Asbestos Floor Bitumen Removal

From what I’ve seen, the older your property, the higher the chances it has asbestos. Asbestos was widely available in local building stores until the mid-1980s and wasn’t banned in textured coatings until year 2000. Here’s a simple rule of thumb I like to use:

Before 1985: Highly likely to contains asbestos.

1985 - 2000: Likely to contains asbestos.

After 2000: Unlikely to contain asbestos.

Determining the exact age of your ceiling can be tricky. Even if your property is from the 70s, it may have been refurbished, potentially removing asbestos. So, I always assume the worst until proven otherwise. The only way to know for sure is to take samples and have them tested in a lab.

Over the years, I’ve found that asbestos fibres are so small they blend with the filler, making them hard to see without laboratory analysis.

Our labs double-check negative samples to ensure accuracy.

From what I’ve seen, the older your property, the higher the chances it has asbestos. Asbestos was widely available in local building stores until the mid-1980s and wasn’t banned in textured coatings until year 2000. Here’s a simple rule of thumb I like to use:

Before 1985: Highly likely to contains asbestos.

1985 - 2000: Likely to contains asbestos.

After 2000: Unlikely to contain asbestos.

Determining the exact age of your ceiling can be tricky. Even if your property is from the 70s, it may have been refurbished, potentially removing asbestos. So, I always assume the worst until proven otherwise. The only way to know for sure is to take samples and have them tested in a lab.

Over the years, I’ve found that asbestos fibres are so small they blend with the filler, making them hard to see without laboratory analysis.

Our labs double-check negative samples to ensure accuracy.

Enclosure setup: Before removing asbestos, we build an enclosure to contain and prevent any dust from spreading. The work area needs to be as empty as possible. Large items like sofas or beds are tough to wrap, but kitchen furniture usually stays put. Ideally, the work should be done before you move into a new home.

The preparing of the working enclosure covers all floors, porous materials, windows, and doorways to other areas of the property.

Surface Protection: We cover surfaces inside the enclosure with polythene or corex, focusing on hard-to-clean items like radiators and carpets. Easy-to-clean flat surfaces aren’t as big a concern.

In some cases, built in wardrobes or high-level cupboards will need to be removed to allow us clear access to the ceiling.

Airlocks are attached to the enclosure for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they allow for only one way air movement locking the potential asbestos particles within the enclosure. Secondly together with the negative pressure unit the airlock system creates a narrower enclosure opening that increases airflow and pushes particles to travel away from the entrance and into the enclosure towards the negative pressure unit.

This industrial-sized ventilator with high-efficiency filters creates a negative pressure environment, sucking air from the enclosure and ventilating it outside to atmosphere. This keeps the air inside the enclosure dust-free within seconds further reducing likelihood of exposure.

The control methods which we put in place by utilising negative pressure units and airlocks ensure that we are reducing the risk of exposure to both you and our own workers.

The control measures we put in place ensure that our teams have a better working air quality than any other trade in the construction industry.

The plasterboards are cut along the outside edges of the rooms. The plasterboard panels are then removed as whole as possible. The remaining edges are then dug out using hand tools.

This removal process removes all the plasterboards from the ceiling, It is not possible to remove the textured coating from the plasterboard.

Any non-Asbestos loft insulation will be disposed of as part of the removal. This is because it is a porous material and so legally, we are not allowed to say that it is free of Asbestos fibres following the removal process. If you would like to keep the loft insulation it needs to be rolled back/removed from atop the ceiling before we arrive on site.

Following the removal of the plasterboard ceiling panels the exposed timber joists are hoovered with H-Type vacuums to remove any potential debris.

H-Type vacuums also known as HEPA vacuums or high efficiency particulate air vacuums.

These hoovers are industry standard and are designed via internal filters to capture 99.97% of particulate fibre matter.

All high-level edges and surfaces are hoovered with H-Type vacuums.

All the polythene is hoovered and wiped down with wet rags.

The enclosure is cleaned in a top to bottom method.

Once all the polythene has been hoovered and wiped it is removed and placed into Asbestos bags.

The floor of the enclosure is then given one final hoover.

All waste is double-bagged in either Red and clear Asbestos bags or 2 sets of clear Asbestos bags. The bags are sealed using 3-inch cloth tape.

All waste is disposed of at a registered Asbestos landfill. On completion of the work, you will be given a copy of a waste consignment note which is your legal document to show that the Asbestos has been disposed of correctly.

The correct disposal of the Asbestos waste at landfill covers a large portion of the cost of the job. Unfortunately, the rise in landfill prices has led to more fly tipping of Asbestos waste, this is why it is important that you use a company with a waste carriers license who issue a waste consignment note on completion of the work.

This removal work can be signed off by the Blue A supervisor.

If a greater peace of mind is required, we can arrange air testing from an independent analyst.

This involves placing pumps within the working enclosure which suck in a set amount of air per minute. This is filtered through a cap on the pump which is then loaded onto a filter and read underneath a microscope.

Reassurance air testing starts at £300+VAT for up to 3 pumps depending on location.

We have our own reinstatement team and even if we can’t do something inhouse we have close working relationships with several sub-contractors and can arrange for the reinstatement of plasterboard ceilings, skimming of walls and/or ceilings, first phase decoration of new ceilings, electrical installations and various other carpentry works.

Getting a quotation:

In order for us to price for the removal of Asbestos textured coating we will need the following information

Asbestos survey or sample certificate which has positively identified the ceiling as containing Asbestos. – you don’t want to waste money in case this is actually non asbestos product.

Measurements of all the ceilings – Floor plans with measurements the same as the one from when you purchase property are perfect for this.
Confirmation of how many rooms require removal and a brief description of the room.

The full address of the property.
Photographs of the rooms – Our website contact us page allow to add 10 files, email now allow for even more.
Photographs of any built-in wardrobes or cupboards - We are mostly interested in possible furniture standing on our way and this drastically increases the time spend on building enclosures.

At Blue A, we are proud to set the standard for professional asbestos removal services. As a fully licensed asbestos company, we are committed to maintaining the highest levels of safety and quality in every project we undertake.

• Licensed and Audited: We hold an HSE-issued Asbestos Removal Licence and are independently audited by both ARCA (the industry leader in training) and the Health and Safety Executive. This ensures that all our work meets and often exceeds regulatory standards.

• Award-Winning Excellence: Over the last decade, Blue A Ltd has received more than 10 prestigious awards, including the Quality Assurance Award by the Asbestos Removal Contractor Association (ARCA), recognizing our dedication to quality and professionalism.

• Experienced Workforce: Our highly trained team carries out projects in strict compliance with licensed asbestos removal protocols, ensuring the safe handling of high-grade asbestos products.

• Positive Customer Feedback: With hundreds of genuine positive reviews on platforms like Checkatrade, we’re trusted by countless satisfied clients.

• Comprehensive Services: Thanks to our strong partnerships with sub-contractors, we offer complete solutions—from asbestos removal to reinstatement—all managed through a single point of contact. This eliminates the hassle of coordinating multiple service providers.

• Transparency and Integrity: We believe in clear communication and honest pricing. From the initial quote to project completion, we keep you informed every step of the way, ensuring there are no surprises.

Choose Blue A for peace of mind, knowing your asbestos removal project is in the hands of experts who prioritize your safety and satisfaction.

At Blue A, we combine over a decade of experience with industry-leading standards to offer cost-effective and safe asbestos removal solutions. While we ensure compliance with regulations, we frequently go beyond them to guarantee that every project is handled with the highest level of care.

For more details on the costs of your specific asbestos removal project, contact us for a free consultation or visit Asbestos Removal Services.