Closet removal - Asbestos, Hardwood patches?

5 years ago

My house was built in 1955. I want to remove some built-in closets to create more space in one room and put something more space efficient in the master. I am thinking of doing this work myself, but am concerned about asbestos. How/what should I test? Also, I am concerned about patching the hardwood flooring after, laminate overtop would be a last resort. Any advice would be apprecaited!!

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Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design

5 years ago

They sell asbestos testing kits at Home Depot and Lowes. You can use them to test. I think placing laminate or any faux wood next to or on top of your real wood would be a big mistake.

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User
5 years ago
Hire a Pro.
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Okay. I gave up, and called in the pros... They used a professional floor scraper (basically, a large razor blade on a long stick) to get the lino up, and then used a giant sander with 24 grit sandpaper to get the tar up. They also told me that it is NOT asbestos - just plain old tar. After 8 months of me and my neighbor and his friends scraping, scraping, scraping... it took the pros about two hours. It looks AMAZING. I am thrilled. Its only just been sanded - I'm waiting on the matching heart pine I ordered to patch it, and then they'll put the finish on it. It's costing me $1200 for scraping, sanding, and finishing, plus an extra $400 for the patch work (including ripping the 5" boards down to fit in my 3 1/4" floor). The heart pine boards to patch? $38 a box, times two boxes. And to tell you the truth? Totally worth it. And it should be done after three days of work. Three days! I have been up all night every night in the last week stressing about the darn floor - the idiots my neighbor got to work on it (supposedly pros) damaged it, and I was sure it was just ruined. Now I can finally get some sleep. That right there is worth the money.
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Is there any wood in a bedroom you can steal? You CAN match old flooring and new. It just takes a bit of time. That black crap often comes off with a steamer and scraper. Or soy gel paint remover. Do some testing. You might not have to do a full sanding. Buy unstained bundles of oak tongue and groove. IMPORTANT: If the old flooring has been sanded, it will be thinner than the new stuff. Use a planer and remove from the TOP of the new boards until thickness matches. here's matching new oak to old oak and older pine ... http://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/12f2ebf504ae5367_8-0761/home-design.jpg My method: 1 - Ignore color names, and run stain tests on the new flooring, comparing with the old floor by laying the samples on the old stuff, parallel to the boards and seeing what blends. ***Sand and stain just like you will for the real floor.*** Doesn't have to match, just blend shades and have the same undertones. For oak, it's shades of golden and reddish brown. 2 - Pick three colors that are close to a match with the existing boards. Match the darkest, medium and lightest shades. For this floor, it's Minwax Golden Mahogany, Light Cherry, and Birch. 3 - Sand and stain the individual boards before installation. About 20% darkest, 20% lightest, the rest the middle shade. This mimics the natural variability on an old floor, where different boards have reacted differently to light. I shoved several pieces together and sanded and stained them as a group, then took them apart for install.
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PRO
HALLETT & Co.
5 years ago
Where would you find asbestos? Typically it can be in textured ceilings, floor adhesive, 9” square floor tiles, pipe insulation, or as panels typically near furnaces or stoves. Do you have any of those things in the project zone?

The Floors appear to be maple (could be wrong of course) so would be easy enough to fit in new wood and refinish (leave that step to the pros)
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
5 years ago
Phillip:

I'm not crazy about your idea. Matching the floor can be a nightmare. Check for any mechanicals in the walls you're thinking of removing, please.
User
5 years ago
As late as the 1980's and depending on the brand, some drywall(gypsum board) contained asbestos. Drywall mud also contained asbestos. Under the flooring could be asbestos containing adhesive.

Point being, without destructive testing, the possibility of asbestos being present cannot be ruled out.

Asbestos is only dangerous when friable(airborne). Tiles/shingles encapsulate the asbestos and prevent it from being easily friable(the products have to be crushed and ground). With drywall and mud, asbestos is less encapsulated and can become friable more easily.

So, it would be prudent to test the drywall and mud to find if there is sufficient asbestos to be dangerous for a DIY removal.
SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
As HandyMac points out, there are TONS of places where asbestos can hide. And then there is LEAD BASED PAINT! Yep. Lead. It was allowed in quantities up to 1978! And your house is around 20 years older than that.

So....here we are with walls that are *possibly covered in lead based paint and ceiling/drywall mud/attic insulation that contains asbestos.

Needless to say, the hardwood is not a very pressing matter at this time. First things first: asbestos and lead testing. Which means you need to know how and what to test. I suggest you take the fall to investigate (read HUNDREDS of documents from the State Health Department) what it is you are about to attempt. If, after all of that, you decide this is still a good idea, you will then need to test everything you can think of...and then a couple things more just to be sure.

And have a plan for when the tests come back positive. You will want to investigate local remediation companies. Thankfully the company that deals with lead also deals with asbestos and mould. It should be a one-stop-shop for you.

The flooring guy you hire will take care of the floor once all of that has taken place.

Closet removal - Asbestos, Hardwood patches?

Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design

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