Found a sticky surprise under my carpet

[gargaggler]

Hi there!

I was removing some old carpet yesterday and on the stairs, under the foam, there is this brown vinyl material wrapping each step. It is held in by nails, staples, and what appears to be a fibrous rope-like layer that is glued on like crazy. It's like tar or something and it feels impossible to remove. I have never seen anything like this before.

Does anyone know what this is called and if there is a preferred method to remove it? I was hoping to just sand the stairs smooth, paint them and do a runner but now I'm scared!

 

[Commercial Floor Rep]

It appears to be what was called "oil cloth" flooring. It was popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

It can contain asbestos so you should have it tested. So can the adhesive so that should be tested as well. You can purchase an asbestos test kit at most box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, or Menards). That's most likely why it was left in place the last go around. You have to assume it contains asbestos until tested though so don't mess with it too much until you find out. Once you get the tests back and know what you're dealing with then you can determine a plan of action.

Welcome to the site and wish you the best with the project.

 

[gargaggler]

Hey thanks for the quick reply!

I couldnt resist and popped one up while not wearing a mask of course. Check it out:

 

[Commercial Floor Rep]

Thanks for sharing! I ran into something like this myself when I remodeled several years ago. My house was built in 1926 and some the original floors were older linoleums that had asbestos in them. I was able to deal with it myself since we have no local or state ordinances that outline requirements for removal. Canada is a bit different though and they may actually have Federal guidelines that must be obeyed. You may want to do some research into that while you're waiting for the testing to come back.

If you find that you are able to remove and dispose of it yourself then there are good guidelines here on how to address removal of asbestos flooring and adhesive.

https://rfci.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/RWP_MASTER_English_2018.pdf

Here in the states if there are no local or state guidelines then the linked information outlines how to safely remove the materials in accordance with OSHA requirements. They were developed between the RFCI (Resilient Floor Covering Institute) and OSHA. The RFCI consists of pretty much every major manufacturer of resilient floor covering today. Many of these companies evolved from oil cloth flooring and rug manufacturers over a hundred years ago.

Take care and be safe.

 

[gargaggler]

Cool thanks. Crazy what's in some of these older homes. I think this particular house was built in 1920. Found some sweet vintage tiles under the carpet upstairs as well.

 

[DarisMulkin]

It looks to be the old battleship linoleum. The black stuff is the mastic that held it and most likely had asbestos in it. I'd definitely have boyh the mastic and lino tested.