Is it possible to use a circular saw on old asphalt tile and its underlayment. This tile is from the mid 40’s and was laid over 1/4″ plywood. I need to get down to the sub floor. To speed removal I thought I could use a circular saw to cut the surface into easily handled sections and remove underlayment and all.
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Replies
i would not do it. the old tile will have asbestos and that would be vewy vewy bad. i would rent a mechanical stripper from any rental shop. it has a blade that lifts the tile w/o dust. the other way is a ice spud or a putty knife.
Try heat gun or propane torch. Then may come up easier than expected. Less likely to free asbestos fibers that way.
Once you get a section down to wood, you can cut asbestos-free, than you can get under the 1/4 ply with prybars.
yes the saw will cut the tile, but
you probably have asbestos tiles and the saw will launch some fibers
i think you have the right idea removing the underlayment and the tile together. you should consider removing the tile first in the areas where you really need to cut the underlayment.
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