Asbestos inspection? (floor, roofing, vinyl, paint)

[jmc9981]

I just purchased a new home that was built in 1950. I had a regular home inspection done and everything was ok. In case I decide sometime in the future to have some work done in the house. I was curious if I'm supposed to have an absbestos inspection?

[ESFP]

Your 1950s house is probably full of it. Asbestos was used in roofing tiles, floor tile adhesives, siding, and even the tape around pipes. Removing it may require hazmat disposal, which is expensive. Personally, I never worried about it, but if you are concerned, by all means have someone look for it.

[thecoalman]

The safest thing to do with any asbestos is leave it alone unless it's deteriorating.

[sailordave]

If the insulation is asbestos then the cheaper thing to do is have a professional encapsulate the asbestos rather than remove the stuff. If you're going to do some additions to your home then you'll have no choice but to have it removed. Many contractors won't touch a home or business unless the asbestos has been removed depending on city, state, and federal regulations and the type of job being performed. You can identify asbestos floor tile by it's size. Most asbestos floor tile is 9 inches square. Most non-asbestos floor tile is 12 inches square. What's amazing is the asbestos floor tile and adhesive practically last forever while the non-asbestos tile and adhesive is pure garbage. Asbestos is a fantastic material if handled properly.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by ESFP

Your 1950s house is probably full of it. Asbestos was used in roofing tiles, floor tile adhesives, siding, and even the tape around pipes. Removing it may require hazmat disposal, which is expensive. Personally, I never worried about it, but if you are concerned, by all means have someone look for it.

Or your 1950's house may have none at all.

Asbestos was common in siding, the old vinyl-asbestos floor tiles (if you have old, checkered pattern 9X9 tiles they are almost certainly VAT), and duct insulation, but nothing about having a home built in the 50's means that you necessarily (i) have any asbestos in your domecile and (ii) are in any danger. ***BUT, It doesn't mean that you don't either***

If you have the tiles, they are less than 1% asbestos and as long as they are in good condition they will not liberate any fibers into the air (unless you start ripping them out).

If you have the siding, if it's under a good coat of paint and isn't breaking up, you're not at much risk.

In the attic: There are a lot of common insulation materials that look and sound scary because they are not fiberglass or cellulite. Most are basically benign. Rock wool, slag wool and mineral wool were all pretty common and a lot of people flip out thinking they have an asbestos problem. Not so. Not much danger associated with any of the above.

If you have vermiculite insulation (looks like little balls of styrofoam) then you could have a problem. It generally isn't considered an issue unless it is disturbed, and even then it depends on whether or not you have vermiculite from a mine that is associated with asbestos. I would probably have a pro test a sample if this is the case.

Ductwork insulation is, at least in my neck of the woods, your best chance of finding bad news. I would get a sinking feeling if I saw anything snow white on my ducts.

[thecoalman]

Just to add you list above it's pretty common in my area to find hot water pipes from boilers wrapped in it. It has white heavy duty papery covering. As long as the covering isn't ripped or deteriorating it's not a problem.