newhomebuilder--Just saw your thread, hope you check back here. Just wanted to share my experience with you. We were finishing our basement (on a 15 yr old home). The tile layers troweled on a solvent based, outdoor only adhesive on the floor of the basemtn on areas that were to be tiled. Fumes built up and 45 seconds after they left my house--an explosion in the basement which almost totalled the house since the fumes went through every crack and crevice (including all vents and cold air returns). My 8 month old twins and I escaped the home by the skin of our teeth. You need to be aggressive here and find out exactly what was used in your basement, and soon. I think someone screwed up here--I would not sleep in this house until you find out. The product that was used in my basemnt had all kinds of health hazards and should never have been used indoors. Plus remember that after you smell fumes like this for awhile, you reach a point physically where you think the fumes have dissipated when actually they have not. Please let us know what you find out.

Correct, the HEPA filter you have in your regular vacuum doesn't make it a HEPA vacuum. The vacuum is also airtight. If you use your regular vac, you'll be spewing dust particles all over the house. Kudzu is right, you should weigh the risks very carefully. Warning: Personal Philosophy Statement Ahead As a culture we revel in taking great risks (extreme sports, are a good example, there are others) because in our everyday lives we are overly risk averse. That is not to say that DIY asbestos removal is not risky, but that given the right amount of education and caution, there is no reason why you couldn't do this work, imo. How many of us are much more capable of doing more than we do because we've been lead to believe that we're NOT capable? PullmanHolt makes a small HEPA vac that's about $450 or so. It's what our housing rehab program recommends for lead and should work for asbestos as well (double check this, though). If you do a search for asbestos respirator, you'll come up w/ a ton of links. Here's one: http://www.websoft-solutions.net/asbestos_respirator_asbestos_respirator_p/3m-2091.htm Commercial/Industrial supply houses should carry both of these or get them. Good luck, with whatever you do. That's the great thing about this forum, you should get enough opinions to completely confuse you and then you can go off and make the best decision for yourself. Here is a link that might be useful: PullmanHolt

I have ground sidewalks to make them even like you mention above. There is a machine like a lawn mower that has a large cup grinder wheel; this is what I used. It is a slow process- For lips greater than 3/4" It is necessary to use a chipping hammer to remove the bulk of the material, and then use the machine to clean it up and make it nice and smooth. Obviously, the chipping hammer work takes a great amount of skill and experience to remove just the material you want, and not break out bigger chunks than necessary- that would ruin the concrete. This process is used to smooth out uneven surfaces- you can't change the grade signmificantly. I recommend thinking about cutting in a couple of drainage channels to let the water flow away from the house.

That your existing concrete is in good shape is key. Any crack in it would transfer through to the new material. So long as you create proper finish levels, you should be in good shape. Stamped concrete can look terrific. It's biggest drawback is the color not being integral to the slab, but just surface treatment. This is really no problem unless it is subject to harsh wear, which in this instance is probably not going to be the case. If the surface gets a chip or gouge, you'll see near-white concrete below. In most residential situations, it doesn't get that harsh of treatment.