Is it or isn't it??

Our next major project while we wait for Tall Drink of Water contractor to remove our walls is to get our kitchen floor level.

This will be no easy task since there are multiple layers of linoleum in different parts of the space. You may be saying, "So rip it out already." Easier said than done because of one terrifying word: asbestos. Once touted as a miracle substance, asbestos was later found to be a major carcinogen.

But what exactly is the definition of "later"? From what I can find on-line, asbestos was widely revealed as a bad, bad mineral in the '70's but was not banned right away. And even after its use was prohibited in manufacturing, retailers continued to sell flooring with asbestos backing at bargain prices, kind of a two-for-one deal -- new flooring AND cancer for one low price.

The EPA says that if your house was built before 1980 (ours was constructed in 1978), there's a good chance that asbestos is hiding somewhere. Fabulous. But it's only a problem if you start fiddling with it. It's like a sleeping giant -- as long as you leave it alone, you're fine. But I fear we may have already stirred the monster from his nap with the removal of the ceramic tiles that were on top of the linoleum.

So is it asbestos, or isn't it? There's no easy way to tell. My job today is to find an impartial testing facility (I'm sure hoping there's a government agency that does this kind of work -- just guessing asbestos abatement companies might not be so impartial).

If it IS asbestos, we're looking at potentially thousands of dollars for proper removal. If it weren't for our daughter, LevelHead Jr., I might just forget it and pour some leveling compound on top and be done with it. But the idea of her breathing cancer-causing air everyday makes me sick to my stomach.

So I'll do the right thing. Hey, what's one more budget-buster??