Me, overreact??

Had a very interesting and informative phone conversation with a county building inspector yesterday about the whole asbestos issue. Turns out I may have overreacted just a teensy-weensy bit ... so unlike me, I know.

He informed me that our flooring most probably does not contain asbestos because of the year of home construction and that even if it does contain a small amount of the bad mineral, it's of a more stable compound than the mega-nasty stuff that was used as pipe insulation and the like.

My new pal said that we would have to pulverize our floor to release the dangerous particles. And I don't think that we'll do that unless Mr. Hubby and I get into an altercation that involves calling law enforcement.

Great news! So now we can take out those ultra-ugly vinyl layers. And just as an aside, I don't know why the previous owners ever put down the second layer of flooring -- I much preferred the first choice. It's kind of cobblestone-looking with a nice beige tint to it; the top layer is just a plain nasty we-live-in-the-'70's-and-I'm-looking-groovy-in-my-leisure-suit pattern.

So now I need to research the easiest way to remove sheet flooring. The building inspector recommended making the floor damp to ensure any released particles don't get into the air. And I think I recall something about putting really hot, wet towels on the floor to loosen the adhesive. But first we have to remove like 300 nails the previous owners installed on top of the vinyl, I think, simply to miff off anyone who tried to remove it.

The fun continues ...