Kitchen and bathroom strip outs with asbestos

Planning a kitchen or bathroom strip out in an older home? Check for asbestos first. Wet areas were often lined with asbestos cement sheeting, because it handles moisture well. Tiles on top of it can hide that for decades.

Why wet areas are a risk

Bathrooms, laundries and kitchens in houses built before 1990 are the most common places for asbestos sheeting inside a home. Sheets were used behind tiles, on ceilings and as splashbacks.

Demolition starts with a hammer, a crowbar or an angle grinder, and these all break the sheet. A renovation that looks small can release a lot of dust in a closed room.

Signs to look for

You cannot confirm asbestos by sight. But some signs mean you should stop and test:

• The house was built before 1990.
• Flat, hard sheeting behind or under tiles, with cover strips over the joints.
• Fibro-looking ceilings in the bathroom or laundry.
• Old patching compound or textured paint on walls.
• Vinyl flooring with a thick paper or felt-like backing.

A NATA-accredited lab examines a sample under a microscope to confirm it. Our guide to identifying asbestos in your home explains why looks are not enough.

The 10 m² rule in a bathroom

Queensland allows homeowners to remove 10 m² or less of bonded asbestos without a certificate, as long as they follow safety rules. That is about four sheets of wall sheeting, or usually one wall of an average bathroom.

The whole job counts, not each section. You cannot split a job into pieces over different days to stay under the limit. Anyone helping you needs a certificate too. If your bathroom and kitchen together go over 10 m², you need a certificate or a licensed contractor.

If you do work under the limit yourself, the basics are:

• Cordon off the area and tell the neighbours.
• Wear disposable coveralls and a P2 respirator.
• Wet the material before you remove it, and use plastic drop sheets.
• Do not use power tools. Never use a high pressure water cleaner, which can attract a fine of up to $10,000.
• Double wrap the waste in 0.2 mm plastic, seal it and label it.

Rules change, so check the current rules at asbestos.qld.gov.au.

When to call us

Call if the sheeting covers more than 10 m², if you are not sure what you have, or if you would just rather not do it. We prepare the Asbestos SWMS, remove the bonded material and take the waste away. Our contractors hold a Class B licence.

Two cases need a Class A licensed removalist instead. One is the felt backing under some sheet vinyl, which is friable. The other is low-density asbestos fibre board. If you see either, stop work and call us to talk it through.

After the removal

The wet area is cleaned and the dust is controlled. After licensed removal, an independent competent person carries out a clearance inspection and you receive a clearance certificate. Only then should the plumber, tiler and carpenter start work.

Disposal

Never put asbestos in your household bin. Toowoomba Regional Council takes domestic asbestos at the Greater Toowoomba Waste Management Facility at Wellcamp, up to 175 kg a load, wrapped as required. Call 131 872 first and check the fee. We can also transport and dispose of it for you through our asbestos disposal service.

Where this fits

This is one part of a larger job for many people. See our strip outs and demolition page or the guide to a complete house strip out. If you are in Rangeville, Newtown or Harristown, our page on Toowoomba suburbs covers the area.