![]() ![]() This reduces the chances of fibers getting into the air and the risk of you inhaling them. One removal method is called wet scraping which ensures that the black mastic remains wet for the entire removal process. Over time mastic gets brittle and if you remove it there will be particles escaping into the air. It is always better to employ a professional for any job that may include asbestos. The smell of the black mastic is not a health issue. This will let safely carry on removing the black mastic. They will send a small sample sent to a lab, taking any guesswork out of the issue. It could contain asbestos and if so, will need a professional to deal with it. If you come across a sticky black substance underneath old tiles or other floor covering then it’s best to stop work. Remodeling an older property frequently means ripping up old flooring. ![]() A property from pre-1986 is more likely to have black mastic than one built after that time. Some older water based adhesives were also black, so the color alone isn’t enough to identify cutback adhesive.Ĭonsider the date of the house and when it was built. Typically the smell will give away its identity. You’ll usually only ever see black mastic in older homes when you are pulling up old floor coverings. You’ll then be able to put on a new floor covering over the top of this material. Then you can add a cementitious barrier or underlayment compound on top of the mastic. You’ll still need to remove as much of the cutback as possible first. Coverįinally, to get rid of the black mastic smell you can cover the floor. This is usually a polymer layer of material. Then you can apply the encapsulating substance to the floor surface. For ease, use a power scraping device for this job. You will need to remove as much of the cutback as possible first. Sealing or encapsulating the black mastic will also help to get rid of the smell. Still, by removing the black mastic you should also get rid of the smell. The concrete can absorb the solvents and any residue may cause problems by reacting to the adhesive of new floor coverings. You can use chemicals to remove the mastic but be aware this can cause issues with laying new flooring afterward. We chose to remove it altogether to avoid running into any more issues in the future, but you could also choose to seal or cover it. Once you know what you are dealing with you have a few options for getting rid of the black mastic smell. The smell that people associate with black mastic comes from the combination of asphalt bituminous resin and solvent. Asbestos fibers were used until 1986 when they were banned and replaced with olefin fibers. Naphtha is another byproduct of petroleum, so it is not surprising that it has a strong, and enduring smell.įibers were used in the mastic to strengthen it. The solvent, usually naphtha, was used to thin the resin to make it more spreadable. Asphalt is a viscous form of petroleum and has a very strong odor. The asphalt bituminous resin was the substance that stuck the tiles to the subfloor. The ingredients in black mastic or ‘cutback’ as it was known, were asphalt bituminous resin, solvent, and fibers. This is why you should be very cautious if you encounter this black mastic in your home. However, they often contained asbestos fibers which were added to make the glue more resilient and durable. Apparently, with the intention that they would never be removed again! These adhesives were used to stick vinyl asbestos tiles or vinyl composite tilesto the subfloor. Mastic is a term used in the early 20th century to describe an adhesive that contained asphalt. 5 Final Thoughts What’s In Black Mastic To Make It Smell?
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