Are You Aware You Might Have Asbestos Flooring in Virginia Beach, VA?

How to Test Your Virginia Beach, VA Home for Asbestos Flooring

Do you have asbestos flooring in your Virginia Beach, VA home? The answer might surprise you because you may without even being aware of it. The reason for that is simply because whomever you purchased your home from was under no legal obligation to tell you either way, just as the person they bought the home from was under no legal obligation to tell them.

Envirotex is a licensed, asbestos inspection and abatement contractor. We offer:

• Safe and vigilant containment and removal following the highest safety procedures
• Thorough site decontamination
• Lawful disposal
• All asbestos testing performed by an independent, certified lab

Over time, as the various former owners of your home grew tired of its aesthetic, they may have simply installed new flooring over the asbestos tiles that were there at some point. Given that, by the time you purchased the place, there could be several layers of flooring and lurking somewhere beneath them are asbestos tiles. The only way to know for sure is to have your home inspected and tested by an industry expert.

You’ve probably heard about the dangers posed by asbestos. If you haven’t, here’s a quick synopsis. Builders began using asbestos in a variety of ways in home construction back in the 1920s. Back then, it was considered to be a bit of a wonder material. Among other things, it was:

• Relatively inexpensive
• Surprisingly durable
• Easy to paint
• And easy to replace when sections got chipped or damaged

In addition to that, it was also fire resistant and made an excellent insulator. Not being aware of the dangers it posed, builders made heavy use of it.

That trend continued up through the late seventies and early eighties. By that point, we understood just how dangerous asbestos really was, which resulted in the EPA issuing a ban on the material’s use. Unfortunately, by that point, it was estimated that some 80% of the homes and office buildings in use in the United States contained asbestos in one form or another, which is why there are so many older homes that contain asbestos flooring in Virginia Beach, VA.

The big danger of asbestos is that as it ages, it gets increasingly brittle and prone to breakage. When it breaks apart, it tends to crumble, which invariably creates tiny airborne particles. If these are then inhaled by anyone living or working in the building, those particles will inflame the lungs and cause respiratory problems, but that’s the best case.

In the worst case, it can also cause a type of cancer called Mesothelioma, a condition for which there is no cure, and which eventually results in death. Although efforts to remove asbestos from all buildings in the US have been ongoing for decades and progress has been made, there’s still lots of work to be done.

Needless to say, that’s not something anyone wants to expose themselves or their families to, which is why our inspection, testing, and remediation services are in such demand.

It all starts with the testing though, so when you call on us, that’s our first step. We’ll go over every inch of your home and the property surrounding it looking for signs of asbestos. Whatever we find, we’ll give you a full report, our professional recommendation, and a free, no-obligation estimate so you’ll have a clear picture of what it will take to put the problem behind you once and for all.

Here are the most likely places we’ll find asbestos in your home:

• Insulation – This is one of the most common things we see. Not only was asbestos commonly used as insulation in attics and walls, it was also used to wrap pipes to keep them from freezing during the long, cold winter months.
• As a roofing material – Asbestos shingles were commonly employed during the entire time the material was used in construction. In many cases, when a homeowner decides to re-roof, they simply put new shingles over the old, so it’s entirely possible that you’ve got asbestos shingles beneath something more modern. Sooner or later, it’s all going to have to come down so you can start fresh, but that’s not something that a general contractor can do safely.
• Siding – This was another common use. Asbestos siding was seen to be a highly attractive option back in the day because if a section cracked or broke off, it was very easy to replace. As with shingles, quite often, when a homeowner decides that it’s time to re-side, the solution is to simply put new siding over the old. Again though, there are hard limits to how many times you can do that before it all has to come down. If you have asbestos siding, we could encase it in a foam sheath so that a general contractor could side over it which is a good medium-term solution and an alternative to stripping it out.

In addition to those, you will, of course, also find asbestos flooring in many Virginia Beach, VA home. This reached its peak in popularity in the ’50s and ’60s though, so it’s not quite as common as some of the other things we’ve mentioned to this point.

The good news is that it may be possible to entomb the asbestos flooring in your Virginia Beach, VA home, encasing it in a layer of concrete and then putting a new flooring solution atop that. As with siding and shingles though, there’s only so many times you can get away with doing that. After a point, it simply becomes necessary to tear all the old flooring out and start over.

Even if there’s some other option available, if you’d rather just get the asbestos out of your home once and for all, we have a comprehensive remediation solution that works like this:

Step 1 – Inspection: As we mentioned at the start, the entire process begins with an inspection which gives us a clear picture of what we’re dealing with, how much asbestos you have in your home, where it is and what forms it takes. Armed with that information, and after giving you the estimate and getting the go-ahead from you, we can move onto the rest of the process.

Step 2 – Isolation: Great care must be taken when removing asbestos in any form from a home or office building. Here, our goal is to minimize the risk that any airborne particles generated during the process of removal will be kept in a tightly controlled environment so we can be sure to eliminate them all.

Step 3 – Removal: Once we’ve ensured that the area is secure, we can proceed to the physical removal of the asbestos in whatever form it takes.

Step 4 – Disposal: After the materials have been stripped out of and away from your home, we’ll get rid of it by disposing it in a properly accredited facility licensed to handle it.

Step 5 – Decontamination: While removal is the most visible step, this is actually the heart and soul of the process. It is here that we ensure no trace of the material remains so that once we’ve finished, you can rest assured there is no remaining asbestos risk to you or your family.

Whether you’ve got asbestos flooring in your Virginia Beach, VA or it takes some other form, the process outline above is time—tested and effective.

Of course, asbestos is just one of many potential hazards you could have lurking in or around your home and given that, we do much more than asbestos remediation.

For example, we can also safely remove and dispose of lead paint. Although sellers are required by law to tell you if the home you’re buying has lead paint anywhere in or on it, they can’t tell you what they don’t know, and it may be the case that the person you bought the house from didn’t know it was there either.

As with asbestos, that’s something we can test for, and if we find any, our remediation process is the same as the one we outlined above.

In addition to that, we also handle mold remediation, which is another service we’re commonly called upon to provide. While mold isn’t as deadly as asbestos, it’s nothing to play around with, but our process will ensure that it gets removed quickly and completely, giving you greater peace of mind and one less thing to worry about.

If you even suspect you’ve got some type of hazard in your home, don’t delay. Call us today. You’ll be very glad you did.

About Envriotex Environmental Services

Established in Northern Virginia in 2000, Envirotex Environmental Services was founded on military service. While serving his country, the company's owner Mr. Freeman gained vast knowledge and experience in the environmental services field. His expertise in air monitoring and hazardous materials testing prepared him for his post-military career.