Can I use a leveling compound over this glue?
I have a large basement in a split level 1960s home with old 12 x 12 linoleum (likely asbestos) tiles on concrete slab. The total area is around 450 SF. I would like to put in a slate tile floor, ideally by leveling the floor then using Ditra. The linoleum tiles come up very easily without much fuss, so I don't mind donning a respirator and bagging them up for proper disposal. What worries me is the glue underneath, which also likely has asbestos in it.
Can I encapsulate it or cover it with a leveling compound? I need to level dips and imperfections in this floor anyway. Is there any product that will adhere to the old glue? I'd love to no have to worry about scraping it up.
I have done tile floors before, but never had to deal old asbestos linoleum this before this house. Any recommendations are appreciated!.
Question from user sc_props at stackexchange.
Answer:
The answer to your original question is no: this type of tile adhesive is known as "mastic" or "cutback", and if you carefully check the directions for most leveling compounds, they will specify that mastic or cutback must be removed prior to use.
That said, I recently dealt with removal of asbestos tile and there's two other approaches you could potentially take:.
The mastic may not contain asbestos and can be removed with solvent and scraping. The only way to be certain is testing, so you should get the mastic tested. If clean of asbestos, you can use a combination of adhesive remover formulated for cutback and a mechanical scraper to remove it. This can be difficult if the underlying concrete was not flat. If the mastic does contain asbestos, you'll never get it off without it becoming friable and requiring extensive safety measures to legally remove.
Per FreeMan's recommendation, encapsulation is a much easier approach. Bury it tiles and all and never deal with it again. In this case, it won't matter if the mastic has asbestos or not.
Answer from user kg333 at stackexchange.
I have a large basement in a split level 1960s home with old 12 x 12 linoleum (likely asbestos) tiles on concrete slab. The total area is around 450 SF. I would like to put in a slate tile floor, ideally by leveling the floor then using Ditra. The linoleum tiles come up very easily without much fuss, so I don't mind donning a respirator and bagging them up for proper disposal. What worries me is the glue underneath, which also likely has asbestos in it.
Can I encapsulate it or cover it with a leveling compound? I need to level dips and imperfections in this floor anyway. Is there any product that will adhere to the old glue? I'd love to no have to worry about scraping it up.
I have done tile floors before, but never had to deal old asbestos linoleum this before this house. Any recommendations are appreciated!.
Question from user sc_props at stackexchange.
Answer:
The answer to your original question is no: this type of tile adhesive is known as "mastic" or "cutback", and if you carefully check the directions for most leveling compounds, they will specify that mastic or cutback must be removed prior to use.
That said, I recently dealt with removal of asbestos tile and there's two other approaches you could potentially take:.
The mastic may not contain asbestos and can be removed with solvent and scraping. The only way to be certain is testing, so you should get the mastic tested. If clean of asbestos, you can use a combination of adhesive remover formulated for cutback and a mechanical scraper to remove it. This can be difficult if the underlying concrete was not flat. If the mastic does contain asbestos, you'll never get it off without it becoming friable and requiring extensive safety measures to legally remove.
Per FreeMan's recommendation, encapsulation is a much easier approach. Bury it tiles and all and never deal with it again. In this case, it won't matter if the mastic has asbestos or not.
Answer from user kg333 at stackexchange.