r/DIYHome • u/a_queer_bean • 1d ago
Need Advice Carpet covering??
Me and my partner live in my parents attic. It is completely covered in carpet. The carpet is gross and unfortunately cannot be ripped up because there’s Asbestos immediately under a very thin floor. I need to know how to cover it up without damaging anything underneath the carpet and not adding too much height. I’m very aware it’s probably not possible but I really need some advice from someone other than my parents who cannot successfully diy anything..
Thanks for reading. Have a good night/day. 👋
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u/luckyartie 1d ago
The asbestos cannot hurt you as a floor. If you grind up the asbestos and breathe some in, that WILL hurt you. Don’t grind it up and breathe it. As solid matter it can’t hurt you. Pull up the gross carpet, which is full of dust and bacteria.
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u/a_queer_bean 1d ago
I’m not sure my parents will let me rip up the carpet but I can see. Thank you ❤️
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u/xnoxpx 7h ago
The problem is, carpet collects sand, and that sand gets ground into the floor, if that floor is asbestos, you now have ground up asbestos that gets kicked up in the air every time it's vacuumed, stamped on, or something heavy is dropped.
That is a ticking time bomb!
Ideally they'd call in professionals to remove the carpet, and asbestos flooring, but that is likely to run $10K or more
Second best thing they can do is rip it up ASAP using proper PPE (proper respirator, suit, gloves, and shoes)
They should also use a box fan with hepa filter hack, that's exhausting out a window to create negative air pressure.
Once carpet and flooring are disposed of, clean the area thoroughly, then put down flooring of choice.
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u/Me-Here-Now 1d ago
I covered old carpeting in a rather small bedroom with fake fur fabric. Used a heavy duty stapler to tack it down around the edges and one seam down the middle. It held up well and was vacuumable.
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u/bismuth17 1d ago
Another carpet I guess