# Mastic under plastic tiles???



## tomknox (Oct 13, 2010)

We just bought a house from 1953 and we are doing away with the plastic tile in the spare bathroom. I started chipping some off and it was letting out a god awful smell which made me quickly stop and think before removing. Underneath is a yellow/brown mud which i'm assuming is mastic after researching a little. 

1) How should i remove this stuff, should i remove all the drywall that has the mastic on it?

2) For safety reasons, should i wear a dual cartrige mask or dust mask or what?

3) I saw some removal products, are there any that will remove it without creating a bunch of dust?

Thanks so much for your time!

Tyler


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## tomknox (Oct 13, 2010)

nobody?? anyone out there?


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## steveel (Sep 10, 2010)

it potentially contains asbestos. About fifty bucks buys you a test from an environmental testing lab. You take a sample, and mail it in.


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

A few questions first.
Where are you? Different areas have different regulations regarding asbestos removal.
Is this in the shower?
What are your plans for this wall?
Can you tell what is behind the tile? Drywall or plaster or ???

If it is not in the shower and is currently on drywall and you just want to paint, removing the old mastic, patching and repairing will be a job and a half, if it is possible at all. Easier and safer to just yank the old drywall off tile attached and replace it. Especially if there is a chance of asbestos.

If it is in a shower, I would definitely take it down to the studs. 1950's waterproofing leaves a lot to be desired. You want to (A) make sure there is no mold or water damage behind there and (B) replace it making sure it is properly waterproofed to current standards.


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## steveel (Sep 10, 2010)

Blondesense said:


> safer to just yank... especially if there is a chance of asbestos*.*




You didn't mean the way it sounded, right?


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

Yes, I meant pulling the drywall with tiles intact would be safer than cutting, breaking or damaging them but proper safely precautions are essential. My bad. 

Tyler, do research for local and state regulations regarding testing, removing, and disposing of asbestos. They vary greatly by location.


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## steveel (Sep 10, 2010)

B, I though that's what it was... it was funny, thanks for the laugh.

=====

Tom, before you get too excited, the first question is whether you have a legal obligation to test for your proposed project, and if not, then you have to decide if you want to test anyway. I'm not saying the mastic does contain the stuff. Back then, some did and some did not. You can't tell without testing.

There is a certain advantage to not knowing and intentionally not finding out, if the law allows. Whether its ethical is a subject for the off point forum. If you pick the intentional don't find out option then I suggest you proceed with your own protection as though asbestos is present just in case.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Glad to know I'm not the only one with plastic tiles on the walls in the bathroom :laughing:


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## tomknox (Oct 13, 2010)

Ok, sorry for leaving out some of the finer details, we are in north carolina. It is drywall behind the mastic stuff and we are gonna redo the whole bathroom. It has plastic tile all the way around the room about 4 feet high and then it's probably 6 feet high in the shower area. It has a few missing tile and has had some water damage so i want to replace drywall anyway because we have a 4 month old and i don't want any health concern's. I plan on just drywall replace for now because we're in no rush, i just want it out before we move in, i may tile later but not really sure and i will NOT be tiling in the shower area. Can i score with a blade above and at stud's and pull it off all together? Thank's for all your help guy's!!

Tyler


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## tomknox (Oct 13, 2010)

bump to the top


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

Sounds like a plan. 
Do wear a mask and eye protection. 
And pay attention to where the plumbing and wiring runs before taking a hammer to the wall. (Since you're not moved in yet I assume power/water is off?)
You might also hang plastic over the door to keep the dust out of the rest of the house. Not only contamination from the old, but sanding the new drywall can make a mess.

I'm not an expert, just another DIYer learning and sharing what I've learned, so I won't suggest what level of mask to use.
I'm in the middle of re-doing my shower. When I pulled the ceiling above it down I just used a paper mask, but that was only a 3' x 4' area, and took all of twenty minutes before everything was bagged and gone. Yours is a much bigger project. 
Not knowing what that smell is (mold?) would also concern me and would make me want to bump it up a level or three.

.


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## tomknox (Oct 13, 2010)

Thanks blonde, i'm an airbrush artist so i wear a dual cartridge mask while i work so it will be ok if i have to wear it somemore. It recommends the dual cartridge mask to remove mold and since there was some water damage i assume that there is some mold in there somewhere! The power and water is on so i will be very careful. I talked to a local tile man today and he said there was NO asbestas in the brown mastic and that i can just cut it out with a grywall saw or something similar. Any other recommendations from anyone else before i start?


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## federer (Aug 20, 2010)

i would say do a test instead of relying on the tile man. better safe than....dead. edit-i did a test for teh subfloor in my basement. only $25. cut a sample place in ziploc bag send it to the lab. takes about 3 days


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