Middleborough · Tile And Waterproofing
Before new tile goes down in a Middleborough bath, find out what the old floor is made of. Learn the asbestos and lead basics, then connect with an independent Middleborough remodeler.
Middleborough, Massachusetts
Middleborough's housing spans more than a century, from 2,299 homes built in 1939 or earlier to subdivisions from the 1970s and 1980s; the median home dates to 1979. Across that range, a bathroom floor may have been redone several times, and it's common to find sheet vinyl or square resilient tile, glued down with black or brown adhesive, under a newer surface.
MassDEP says asbestos was used in resilient flooring, mastics, wallboard joint compound and decorative plasters, and that it can turn up in structures of all ages. If such material is in good condition, the agency's advice is to leave it alone. Grinding, sanding or chipping it up to make way for tile is exactly what you don't want to do without knowing what it is.
Call or send a request to be connected with an independent remodeler who serves Middleborough, and ask how they handle old flooring before you agree to a plan. The site only makes the introduction.
Look at the edge of the floor at the threshold. Two or three visible layers mean the floor was covered over before, and the bottom one may be old resilient tile.
Older square resilient tiles that are cracking or crumbling are no longer intact. Keep foot traffic down and have them tested before any work.
Flex in those spots suggests subfloor damage from past leaks, which has to be repaired before tile can go down.
In homes from the 1970s and 1980s, tub-surround tile was often set on drywall. Softness or crumbling grout there means water has gotten behind it.
Local knowledge
The age of the housing and a few state and local rules shape the order of a Middleborough tile job.
Housing Age Range
Homes on both sides of that median may hold materials from before certain asbestos uses were banned in the 1970s, and those built before 1978 may have lead paint. Identify the old layers before demolition, and have anything suspect tested.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Asbestos Notice Period
Massachusetts requires notice to MassDEP and the Department of Labor Standards at least ten working days before an asbestos abatement, removal or disposal project. If testing finds asbestos in a Middleborough bath floor, build that wait into the schedule, or ask whether covering the old floor is an option.
Source: MassDEP
Nemasket River Flooding
Prolonged rain that month flooded parts of Greater Taunton and Brockton, Middleborough included. For a bath on a lower level near the river, tile over cement board rides out water far better than vinyl over particleboard or wood underlayment.
Source: Wicked Local
Online Permits
Middleborough's Building Department enforces the building, plumbing, gas and wiring codes and offers online permitting. Tile alone usually isn't permitted work, but replacing a subfloor or moving a drain is.
Source: Town of Middleborough
Right now
Knowing what you have comes before choosing what goes on top.
Leave resilient tile, sheet vinyl and the adhesive under it alone until you know what they contain.
A remodeler can arrange for a lab to test a sample, or point you to an asbestos inspector who holds a state license.
If the old floor is intact and the subfloor is sound, some installers can build up over it. Ask about the added height at the door and the toilet flange.
Painted trim and walls in a pre-1978 home may call for lead-safe work practices during demolition.
What to expect
The state building code puts tiling on its list of finish work that doesn't call for a building permit (780 CMR 105.2). The Middleborough Building Department gets involved when the job moves into subfloor replacement, framing, new wallboard or plumbing changes, each of which needs its own permit.
If testing shows asbestos, removal becomes a regulated job for a contractor holding the right state license, after the ten-working-day notice; the tile installer comes in afterward. If the material is clean, or will stay in place under new layers, the job goes ahead like any other retile.
In older farmhouses and capes, expect the installer to check floor level and flex closely; in newer homes, the focus is usually the board around the tub. Either way, ask to see the backer and membrane before tile goes on.
Hire smart
In Massachusetts, contractors who remodel an existing owner-occupied home of one to four units must be registered Home Improvement Contractors, and the plumbing and electrical parts of the job must be done by a plumber and an electrician who hold Massachusetts licenses, under permits.
A careful installer asks about the home's age and checks under the top layer before quoting. Be wary of anyone who plans to grind up an untested floor.
Mass.gov notes that tile and floor covering work alone may not require HIC registration. Subfloor replacement, demolition and wallboard do, so hire a registered Home Improvement Contractor for those and confirm the number online.
If asbestos removal is needed, it should be its own line or contract with a firm that holds the state asbestos license.
Ask how dust will be contained, how the stairs and hall will be protected, and how the room will be cleaned at the end of each day.
Costs
Testing and, if needed, abatement come ahead of the tile itself. Covering an intact old floor can avoid that step, but it adds underlayment and may raise the floor.
Beyond that, subfloor repairs, leveling for larger tile, the waterproofing system and the tile layout make up most of the price. Ask for written estimates that list testing, any abatement, carpentry, waterproofing and tile labor separately, so you know what changes if a test comes back positive.
More help in Middleborough
Every page below is written for Middleborough homes. Or start from the Middleborough bathroom remodeling guide.
Learning Center
Massachusetts gives homeowners real protections on remodeling jobs, but only if the contractor is registered and the contract follows the law. Here is what to check before you hand over a deposit.
Read the guide
The decisions you make before demolition shape the cost, the schedule, and how the room works for the next twenty years. Here's what to settle first.
Read the guideQuestions
Still not sure? Send a short request and a local pro can answer the specifics.
If it's resilient tile or sheet vinyl, or has dark adhesive underneath, and you don't know its age, testing is a sensible first step. MassDEP's advice is to leave asbestos-containing material in good condition alone.
Sometimes, if the vinyl is well stuck down and the subfloor is sound. Tile needs a rigid base, so the installer will usually add an underlayment, which raises the floor.
State rules require notice to MassDEP and the Department of Labor Standards at least ten working days before abatement starts, so allow at least two weeks before removal can begin.
Tile itself shrugs off water; what fails is what's under it. Use cement board or a membrane instead of particleboard or wood underlayment, since parts of town flooded in 2010.
Get connected
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