Can I Carpet Over Asbestos Floor Tile?
December 14, 2009 by
Filed under Carpet Sales
I was planning to have Home Depot install new carpet throughout our house (we have a baby on the way). I just had a piece of floor tile tested for asbestos. It is 25% asbestos, unfortunately. House was built in 1967, but my husband and I were young and just getting married when we bought the house (8 years ago), and though we had it inspected, apparently asbestos was not part of the inspection. The previous homeowners did not mention any possibility of asbestos (the house was “for sale by owner” too). They seemed like good people, but shouldn’t they have said something about the tile? It seems suspicious that they had carpeted over this tile in two bedrooms, and the third bedroom has no carpeting at all, just those lovely tiles! And some closets have the tile too. Home Depot wants us to remove some tiles to tack down the new carpeting. Can’t they just carpet over it like the other rooms were done? I know we can’t afford to have the tile professionally removed.
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I don’t see why they couldn’t just carpet over the tiles. A lot of places have started covering asbestos instead of removing it because removing it stirred up more fibers than covering. Don’t let them talk you into something that’s going to cost more and cause more trouble than what you originally contracted for.
It is better to cover the tiles rather than remove them, but I would call a local asbestos expert just to make sure. They can advise you on what to do even if you don’t hire them to remove the tiles. You might also want to consider any legal action you could take if the previous homeowners knew about the tile but neglected to tell you. They may be held financially responsible for proper removal of the tiles.
Good luck!
The Home depot self help centers are amatuers..I have seen alot of customers at the Home Depot customer service desk requesting refunds, and one guy had fought with them over a year for improperly installed carpet….Home Depot uses the regular contractors in your area to do the job and make 30% to 40% over the top of what the installer gets anyway..THIER THIEVES in this department..They hire anyone to do these services that can pass a criminal background check and has a job going on…I am a 37 year experinced painter and was going to do some work for them, then I found out they pay below standard wages to contract from them, and then raise the price on instillation and make more than the person doing the work…These people are not actually on Home Depots’ payroll..they are the same contractors in your phone book, but you usually get the substandard ones that will work for a little bit of nothing for Home Depot..The asbestos in the tile will be fine..it is bonded with other items and allow no airborne dust….
yes you can simply carpet over the tiles if they have asbestos in the tiles. I’m not a professional carpet layer but isn’t there something they do before they lay the carpet so they could nail or staple it down so it forms better? But this was an issue at my college dorm a few years ago. The dorms were just tiled so we had to bring our own rugs or carpets if we wanted. Then I guess they found asbestos in the tiles and they didn’t tear down the building. We came back over the summer and every room had been carpeted. Asbestos fibers are only hazardous if they are broken up like if the tile breaks or the paint off some pipes begins to flake off. As long as it’s not exposed you’re fine. I know this because I’m in the Army and my units Environmental Protection Officer and actually just attended a course that discussed Asbestos among other issues last week. It wouldn’t surprise me Home Depot would say that since presumably they’d do the work and would make more $$$ from it. Good luck and congrats on your expanding family!
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Asbestos is really only a hazard if it becomes airborne (fibers get into your lungs and can’t get out, and it’s a carcinogen). If it’s under a carpet, it’s not a hazard. One issue is the removal of the few tiles the carpet installers need removed.
Where did you get the tile tested? I would ask them how to handle it. But, if it were me (and probably how most people would handle it), I would remove the tiles the installers want removed, wrap them up in a trash bag, and throw it in the trash. Then I would have them lay the carpet over the tiles and pretend I never found out about the asbestos.
Go to a family owned independent flooring store. The material is so expensive compared to the labor. Get a decent flooring installer. Not Home Depot. It’s a nightmare. Yes, you can carpet over the asbestos tile. Your installers will glue down the tackless strips and install the carpet. Do not disturb the tile.
Take care.
For your health and the health of your child, you really need to get rid of the asbestos tile. It is seriously harmful longterm and covering it with carpet doesn’t negate the danger. The previous owners may not have even known what the tile was made of.