They just pop up. A few on our estate had asbestos removal in at £2000 so i hear. Gee. We had council asbestos disposal and they went along with soffit and gutter plus other asbestos 20 years ago when we fixed up house. We still have asbestos bin at recycling centre (tip) but you need to apply for licence or something now. I've heard all the sorts of stories how folks get rid of this including putting in hole in garden. Crazy. 1000s of homes around me have these.
Just put 2 pack self leveler over after a clean and all good. Stuck OK over the black glue. Was what I was advised

 

[Mr Sparkle]

Thanks for the advice guys

I've seen a few mentions of self leveller, however would this the best thing to use as i have a suspended floor?

Would it be best to put down some hardboard or similar?

I plan to use 5mm LVT flooring for the finish

Also does anyone know whether this glue in my pic may contain asbestos.

It looks lime bitumen and it was stuck behind a wooden style board panelling.. This was then stuck behind my wall

 

[Keithmac]

The black coating on the wall is for damp proofing as far as I can tell, our house (was ex council) had the same on walls.

I tiled over the tiles, they were all very well stuck down. Still fine 4 years later.