Removing VCT and Its Adhesive

VCT comes up fast with the right blade, but it's also one of the most common places to find asbestos. Test before you touch it, then match the machine to the room and the blade to the tile.

Before you start

Do these before the machine comes out, so you don't end up scraping untested tile or digging into the subfloor.

• Get the tile and the adhesive tested separately. Keep the report on site.
• Pull base, transitions and anything screwed down.
• Know the substrate. Concrete takes bevel up and a steeper angle; wood takes bevel down and a low angle.
• Plan dust control. Scraping itself is low-dust, but any grinding of residue afterward falls under OSHA's silica rule.

Tools and materials

The right setup depends on the size of the area and what's under the tile.

• A walk-behind for rooms and corridors, a ride-on for open commercial floors. See Walk-behind vs ride-on.
• Blades no wider than the tile.^[1]
• Hand scrapers and a heat gun for edges and small areas.
• Razor blade cutting heads for adhesive cleanup on concrete.

Step by step

Once the test results are clear and the room is prepped, removal goes quickly.

1. Start at a doorway or an edge where you can get the blade under the first tile.
2. Set the blade: bevel up and a steeper angle on concrete, bevel down and flat on wood.^[1]
3. Run in straight lines. If the machine bogs or leaves tile behind, go narrower before going slower.
4. Hand-scrape edges, toe kicks and doorways. Warm stubborn tiles with a heat gun so they release whole.
5. Remove residual adhesive to the level the new flooring and patch makers require. On concrete that's usually a razor head or scraper; heavy residue may need grinding.
6. Sweep with a HEPA vacuum and check flatness before patching. See Subfloor flatness.

Common mistakes

Most VCT removal problems are either a safety shortcut or a blade that doesn't fit the job.

• Skipping the test because the tile "looks new." Only a lab result counts.
• A blade wider than the tile. It rides over joints and chatters.
• Grinding black mastic before it's cleared. That turns a scraping job into a regulated abatement job if it's positive.
• Leaving adhesive the new flooring can't go over. Many adhesives and patches won't bond to old cutback. Check before you leave the job.

References

1. National 550 operating manual (blade selection by material)
2. OSHA 1926.1101 (asbestos, construction)

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