[mikeb1334]

Hello,
The floor in my home currently consists of concerete foundation, asbestos tiling, underlayment, and then a floating wood flooring on top. The old floating wood flooring has many gaps and wasn't installed very well, so we're removing it, as well as the old underlayment and installing a new underlayment and floating tile flooring over the asbestos tiling. I'd have the asbestos tiling removed, but I moved into a co-op which has expensive rules regarding moving asbestos tiling and anyway I've read it's best to just build on top of it. My question is, should I wear any PPE when just removing the old flooring and underlayment that are above the asbestos tiles? I don't think there's much concern if I'm not sanding, buffing, or removing the asbestos tile, but some in my family are very concerned. It is true I don't know the state of the tiles under the underlayment. After pulling a few wood tiles by the radiator, we did discover some exposed tar, asbestos tiles that seemed barely stuck to the floor and what appeared to be water damage which looks to have created mold. I suppose they're most concerned that I'll find broken asbestos tiles as I remove the flooring and underlayment, but even then I feel like it would take many years of doing this for it to be toxic.

 

[huesmann]

I would think you'd want to wear at least an N95 mask. Don't know you'd need much more than that. Turn off any shared venting.

 

[HotRodx10]

Asbestos isn't "toxic"; it's a lung irritant. It's only dangerous if airborne fibers from it get inhaled.

If the existing underlayment is adhered to the tile, I would think long and hard about whether it really needs to be removed. It becomes very simple if it can stay in place.

If the underlayment has to be removed, wet the area, so that any fibers don't get in the air. Even then, I would be sure that all surfaces and clothing in the area can be wiped down (plastic, rubber, etc. or will be sealed up and thrown away (any fabrics, etc. that the fibers could get trapped in). From my understanding, asbestos fibers cannot be washed out of fabrics successfully.

 

[Old man here]

As long as you don't disturb the surface of the tiles you should be fine. The tiles most likely have many years of old wax build up on them. Do use caution though if the underlayment is adhered to the tile like hotrodx mentioned.
Before putting down new underlayment, re-seal the tiles with a Water-Based Polyurethane and allow it to completely dry.