A rintamamiestalo is a Finnish post-war house: a detached family home built in the 1940s and 1950s, often for returning veterans and evacuees. Its original structures are mostly timber, so asbestos is not usually looked for in the logs, boards or sawdust insulation. Asbestos can, however, be in the layers added by later renovations: in vinyl flooring and its black adhesive, tile adhesives, fillers, wet-room boards, pipe and boiler insulation, roofing felt and roof sheets, sealants, and the seals of stoves and fireplaces. Renovations in the 1960s–1980s in particular brought these materials into the houses. Because every house has been renovated in its own way, the question is settled material by material and confirmed in a laboratory before the renovation.
This article covers the renovation layers that have typically built up in a rintamamiestalo, which rooms and materials are worth sampling before a renovation, how to take the samples and what the result means.
Why is asbestos in the renovation layers of a post-war house?
These houses were built after the war, often from standard plans and largely by the owners themselves. They had timber frames, sawdust and paper for insulation, and heat from masonry stoves or a wood-fired boiler. Over the following decades, bathrooms were added, kitchens were renewed, heating was switched to oil, floors were covered and roofs were replaced. Each renovation left a layer of its own, and many were carried out at a time when asbestos-containing products were in common use.
An overview of asbestos in old houses decade by decade is in the article asbestos in an old house. Here we focus on the renovation layers specific to the rintamamiestalo: what each typical renovation may have brought into the house.
What may each renovation have brought into the house?
The original construction
The original structures can also contain asbestos, but usually only in limited places: in the seals and door gaskets of stoves and fireplaces, in protective boards around the fireplace, and in some houses in asbestos cement sheets on the roof or on outbuildings. The boards are covered in more detail in the article asbestos cement and mineriitti boards.
Changes to the heating
When heating was switched to oil or the house got water-based central heating, a boiler, pipework and its insulation were installed in the basement. Pipe and boiler insulation, fire protection boards in the boiler room and seals at flue connections are typical things to test. See also asbestos in pipe insulation.
Bathroom and sauna
Many of these houses only got a bathroom later, often in the basement or in a former storage room. The tile adhesives, grouts, fillers and boards under the tiles then date from the time of that renovation. Read more in the articles asbestos in tile adhesive and asbestos in filler.
Floor coverings
Vinyl flooring or vinyl tiles were often glued on top of the original board floors, sometimes more than once. The black or dark adhesive under the flooring is one of the most important layers to test, because it stays stuck to the boards even when the flooring comes off. More on this in the articles asbestos in vinyl flooring and asbestos in vinyl tiles.
Roof and façade repairs
The roof may have been covered with roofing felt, felt shingles or asbestos cement sheets, and the façade or plinth with board cladding. See asbestos in roofing felt.
Windows and doors
Sealants and putty used when windows and doors were replaced can contain asbestos. They are worth testing if the windows are going to be restored or replaced.
Room by room: where to sample before a renovation?
The list below is a checklist. You do not need to test everything at once: sample the materials that your planned renovation will affect.
Kitchen
- vinyl flooring or vinyl tiles and the adhesive underneath
- splashback tiles and tile adhesive
- wall and ceiling fillers
Bathroom, washroom and sauna
- adhesive and grout for wall and floor tiles
- fillers and boards under the tiles
- protective boards behind and above the sauna stove
Living room and bedrooms
- vinyl flooring and adhesives, including older layers hidden under the current flooring
- wall and ceiling fillers, and rough or patterned sprayed coatings
- seals of stoves and fireplaces and the protective boards around them
Basement and boiler room
- insulation on heating pipes and the boiler
- fire protection boards on walls and ceilings
- seals at flue connections and floor fillers
Attic, roof and building envelope
- roofing felt and roof sheets
- façade and plinth boards
- sealants and putty in windows and doors
- roof and wall boards in the sauna, garage or shed
How should you plan the samples?
- Start from the renovation: list what you plan to demolish, sand or drill, and sample only those materials.
- Take one sample per different material build-up. In a kitchen renovation, for example, the floor covering with its adhesive, the splashback tile adhesive and the wall filler are often tested.
- If the floor has several coverings on top of each other, take the sample through every layer down to the boards.
- If the same room has been repaired at different times, patched areas are tested separately.
How to take the sample
- Wear disposable gloves and a respirator of at least class FFP3.
- Lightly mist the sampling spot with a spray bottle.
- Using a knife or chisel, remove a piece of about 2–5 centimetres so that every layer comes with it down to the substrate. From a board, snap a small piece off the edge with pliers instead of sawing.
- Drop the piece into a zip-lock bag, seal it and put it inside a second bag.
- Mark the bag with the location, for example "upstairs bedroom, vinyl flooring and adhesive".
- Cover the sampling spot with tape and wipe the area with a damp cloth.
More detailed instructions are in the article how to take an asbestos sample.
What does the result mean?
Onelab analyses the sample with a JEOL SEM-EDS electron microscope in accordance with ISO 22262-1, and the result is sent by email, typically on the day the sample arrives.
- No asbestos detected: no asbestos was detected in the sample. The result applies to the sampling spot and similar material. Other renovation layers in the house are tested separately.
- Asbestos detected: demolition and sanding of the material are planned as asbestos work, and the removal is carried out by a company authorised for asbestos removal work. Intact material that the renovation does not affect can stay in place.
If the whole house is going to be fully renovated or demolished and an on-site asbestos survey is required, the survey is carried out on site by a qualified surveyor. Onelab is a laboratory, and on-site surveys are handled by our sister brand AsbestiPro.
How much does the analysis cost?
The analysis costs €39.90 + VAT per sample, and the price is the same for 1–100 samples, so you can send samples from several rooms at once. Orders of more than 100 samples can be priced separately. Postage is not included. You can order the analysis online and send the samples to the laboratory by post.