Asbestos in flooring?

Nikiya

We are changing the old carpet in a room. The installers were due today, but when removing the old flooring over the week-end, we discovered under the very old existing carpet there was an even older sheet of vinyl printed with tiles. It could be 30 or more years old and I became worried it might contain asbestos. It is not intact, which makes it dangerous in case it does contain asbestos.
We postponed the installation and I have spent the whole morning telephoning the council, the City of London, the Health and Safety executive, the British Lung Foundation, and some other organizations whose names I can't remember. The bottom line is that if you live in council accommodation they send someone to investigate. If you don't, you have to find a private contractor.
I have not reached that step yet, but one of the advisors told me that test could cost thousands of pounds. So we are between the devil and the deep blue sea. Any advice or any company you can recommend in Greater London?
Many thanks
PS I have pictures but do not know how to publish them here, in case anybody can help.

anotherbaldrick

Tiles from that era could be straight vinyl or vinyl/asbestos.
If you can get a piece of the tile up, if pliable and can be bent it is vinyl. If it is hard and snaps when trying to bend it is vinyl/asbestos.
Vinyl was was the more expensive one.

Nikiya

Thanks! It is not individual tiles, but a sheet of plastic printed with a tile design. It is bendable but it breaks too if you force it. It is very old and the color underneath is a dark green, which could be dried glue. Now it is loose. It is placed directly on the wooden floor.

keystone

It may or may not contain asbestos. Its probably lino rather than vinyl.

Your best bet is to stop stressing, leave it alone, put the carpet down and forget about it. Yes really.

Cue a flaming for me from the asbestos hysteria corner who will be along in a minute to worry you to death.

Cheers

teneighty

You can buy an asbestos test kit for under £50, that is the only way you will know for sure. Obviously follow the instructions carefully to avoid putting yourself at risk. Otherwise get someone out to take a sample, about £100 to £150.

If it is only 30 years old I doubt it has asbestos in it but the only way to be sure is with a sample tested in a laboratory.

phill99

Nikiya wrote: »

The bottom line is that if you live in council accommodation they send someone to investigate. If you don't (i.e., if you are a taxpayer) .

So you are suggesting that all the families that live in council housing don't pay tax.

You really are going to alienate an awful lot of people on this forum with an attitude like that.

Leif

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

if pliable and can be bent it is vinyl. If it is hard and snaps when trying to bend it is vinyl/asbestos.

Not necessarily. You can send a sample away to be tested, so you know. Even if there is asbestos, the risk is very low, and you are legally allowed to remove it yourself. Spray with water, take care bag up, wear old clothese etc.:) If you pay someone, they must be accredited, and it costs.

Removal is tedious. You can use a heat gun (electric) to soften the tiles and the glue, then lift with a wall scraper and a hammer, Builders use a spade or large scraper. You might be left with nasty sticky glue underneath. It took me a day per room to remove vinyl tiles.

auntymabel

A local waste dispoal company, who are asbestos removal specialists, quoted me £65 to come and do a test. By the way, council tenants are not exemot from paying tax.

Hintza

keystone wrote: »

It may or may not contain asbestos. Its probably lino rather than vinyl.

Your best bet is to stop stressing, leave it alone, put the carpet down and forget about it. Yes really.

Not likely to be Lino with a printed pattern.

But I agree wholeheartedly with what you say.

Niv

Printed lino is very unlikely to contain asbestos. If the glue is tar like and black this may contain asbestos, as could any paper backing on the floor/lino. From your description I would be surprised if there was any asbestos paper on this floor. Whoever told you it would cost thousands to get this checked out is a fool, plain and simple. A typical three bed semi would cost in the region of £200 - £400 for a fully type two survey including sampling.

If you are still worried about this material i would suggest you take a sample, double bag it and send it to an accredited lab. This would cost ~£30 to get analysed. However I agree with a above poster that suggests leaving it alone and just laying the new carpet on top, this is not a high risk product (if asbesos - which I doubt).

Niv

Norman_Castle

The bottom line is that if you live in council accommodation they send someone to investigate. If you don't (i.e., if you are a taxpayer) you have to find a private contractor.

Are council house tenants exempt from paying tax?