Asbestos in old underlay or adhesive below it?

DC999

I am removing our old floors downstairs. It’s a 1950s ex Dublin council house. Could this very old underlay have asbestos? I've never come across asbestos before but the small bit I know is about fibrous materials - which I have!

The underlay is down since (well) before the early 90s. I know that for a fact as I bought the house then and it hadn't been touched in years.

The back of it is like the back of an older type of carpet. It’s a matted fabric. In the photo the back is showing where I’m holding it.

The top isn’t plaster or wood - I’m not sure what it is. It would feel closer to plastic though. It’s brittle now and snaps when you bend it. Its about 4mm thick. In the photo it’s grey in colour. The red is the wall.

Between that and the concrete floor is a black material. Maybe that was the adhesive to stick it to the floor. It looks like it’s pitted. But that could be the floor underneath is that is pitted. Photos attached - and they also have dust and debris in the top right of the photos from behind the skirting board.

I searched Boards but all the threads seem related to roofing, old sheds of stippled ceilings. Though someone posted that you can send samples for testing. Link:

Eurofins Asbestos Testing - Eurofins Scientific

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10-10-20

Looks like jute or sisal to me. No risk there dude.

If the grey coating stuff had grey fibers in it, then yes - I'd be worried.

You have what looks to be a pitch DPM lain across the sub-floor - that's there to slow down the ingress of moisture out of the ground.

10-10-20

See if the sub-floor is solid or whether it's a compacted sand (should be concrete in the 50's). If it's sand then it would be a good candidate for a relatively easy and beneficial replacement.

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122653894#Comment_122653894

Sub-floor is solid. I did see you posted the Eurofin testing link on another thread recently.

Just read a good Aussie article and it says this which I'll follow:

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE WHEN REMOVING OLD CARPET Although it is unlikely underlay will contain asbestos fibres, the EHD is advising householders to take standard precautions when removing old carpet and underlay. The standard safety precautions are to wear a Class P1 or P2 facemask and disposable overalls. Care should be taken to minimise the release of dust by carefully rolling up carpet and underlay and where possible, lightly wetting down the material prior to and during the removal process. Following these procedures should provide protection against inhaling dust and other allergens as well as any asbestos fibres that may be present. Alternatively, residents should engage a professional carpet layer to remove and replace their carpet.

Source: Carpet Underlay Update_2_ (health.wa.gov.au)

10-10-20

Asbestos from hessian bags... well that's abstract, but I suppose it's possible in limited cases. Anyway, I wouldn't be too concerned as that really sounds like corner case territory.

dathi

Linoleum

 is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil (linoxyn), pine resin, ground cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing. Pigments are often added to the materials to create the desired color finish

it old fashioned linoleum

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122655558#Comment_122655558

That's it exactly. I could picture it from my grandparent's house, but couldn't think of the name.

dathi

Bitumen

 coatings (used up to 1992) usually 

contain

  up to 8% chrysotile asbestos. Asbestos floor tiles and coverings are unlikely to release fibre under normal conditions, but asbestos fibres might be released when the material is cut or disturbed.

possible that the black bitumen under the linoleum has asbestos

blackbox

Apparently it can sometimes be found in linoleum.

https://www.hsa.ie/eng/publications_and_forms/publications/chemical_and_hazardous_substances/asbestos_flyer.pdf