Removing concrete poured over tile in basement

nkjetman

I am looking at buying an older house (built in the 1950s) in which the previous owner poured an inch of concrete over the entire concrete floor because he thought the tiles he was covering up could possibly have asbestos and did not want to remove them. Could these be easily removed (if the tile didn't have asbestos)? I am thinking since it isn't very thick and since it is on top of tile (and thus not bonded to the foundation) it might break up easily. Any ideas? And if it has asbestos...will even a professional be able to fix it? Just trying to figure out thwat the house is worth before I buy.

Ron6519

If the tiles were installed before the mid '70's, they probably have asbestos.
I got to tell you, this ranks as one of the stupidest solutions to a non problem I've ever heard of. Was this tile also radioactive?
You're going to have to apply alot more effort then would have been needed before. You'll need to control the dust of both the concrete and the tile. Before you could have just gone over the tile floor with another floor type. Now, with the trauma of removing the concrete you might not be able to isolate the tile floor and it might all come up.
In many locations homeowners can remove asbestos and dispose of it. If your considering a pro, get estimates. Once you know the cost of the job, you can decide if you want the house.
Ron

yesitsconcrete

ron's absolutely right,,, that's the dumbest solution to something that probably didn't exist but its done,,, chipping guns, brick chisels, & dust collection ( lots of it ! ) along w/negative air pressure & personal protection !

1" o'lay's VERY difficult to place & cure correctly for flatness let alone random cracking,,, i'd not bet against $15.00 sf if you hire a licensed contractor,,, this MUST be a diy job as you're not hazmat qualified for asbestos & can't, by law, hire employees,,, you could legally involve the brother-in-law, etc, which might resolve another problem at the same time, tho

btw, don't plan on saving the tile,,, you'll also need to resurface the conc under the tile,,, if i REALLY had to have this house, i'd get a pro's report & estimate then deduct it from my offer to the buyer !

jogr

I take it there is a problem with the current floor? Lack of headroom or poor finish? What exactly are your trying to fix?

harleysilo

That's what I'm wondering, if the concrete is of a decent finish why not just throw another layer on it and be done?

nkjetman

thanks for the responses. Yes, the floor is very uneven now, and does not have enough clearance to finish. It is anywhere from 6'10" to 7' from the surface of the conc rete to the joists overhead, and I though that finished needs to be 7' AFTER you add flooring and a ceiling? I am not dead set on finishing the basement, so I could just leave it. But they also have a couple walls (around the stairs and such) that were buried in the conrete as well. Also, the furnace was on the tile floor, so you can see around the furnace how thick the concrete is. And yes the seller claims it was a DIY job, he seems proud of it.

So, I am thinking of looking at the tile under the furnace where you can still see it to find out what size it is. I have heard that only certain size tiles have asbestos? If it doesn't have it, seems feasible to remove it all. Like the one person said, it can't be that great of a mix since it was DIY and its only an inch thick.

If it does have asbestos, I guess I will ask a specialist if they would even do it. Seems like it would be hard to control the dust at that point.

yesitsconcrete

order'd an asbestos test last yr - $50 as i recall,,, the usual asbestos guys i use probably pd the lab $25,,, trust me, if you pay 'em, they'll do the work typical dust/asbestos control's 6mil plastic & duck tape,,, LOTS of it ! ! !

ck w/your town - might be able to find a ' grandfather ' base-on-balls