Remove black glue with asbestos

[iamrane]

Hello!
I have just received a reply that my linoleum floor (tiles) is glued with black glue and asbestos.
I have bought all the protective clothing needed and googled quite a bit about how I should get rid of it. There seem to be a few different techniques.

Either you rent some machine that grinds it away and vacuums up the dust. Then I have to find someone willing to rent it out for that purpose. And with time and everything, it might be hard to find someone.

Option two is to heat the glue with a heat gun and scrape it off. At the same time, you should keep the floor wet so that the dust doesn't fly into the air.

I talked a bit with dad about it and mentioned the heat gun, and he said that when he scraped paint off the boat this summer, he used a gas heater, which is supposed to be much better. He said it was really easy. It curled up, and then you simply scraped it off with a boat scraper. He thought I should go with that option.

What do you think of this idea? One thought I had was that it might not be good to heat asbestos since the metals in it get warm and might enter the lungs more easily, but I don't know. Maybe it doesn't quite work that way. And there shouldn't really be any difference with a heat gun if so.

Do you have any other good tips on how I should remove the glue? I can almost just pick the tiles off with a putty knife. They come off very easily. Some have already come off by themselves.

 

[hantverkare1]

Hi! I have just received a response that my linoleum floor (tiles) is glued with black glue and asbestos. I have bought all the protective clothing needed and Googled quite a bit on how to remove it. There seem to be different techniques.

Either you hire a machine that grinds it away and vacuums up the dust. Then I need to find someone willing to rent it for that purpose. And due to time, it might be difficult to find someone.

The second option is to heat it with a heat gun on the glue and scrape it off. At the same time, you need to keep the floor wet so the dust doesn't fly into the air.

I talked a bit with dad about it and mentioned the heat gun, and he said that when he scraped off paint from the boat last summer, he used a propane heater, which is supposed to be much better. He said it was really easy. It curled up, and then you could easily scrape it off with a boat scraper. He thought I should go with that option.

What do you think of this idea? One thought I had is that it might not be good to heat asbestos as the metals in it get hot and might enter the lungs and such more easily, but I'm not sure. Maybe it doesn't quite work that way. And there shouldn't be any difference with a heat gun if so.

Do you have any other good tips on how I should remove the glue? The tiles I can almost just pick off with a putty knife. They come off really easily. Some have already come off by themselves.

If you try heating it and it doesn't dust but becomes soft, I would go for it.
If you grind it, it creates dust, and it's the dust that's dangerous.

 

[Granito]

Yikes. I've sanded away just that kind of glue, had no idea there was asbestos in it.

However, asbestos is supposed to be very fireproof, so I don't think anything will happen if you burn it.

 

[Stefan N]

And letting it lie is not an option?

 

[iamrane]

No, unfortunately not. Since it's on the basement floor.
I think I have it on the ceiling in a room in the basement, but it will stay there until I need to do something there (if I have to).

 

[iamrane]

Yes, that sounds wise hantverkare1. Go with that option. But surely a gas heater must be better than a heat gun? Much cooler, if nothing else

 

[13th Marine]

Just remember to ventilate well.

 

[hantverkare1]

Yes, that sounds wise, hantverkare1. Go with that option. But surely a gas torch must be better than a heat gun? Much cooler if nothing else

I have no idea actually which works best.
However, I do think that if you can avoid an open flame, it's a positive.

But you're right, a gas torch is definitely cooler than a heat gun (hairdryer).

 

[SBH]

why not IR heat? should come up with what they are called. someone surely knows there are small and large models

a speedheater.

I think it will be safer than an open flame

 

[iamrane]

However, I read that you shouldn't ventilate. Or maybe ventilate out, perhaps. But that I should close all the vents to minimize the spread as much as possible.

 

[krille09]

What are you going to do with the floor then? Maybe you can "hack" it a little and then apply self-leveling compound on top?

 

[13th Marine]

I probably would have wanted to ventilate anyway, risk of not so pleasant gases that can form.
If you're going to use any method based on combustion (like a gas burner), I really recommend ventilation.

 

[öringen]

Then I would have covered all the entrances and exits to the room with plastic, as well as all ventilation, so that dust does not spread to other parts of the house. After the work is done, wipe all surfaces with a damp cloth, ventilate properly, or alternatively rent a proper air purifier with filters intended for the purpose, which should run for a day or so.

 

[ronolo]

In asbestos work, workers typically enclose themselves in a limited area with plastic and create a negative pressure in the room using some type of fan. The fan's outlet is preferably directed outside. I would assume that the air is also filtered before being released.

This way, the risk of dust spreading uncontrollably is minimized.

Professionally, a decontamination chamber is also used for changing clothes. This is often constructed from the same type of plastic used to seal door openings.

 

[iamrane]

Exactly! I'll cover the door openings and vents with plastic. Propane is not a danger. And exactly, wet wipers and such. Thanks for all the tips! I have

* half mask + P3 filter
* full suit (for sanitation)
* safety goggles
* protective gloves (for sanitation)
* rubber boots.

No more protective products I need, right? Besides the plastic covering and keeping the floor moist.