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Attached is a pic in the basement of a house that I've put an offer in. The red tiles seems to be coming off in some places. Do I have to worry about them being Asbestos? House was built in the mid 50's located in the Boston suburbs. Of course sellers replied 'don't know'.
If I own this place, I'd probably just cover the ugly tiles up with something, whether they are asbestos or not. But if they are indeed asbestos, I'm wondering if I'll have trouble selling the house down the road unless I get them removed. Of course I won't go get a lab test so I can also claim 'don't know' if I become a seller down the road.
Thanks in advance. Sorry for double post. I forgot to attach the pic the first time and the 'edit' feature wouldn't allow me to do it afterwards or delete that post. Attached is the pic.
Asbestos tiles were typically 8 x 8. Encapsulation is the best way to address them, so your instinct to put something over them is good. The problems with asbestos tiles come when they get removed, as breaking them releases the particles into the air.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mmyk72
Here is the pic.... Sorry there was a problem with the upload.
I don't think I would bother with testing since you will just be paying someone to tell you "Yes, those are asbestos tiles". That is almost guaranteed to be asbestos tile. If that were MY utlity room I would put down a layer of floor paint or cheap primer to keep all the dust on the ground, put a membrane over it and lay new tile/sheet vinyl/*insert flooring of choice here* and forget about it.
EDIT: after looking again, those tiles are in really ****ty condition. They start spalling up like that when they've been wetted and dried over years and years. What I would do in MY utility room is one thing, but what I would tell someone to do with THEIR utility room is retain the services of an experienced abatement specialist and have it professionally remediated, especially if THEIR utility room were in an investment property that will be used by someone else who is a potential plaintiff.
EDIT: after looking again, those tiles are in really ****ty condition.
Yeah, my concern really stemed from the condition that they are in. I wouldn't have brought up the question if they looked well adhered to the concrete floor and not all scratched up and broken at the edges.
It's a single family for me to live in... not renting out to people who would potentally sue down the road. I've seen someone on TV (on PBS's Hometime) put on a rubbery membrane paint for garage floors..... But I remember they had the concrete well cleaned before the application, so if I end up buying the house, I'll need to look into it more.
If it was up to me I would walk away from the deal.
If the asbestos in the tile isn't bad enough there is the dreadful "cutback adhesive" commonly used to glue these tiles down, which usually contain asbestos as well. Just "Google" cutback adhesive and you will see what I mean.
Apparently this thing won't come off the concrete, but with a lot of elbow grease. The removal process involves using protective gear and manually scalding and scraping every sq inch of it very carefully to prevent the asbestos from becoming airborne.
It is a buyer's market out there: housing prices are down. Are you sure you can't find anything better?
If it was up to me I would walk away from the deal.
Apparently this thing won't come off the concrete, but with a lot of elbow grease. The removal process involves using protective gear and manually scalding and scraping every sq inch of it very carefully to prevent the asbestos from becoming airborne.
I was thinking covering the whole thing up would be easier than removal. It is nasty looking for me and for resale down the road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CyFree
It is a buyer's market out there: housing prices are down. Are you sure you can't find anything better?
I offered a price that would account for dealing with this AND having a super old boiler (25 yrs). My bid was only 7K less than asking price of 350K. Believe it or not, someone really wanted it badly and outbid me.... So here in the Boston suburbs, it's hard to find anything better. Buyer's market??? Not here. Every house that looks decent gets snapped up in no time and this one looks ok everywhere else but the basement.
Well, I was dreading having to deal with this, and now kind of happy for it to be someone else's problem.
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