Anyone deal with asbestos?

amother

Sienna

Tue, Jun 11 2019, 1:54 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

We're moving to a house that has asbestos. The stairs to the basement and the floor in the basement has. What's the best way to go about it?

Either decide to live with it - as the prior owners did. Or hire a local asbestos removal company to get rid of it.

BadTichelDay

Tue, Jun 11 2019, 1:55 pm

Have an expert examine it. Depending on which form the asbestos is (asbestos concrete? Sheets? Boards?) it might be safer to leave it than to remove it. But only a qualified expert can tell. If it needs to be removed, again let only qualified people deal with it. If asbestos removal is done wrong, it can lead to more instead of less exposure. During the removal, stay somewhere else.
If it was me, I'd consider moving somewhere else if that's an option.

Amarante

Tue, Jun 11 2019, 4:06 pm

I've dealt with asbestos removal. Once because I wanted to get rid of my popcorn ceiling and most recently because there was a flood from my neighbor and dry wall had to be replaced.

Asbestos is fine as long as it is not disturbed. If the flooring is in good shape (ie. not cracked or coming up), chances are the asbestos particles are not being released into the atmosphere. You can have the air tested if you want to assure yourself.

If you want to remove it, it has to be done with a qualified asbestos removal company. They tape off everything and use special negative pressure blowers to contain all the air and then take it to a special hazardous waste site.

Depending on where the asbestos is located, you don't have to leave so long as you don't need to walk through the removal area. When I had my ceiling taken down, I left of course and all my furniture have to be removed as well. When the small portion of my drywall was taken down, I was able to stay because the area they were working in was self contained.

Last edited by Amarante on Tue, Jun 11 2019, 4:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

FranticFrummie

Tue, Jun 11 2019, 4:15 pm

I second all the above. Asbestos is not for amateurs.

I suggest you call three companies to get quotes, and then compare what they say they will do to take care of it, and how much it will cost you. Often, the best course of action is to just seal it in place. Removal can be a nightmare if it's a big job.