Windows open in cold weather

Maintenance 6

Well, I for one, having done this kind of work, think it's sloppy that they got the drywall wetted with anything. I would have taped it off and covered it to prevent it from becoming involved in the abatement. If the fumes have disipated, then I would leave it alone. The pictures don't look bad. It's pretty common to have some material buried back in places where you can't reach without serious demolition. I always make sure that the customer is aware of it and that it's their call whether they want to pursue it.

jagans

If that white stripe around the base of the wall is your trim I would rip it out and get rid of it. I would cut right through the drywall above the trim and get rid of the trim and drywall behind it. You can then get rid of any insulation that wicked solvent, pack the studs out to the face of the drywall, and install a wider (Taller) base moulding.

Im sorry that someone misled you re the perceived danger re Asbestos. Like I said, its not dangerous unless its friable. Removing the bituminous binder was a mistake, IMHO.

__________________
" A lot of men build things, and a lot of things fall down "

cerfsud

The white stripe is just drywall. I think I'm going to leave it because the fumes are almost gone now. I think I'll give it a couple more weeks before I do any finishing (putting baseboards up, installing carpet tiles, also considering sealing the floor), just to be safe. To my knowledge there is no insulation behind the walls.

What are your concerns? Everyone I've spoken with seems to think abating the mastic is SOP, and I've really been goading them regarding any remote/potential issues. Just to be safe, I think I'm going to seal the concrete before I put new flooring down.

Thanks and have a good Holiday!

Maintenance 6

If your air sample comes back clean, I'd forego using the sealer. If you remove the tiles and the mastic has asbestos, then you have to either abate that or encapsulate it. You can't leave it exposed. I think you did it right. My guess would be that the solvent wicked into the drywall which is why it took an exceedingly long time to dry out. The reason for not sealing is that if you decide at some time in the future to put some other type of floor down, such as ceramic, you'll have a sealer to deal with.