Huh? Surely the ceramic tiles aren't glued down....

From the EPA:

Where asbestos may be found:

• Attic and wall insulation produced containing vermiculite
• Vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives
• Roofing and siding shingles
• Textured paint and patching compounds used on wall and ceilings
• Walls and floors around wood-burning stoves protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets
• Hot water and steam pipes coated with asbestos material or covered with an asbestos blanket or tape
• Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets with asbestos insulation
• Heat-resistant fabrics
• Automobile clutches and brakes
  https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/learn-about-asbestos#find

https://www.asbestos.com/products/

You should go with independent company that charges much much less for the probes and testing done in the lab(depending how many samples you need of course)

900$ sounds completely unreasonable.

Now, if the asbestos will be found-it will become a public knowledge, and you'll need to weigh whether you'd like that or not. Most people don't since it means disclosure during resale.

On the other hand, you don't want to endanger your family and whoever will do the demo, in case tile does contain asbestos. Asbestos and demoing don't go great together.

Unfortunately have no idea whether you can put tile on tile..I hope pros will weigh in

But if you're removing the counter, your question kinda stays

In short. Whatever you decide-ditch that guy..his pricing is nothing to do with reality

(We did a very extensive asbestos testing couple years ago, samples taken every surface in the house. yes, almost every surface did contain asbestos)) It was an independent company, and I think the price was half of what he quoted you, at the very max..I was out of the country in the midst of caring for my Mom, during these developments, so I can ask my DH exactly what he payed them..we're also in CA

It was extensive lab analysis, with types of asbestos, percentage of it in materials, etc. sometimes percentage is very small and you can overlook it..sometimes is not.)

PS also surprised about ceramic tiles..but what do I know.

Thank you! From what I've been reading, I didn't think ceramic tiles would be a problem, that's why I wonder if he's trying to make some extra money off us. And his price of $900 for the testing is a few hundred higher than if we hired an independent tester. I appreciate the links.

I actually want to use a wood laminate throughout the living area and kitchen, not tile over tile. But I agree, his pricing for the testing seemed very high. And we haven't even gotten his bid yet for the demo and installation. I guess it all depends on the testing. He is the contractor Lowe's recommended and apparently does everything "by the book", which I appreciate, but I also don't want to be a fool and fall for every scare tactic he might use. The advantage to using Lowe's is a discount they are running at the moment on the cabinets...I think it's 15% off, which is a good deal with the amount we will be spending. If only I knew a reliable contractor, I'd buy the product from them and have someone else do the work.

Thanks nosoccermom. I checked that website too and it appears it's mostly the vinyl tiles that are a concern. But I wonder if he is talking about the grout having asbestos. We are going to Lowe's on Friday and if this guy is adamant about the testing, we will ask for a different contractor.

I had my place tested and it wasn't any $900. In my state and probably in yours not just anyone can do the testing so it seems like he would be hiring someone to do the real testing and getting a cut on top of that....I would find out the licensing requirements in your state and hire someone to do the test who does NOT do abatement. You need the tester to be completely independent. Both the tiles and the adhesive may contain asbestos...do you know whether you have only one floor or multiple floors on top of each other?

Great link, nosoccermom. Very informational. Bookmarked it..even though we don't have any asbestos left lol

We live in Portland, Oregon. We had vinyl tiles in the basement of our 1968 house. The floor was in poor condition, so we just popped up a small sample of the tile and adhesive and we dropped it off a local lab. I think it only cost around $50. The tiles were clear, but the adhesive had 3% asbestos. We talked to an old-school flooring acquaintance and opted to leave it alone, cover with carpet pad and carpet rather than abate.

practigal I don't know if there are multiple floors...we've only owned the unit for 3 years, so not sure what was done in the past. I totally agree about getting a tester who is completely independent, with nothing to gain as a contractor or as someone who does abatement.

In my next life I want to come back as a handyman or contractor! Then I can avoid this drama and do it all myself :-)

I have tested house parts twice for asbestos. Cost $30 or so each time. (I'm in a similarly high cost of living area.) I drove a sample in a bag to the testing place (I think I googled to find such a place; it wasn't hard, and they were very receptive to a homeowner as customer). One sample was positive, one wasn't. To have pros - its not the GC guys (nor Lowes guys) - remove asbestos wrap on heating pipes ran us about $1,000 - which is far easier to remove than ceramic tile - but still just the testing for $900?! Crazy! Perhaps they (as Lowes' subs) contract out that work, so need a cut? Who knows. I just know that were I am asbestos remover companies are specialists. (FYI a good chunk of the $1,000 removal cost was the actual cost to the asbestos company to dispose of the stuff at a specialty dump site in a neighboring state. I wouldn't be surprised if in CA this is even more regulated - and thus expensive.)

Don't hire big blue or orange. Just hire a trusted local GC and he will be busy enough to not rip you off on such things. Ask family/friends/neighbors/guy at the local hardware/paint/plumbing store for referrals.

I wouldn't renovate if I was selling in a year or two.

Oh - and once you test for the asbestos you might have to disclose it when you sell (if you don't remove it). Of course ask a realtor in your area.

Definitely has to disclose it. I think even if abated-needs to disclose with documents it's been abated..but that's already my uneducated guess.

Buy the cabinets from Lowes if you think that's the best price, (although I'd actually check some independent cabinet places first) but find an independent contractor not sent by Lowes. I've heard too many horror stories. Especially if it's all contracted through Lowes.

Think about it. The best contractors don't need to get their business through Lowes because they work through word of mouth from satisfied customers. Plus if they contract through Lowes, it means that Lowes takes a cut so you may actually be paying more for what could be an inferior job.

And yes that sounds like he's trying to sell you snake oil. Grout wouldn't have asbestos. Neither would tile.

And I agree if you intend to sell in a year or two, I wouldn't upgrade. You'll never recoup the cost of the reno.

Just another 2 cents on 'I wouldn't bother to renovate:' the photo you posted shows a beautiful room! I can see what you are proposing would be a very nice upgrade in flow and usability, but I'd be surprised if a realtor would say it will increase the value (by the cost of renovating) as what you already have isn't broken, and I think is very pretty. Even looks staged, the furniture is so nice!

Thanks so much for all the advice!!! It's so difficult to know who to trust when it comes to renovations...especially since neither my husband nor I are at all handy with DIY projects.

The kitchen cabinets may not look bad from a distance, but the prior owner did a very poor job of refacing the cabinets and the quality of the doors is awful. The countertops are also cracked in several areas. We purchased the place for a very good price, so we didn't mind the updates that clearly needed to be done. But now that we are finally ready to do the remodeling, it's been a real hassle. Thankfully this is our weekend place, because I don't even like using the kitchen...it's that gross!! Also why it looks staged :-) furniture and flooring is gently used.

I think we will take your advice ap999 & cpartist and ask around for local GCs.

California homes in 1974 weren't being generally built with ceramic tile floors. It was mostly vinyl tiles or sheet vinyl. The previous owner(s) probably had the tile put in at a later date. By 1978 little to no asbestos was being used in much of anything. Grout or tile having asbestos? No the contractor is being shifty.

I think the "contractor " is taking advantage of your inexperience with remodeling and trying to pocket a extra cash on the side. I would let Lowes know about it. They don't need the eventual bad rep guys like this will bring on them.

Asbestos fears are overstated anyway. The fear mongering is insane. Removal companies capitalize on that fear. Ship builders and people who have worked around it all their lives get ill. Not a homeowner changing out a floor. Taking up even an old asbestos vinyl floor isn't going to create much dust and you have to breath in the dust for it to to be harmful. If it's a concern wetting the area down will take care of the little bit found in the average home built back in the asbestos days.

I meant to check local kitchen stores where they sell cabinets.

Also instead of replacing all the cabinets, why not just replace the doors and the countertop?

Watchmelol is correct. I would definitely report this person to Lowe's because $900 for asbestos testing is simply ridiculous... and only vinyl tile and the adhesive holding vinyl tile is the thing that would be tested. A porcelain type tile floor with grout would not be tested. It makes absolutely no sense.

cpartist the inside of the cabinets are in really bad shape, so replacing the doors is not really an option. I wish we could do that...it would be so much easier!

Thank you watchmelol for continuing to confirm that this contractor is shifty and trying to make extra money off us. We are meeting with Lowe's today to get the bid for the work and I'm going to make it clear to the salesperson that we are not stupid and aren't buying their contractor's b.s.

We are also getting bids from two local GCs this weekend. That should give us a clearer idea of what's necessary and what's not.

I can't thank you all enough for helping a couple of novices with this project! I don't mind paying for quality work, but hated the thought of being taken advantage of!

Lowe's is a complete rip off. They overcharge for EVERYTHING.

I have not found Lowes to overcharge on everything. Lowes doesn't do asbestos testing. There is something else going on with this contractor trying to get this testing done. He just reeks. If no one complains about what he is up to then Lowes will have quite a reputational problem. It is better to tell the store manager they've got an issue.

We went to Lowe's on Friday and were shocked at the quote from this contractor!!! For cabinets, countertops, demo, testing, permitting, labor, etc...it was over $23,000! And this is a TINY kitchen! We told the salesperson that was way over our budget, so he suggested we buy the materials from them, do our own demo and have their cabinet installers do the installation. The counter top price included installation. Long story short, if we organize everything separately, we save about $10K. Outrageous!!!!! We made it clear to the salesperson that we thought his contractor was trying to rip us off. So glad I asked for help and really appreciate all the comments and suggestions!