Say I found a neat old building in a little old town. I'd estimate its age to be about 100 years. It was formerly used as a grocery store, but has set empty for around 20 years. The owner is willing to sell it cheap. I'd like to fix it up as a residence.

My concern is that it has at least one layer of old 12" floor tile that I'd bet contains asbestos. From reading your posts I gather that it poses a relatively minimal risk if covered, left alone, but I'm curious to know what a very ballpark cost would be to have it professionally removed. I'd estimate the square footage in question to be about 1000 sq. ft. Right now the building is just a single open space with a front door and a rear door. Would I be looking at thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of dollars, more?

If it looks like professional removal is astronomically expensive, what is the best way to PERMANENTLY cover/seal it...assuming that I hope to own it long enough to need to resurface the floors a time or two?

Before you get ahead of yourself, first test the tile so you know what trade you need to hire. A PLM test for asbestos can be conducted by many labs for about $25.

Cost for removal should not be very high. This project should not require construction of sophisticated enclosures if good work practices are observed. Costs are all over the place, and asbestos abatement contractors are just like the rest of the contracting trade; ocst varies with competition, availability and job specifications. Simply put, you can get free bids. You will pay mainly for labor. If I had to venture a wild guess, I would say around $3500, figuring one day for a 4 man labor crew and overhead. This can vary widely. Hey, at least the place will be well cleaned!

I'm a licensed asbestos inspector and contractor in Michigan and around here it costs around 1.50 to 2.00 per square foot for floor tile. But you should have the tile tested before you pay someone to come in and remove it. Be sure to test the glue also. I've found that the glue is more likely to have it on older 12x12 tile than the tile itself. And mastic removal can add quite a bit to the removal cost.

Unless the tile is in bad condition, it isn't hazardous to just leave it in place. I've talked to many maintenance and floor professionals over the years who insist that asbestos floortiles are still the most long lasting and easily finished.

If you decide to do the removal yourself, you should follow the same safety procedures used by professionals. Let me know if you are interested and I'll walk you through the process.

Hope this helps.

Fortress Environmental Solutions
www.fortressusa.com