Magnesite Flooring Removal

Magnesite Removal Sydney

Magnesite Flooring Removal

Sydney’s older apartment developments also have a topping of magnesite flooring on concrete that displays a smooth finish.

Long-term exposure to moisture that occurs in household kitchens, bathrooms, laundries or balconies as well as windows can lead to the magnesite releasing harmful chlorides.

Which will start to damage the material as well as the concrete and steel, causing corrosion and the material to disintegrate, crack and lump. When this occurs a few decades after installation, magnesite must be removed and the damaged areas treated or removed.

Carpet Removal Sydney offers a magnesite flooring removal services to ensure that your home or business area is repaired of any issues caused by the magnesite such as concrete cancer.

We will also do a free inspection once the magnesite floor topping has been removed, we inspect the concrete slab for any damage from the magnesite flooring such as concrete cancer/concrete spalling.

Our professionals are experts in magnesite flooring removal, so they have the expertise and skills to remove magnesite floor toppings from concrete floors and deal with the damage appropriately in a safe and efficient manner.

Our experts at Magnesite Removal Sydney use high-quality equipment and tools to ensure that you can restore your concrete slab to a safe and usable condition which will be ready for the reinstallation of a new flooring system.

To obtain a Free Price Beat Guarantee Quote from Australia’s #1 Magnesite Flooring Removal Company simply fill out our:
Free Online Quote Form!

You can also contact us directly on:
0424 408 330

Or email us at:
Enquiries@CarpetRemovalSydney.com.au
for a free quote & site inspection today.

We will ALWAYS Beat All Of Our Competitors Quotes By Up To 30%*

Magnesite Flooring Removal Cost

$42 Per Square Meter (Including GST) + FREE DISPOSAL OF WASTE!

Prices can vary quite a lot from company to company or private contractor regarding magnesite flooring removal costs, here at Carpet Removal Sydney we guarantee that we will always have the lowest prices in Australia. We will always be upfront with pricing, with no hidden extras. Our prices are $42 per square meter, this includes GST & DISPOSAL – NO HIDDEN EXTRA COSTS!

Feel free to use our free square meter calculator if you would like to figure out how much your job will cost!

Other companies regardless of job size will make you hire a skip bin which will cost a huge amount ($375 – $1,000+) which will have to sit in your front yard for days while you deal with the annoyance of organising it and the large cost of the whole process.

Here at Magnesite Removal Sydney, we come in, remove all your magnesite flooring, sweep and vacuum your property. Then once we are finished, we will also take all the waste to a local resource management center for you (Recycling whenever possible) which will be far cheaper than you having to hire a skip bin and dealing with the frustration of that whole process!

To obtain a Free Price Beat Guarantee Quote from Australia’s #1 Magnesite Flooring Removal Company simply fill out our:
Free Online Quote Form!

You can also contact us directly on:
0424 408 330

Or email us at:
Enquiries@CarpetRemovalSydney.com.au
for a free quote & site inspection today.

We will ALWAYS Beat All Of Our Competitors Quotes By Up To 30%*

Magnesite Removal

Magnesite flooring should never be removed without a well-trained team, who is licensed to remove asbestos floorings such as magnesite floors the work can be extremely dangerous without the proper PPE (personal protective equipment). You MUST have a license to remove anything over 10 square meters of magnesite flooring.

Our magnesite removal specialist team will remove the magnesite topping leaving the concrete slab in a condition that is ready to have new flooring installed on. Although sometimes some magnesite flooring jobs will have magnesite residue stuck to the floor even after the magnesite flooring has been jackhammered off.

When this happens the remaining magnesite residue will need to be ground off using specialized equipment to restore your concrete slab back to a level and smooth state allowing a new flooring system to be installed or to allow the fresh concrete slab to be used as your new floor.

When magnesite flooring is exposed to moisture over prolonged periods of time, chloride ions from the magnesite diffuse into the pores of the underlying concrete slab eventually reaching the reinforcing steel.

As chloride levels in the slab reach the chloride threshold, corrosion of the steel reinforcement will begin to take place, the longer the exposure time to the moisture source, the more aggressive the corrosion of the steel reinforcement will be.

Corrosion of this nature results in pitting of the steel reinforcement where it loses its cross-sectional area and strength. Iron oxide deposits also occur, causing expansive forces within the concrete. These forces cause cracking and spalling of the concrete around the corroding steel, a common name for this type of concrete spalling is concrete cancer.

Magnesite Floor Residue Removal Cost

$20 Per Square Meter (Including GST) + FREE DISPOSAL OF WASTE!

Magnesite flooring can be incredibly hard to remove even with specialized equipment and a well trained team, sometimes concrete grinding after the magnesite topping has been removed is required to leave the concrete slab in a condition that is ready to have new flooring installed on.

When this happens the remaining residue will need to be ground off using specialized equipment to restore your concrete slab back to a level, smooth state allowing a new flooring system to be installed or to allow the fresh concrete slab to be used as your new floor.

What Is Magnesite Flooring?

Older buildings especially apartments & unit blocks across Sydney that were built between the 20s up untill the 80s are more than likely to have magnesite flooring. It is a made of a chemical named Magnesium Oxychloride, which is a kind of asbestos material. (It can be extremely dangerous to your long-term health to remove if you don’t take the proper precautions while doing it).

You must be a licenced asbestos flooring removal specialist and use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to remove magnesite flooring as well as taking the proper precautions to remove and dispose of it in a safe manner

Magnesite flooring isn’t used much anymore, but because it was present in a lot of older buildings, it means that floor removal contractors could come across it, so knowing how to deal with it is very important.

Magnesite was used quite a lot in the flooring industry in the past and it is the properties that are often thirty or more years old. These older properties could still have it present. Magnesite flooring screeds were predominantly used in industrial buildings as it was known to be resistant to oil spillages, but are also often found it unit blocks and apartments.

Because Magnesite flooring is water-soluble, it will return to its previous state should it be exposed to enough water. Magnesite flooring is also quite flexible, meaning that it is not suitable to be overlaid with a smoothing compound, making it unsuitable to be used with all types of floor covering.

Although magnesite flooring was quite a popular subfloor product many years ago, the introduction of more modern, safer and more durable subfloor products has meant that magnesite flooring has fallen from favour.

When building contractors do discover a flooring screed that contains magnesite, the chances are that it was installed many years ago and is now showing definite signs of wear and tear. The best thing to do in this case would be to carefully remove the magnesite flooring and lay a new floor in its place.

Removing the old magnesite floor will clearly take some time, but by laying a new damp proof membrane and a smoothing compound capable of offering a deep fill to replace the magnesite, will mean the subfloor is far more suitable for modern use and will remove the risk of concrete cancer damaging your subfloor.

Magnesite is often mixed with concrete making it extremely difficult to remove even with the strongest team and specialized heavy demolition equipment such as a hydraulic jackhammer.

The dust that is released from magnesite flooring when it is removed can be extremely dangerous to breathe in as well, making specialized safety equipment a MUST!

It has been commonly used in homes built in the 20s-70s. Just like many other asbestos-containing building materials, it was a useful chemical for a range of materials but unfortunately, the time has developed it into a health hazard, as well as a hazard to the building structure as it can cause concrete cancer.

After long-term exposure to moisture, the magnesite may start to wear and become damaged. This will result in harmful chlorides being released into the air and getting into your family and pets lungs.

Common areas of the household for this to happen include kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, balconies, and near windows. Once the magnesite starts releasing the chlorides, it will damage the surrounding concrete, pipes, and steel. Causing corrosion, cracks, lumps, and disintegration.

Magnesite flooring should be replaced before any of these effects happen as it is unsafe to leave it
as well as the factors of it devalue your property and causing future issues that will be far more expensive to fix.

The disintegration of the concrete can not only be a health hazard but also a tripping hazard
which is a huge problem particularly for businesses who want to avoid workers compensation lawsuits.

If you want to refurbish your home or renovate your business’s workspace.

Magnesite flooring can make it extremely difficult as it is not a suitable material to use smoothing compound on and can limit what floor covering you can use.

The best thing for you to do is to get your magnesite flooring professionally removed before replacing it with a more substantial, sturdy surface. By getting it professionally removed you can ensure that the job will be completed in a safe and fast manner by our team at Magnesite Removal Sydney.

At Magnesite Removal Sydney, we offer a service to remove your magnesite in a safe manner while making sure that you avoid any of the harmful effects of breathing in the asbestos-like dust in the area by attempting to do it your self.

Our team of professionals has years of experience in magnesite flooring removal. We use high-quality, safety equipment and specialized tools to get the best results when completing the task of removing the magnesite flooring. We will be able to remove the magnesite toppings in a safe and efficient manner while making sure that is completed within a reasonable time frame.

We are a fully insured company with white card health and safety, workers compensation and insured for public liability.

To obtain a Free Price Beat Guarantee Quote from Australia’s #1 Magnesite Flooring Removal Company simply fill out our:
Free Online Quote Form!

You can also contact us directly on:
0424 408 330

Or email us at:
Enquiries@CarpetRemovalSydney.com.au
for a free quote & site inspection today.

We will ALWAYS Beat All Of Our Competitors Quotes By Up To 30%*

Magnesite

Why is Magnesite no longer a recommended Subfloor?

Magnesite flooring is moisture sensitive and will gradually breakdown if it remains wet for an extended period. As the filler consists of sawdust, wood, asbestos particles bound together with Magnesium Oxychloride.

it will swell up and the filler can also rot and produce unpleasant odours. It was typically laid between 10mm and 25mm thick, but two coat applications could be up to 50mm thick.

Magnesite flooring is hydroscopic and in high humidity environments, close to water (e.g. lakes, coastal, etc), or when exposed to wetting from situations such as accidental pipe bursts, accidental water spillage’s over decades and decades of time, constant steam cleaning of carpets, washing of vinyl where the water penetrates joints or where there is an inadequate slab membrane and rising damp is present, the material absorbs moisture with the resultant effect as concrete cancer.

Prolonged exposure to high humidity or moisture will release chlorides, either by leaching of unreacted Magnesium Chloride or possible break down of the cement. These chlorides are highly corrosive and can attack concrete and metal fittings or reinforcement, and are part of the ‘concrete cancer’ phenomena.

This problem has been identified in a number of buildings in coastal areas of NSW and the resultant damage to steel reinforcement produced concrete failures with considerable expense and inconvenience to repair damaged floors.

There is always an element of risk in covering magnesite floors with new impervious floorings, especially where the sub-floor is on the ground.

They are sometimes laid where the protection from rising damp is barely adequate, and whilst the Magnesite surface can breathe so that the flooring remains dry, once covered, the moisture levels can rise to an extent that failure occurs.

The Asbestos Risk Associated With Magnesite

As discussed earlier, Magnesite can contain asbestos fibers, as a filler. Commonly, the way to deal with asbestos, once identified, is to remove it, using a licensed contractor, or to encapsulate it.

However, you can’t encapsulate a Magnesite floor, as they are so vulnerable to deterioration when exposed to water. Obviously, if you tried to encapsulate by pouring a screed (such as Ardex) over the top, then you’d be introducing large amounts of construction moisture into the Magnesite.

The underlying Magnesite, would then most likely turn to a Weetabix type consistency, and start to break up, leaving you with no suitable substrate support below the screed.

the water penetrates the magnesite flooring or where there is an inadequate slab membrane, the material absorbs moisture which results in concrete cancer.

The Risk Of Laying A New Flooring System Without Removing Magnesite

A lot of floor layers will try to convince their customers to let install a new flooring system without removing the magnesite first as removing the magnesite will delay their project of laying your new flooring system which delays them getting paid. But within a matter of weeks, months or a few years, your new flooring system, underlay and subfloor will be completely destroyed from skipping the removal of the magnesite flooring process.

It has happened again and again to so many of our customers, trusting a private floor contractor who has little to no knowledge of what magnesite even is.

To obtain a Free Price Beat Guarantee Quote from Australia’s #1 Magnesite Flooring Removal Company simply fill out our:
Free Online Quote Form!

You can also contact us directly on:
0424 408 330

Or email us at:
Enquiries@CarpetRemovalSydney.com.au
for a free quote & site inspection today.

We will ALWAYS Beat All Of Our Competitors Quotes By Up To 30%*

Why You Should Remove Your Magnesite Flooring

• Magnesite flooring will devalue your property.
• Magnesite can be harmful to your health (especially if you have children or pets!).
• It will often cause concrete spalling (concrete cancer).
• It often contains asbestos.
• If removed early enough you might be able to avoid having to repair your concrete slab.
• It can corrode the steel reinforcing beams in the concrete slab.
• It may ruin your new flooring if you leave your magnesite flooring down and try to lay a new floor topping over it.
• Since Magnesite is water-soluble, that means that it will always return to its previous state if it exposed
  to enough water, which will completely destroy the floor topping and lead to concrete cancer.
• Magnesite floors will eventually corrode any water and gas pipes present.
• Magnesite floors are prone to getting damp since they do not remain moisture-proof.
• Magnesite floors are tricky to work with especially if you are trying to refurbish or renovate your home.
  Since magnesite is flexible, it is not a suitable material to simply be overlaid by a smoothing compound
• Because your magnesite flooring has most likely been laid over 50 years ago, it will already be showing signs of wear and tear,
  Which means it should always be replaced with a more suitable product.

Does Magnesite Flooring Contain Asbestos?

Magnesite flooring consists of Magnesium Oxychloride, which is a white asbestos material. Magnesite was applied to the top of concrete ground floors in unit blocks. It has been commonly used in homes built in the 20’s, 30’s and was still used up into the 70’s.

It is important to determine whether or not your home has magnesite floors because this type of flooring is unsafe and should be replaced. if you are trying to refurbish or renovate your home. It is not a suitable material to simply be overlaid by a smoothing compound as it has most likely been down for such a long time that the effects of it have most likely already started to damage your subfloor.

Just like any other asbestos-containing building materials, it was a useful product for a range of materials but unfortunately, time revealed that it is a health hazard and structural hazard which can cause concrete cancer. Forcing residence to remove this harmful material from their home to avoid further structural damage.

Does Magnesite Flooring Cause Problems Or Issues?

Strata Laws NSW & Strata Management

You are required by Strata Laws NSW to inform your strata and get approval before our team comes into your property to remove your magnesite flooring. This is not our responsibility.

You will be charged a full call-out fee ($250), as well as a day’s labour fee and equipment, hire costs for your job if we are forced to stop work during the day from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM due to you not informing your local strata and/or neighbours.

You should ALWAYS respect your strata and neighbours by informing them of when work will be commencing by giving them 7 days notice after approval.

As well as putting up a notice on your notice board if strata haven’t for you already.

We will always try to keep the noise to a minimum but while using heavy machinery such as jackhammers it is near impossible to not disrupt your neighbours with loud noise between working hours.

Especially your neighbours closest, above and below you, as they will be the ones affected the most.

Will Strata Pay For The Removal Of My Magnesite Flooring? (Yes)

Magnesite flooring is “Common Property” so is your concrete subfloor. Your Strata is required by law in NSW to pay for removal of your magnesite flooring as well as any damage that it has caused to your concrete slab such as Concrete Cancer.

It is not uncommon for a strata committee to try to bully a property owner (especially a new one who is not familiar with strata laws) out of having their magnesite removed. Often lying and saying that it is in “Fine condition” and “Does not need to be removed” and is “Safe” which is just simply not true.

There is no possible way that they can tell how your concrete slab looks and if it is in a safe condition without first removing the hazardous magnesite, not to mention if you dont remove the magnesite and your new flooring system fails after installation because the magnesite starts to crack and bubble up.

When this happens strata will not be paying for the removal and re-installation of your new flooring system! only the magnesite removal! so be careful not to get bullied or scammed into thinking that it is safe to leave your magnesite subfloor down.

The slab remediation is definitely the responsibility of the Owners Corporation not the responsibility of individual owners. Common property includes concrete slabs, shared walls, balconies, and in most instances windows and exterior doors (depending on when your Strata Plan was registered). Check your Strata Plan’s common property definitions with the Department of Lands.

To cover the costs of the remediation, special levies may be called in if your strata fund currently does not have enough money for major repairs (Such as concrete cancer repair on every balcony in the unit block).

Magnesite is not a floor covering an individual unit owner would have installed. It would have been laid to level the slab and act as a soundproofing agent during construction around the time period of the 20s to the 80s. It doesn’t get used anymore, due to its destruction of concrete slabs through concrete cancer, its general lack of waterproofing and unsafety as it can contain asbestos.

It leaches magnesium chloride ions into the slab when it gets wet, and that causes the steel reinforcing beams to rust (concrete cancer). The swelling associated with the rusting causes the concrete to spall or blow. The slab is weakened and needs to be replaced. If the ceiling downstairs is cracking, then the upper and bottom layers of steel are rusted, and the entire slab (full thickness) may need replacing. Magnesite only leaches magnesium chloride ions when it gets wet. That means the building maintenance has not been up to scratch (another reason why it is not a lot owner’s responsibility but the responsibility of the owner’s corporation.

Fair Trading – By Laws In Your Strata Scheme

Fair Trading – Common Property And The Lot

Fair Trading – Repairs & Maintenance

Our Promise To You

We specialise in delivering magnesite removal solutions to the residential, commercial, industrial and civil sectors throughout Sydney. No job is too big or too small. We’ve built our reputation based on quality workmanship, efficient service, and value for money.

We will beat all competitors quotes on all magnesite & magnesite floorings jobs while maintaining a professional, fast and efficient service for all our clients. We will remove the magnesite floor topping and then grind down your subfloor to remove any magnesite residue to make sure that your concrete slab is safe and ready for the reinstallation of a new flooring system.

We also offer free inspections of your concrete slab to inspect for any concrete cancer that may be present in your concrete slab after the magnesite has been removed. Our magnesite flooring teams are trained, certified and insured to work on residential properties, large commercial projects and construction sites.

Our team has over 35 years of experience combined with the most skilled and also the most professional magnesite removal team that Sydney has to offer. These are two of the many reasons that we are known for and often referred to as the best magnesite flooring assessment & magnesite flooring removal team in Sydney.

Hire our specialist magnesite team with over 35 years of experience, all the trucks and heavy power tools needed to get the job done quickly, efficiently and affordably today!

We’re looking forward to extending to you the same quality results that we’ve become known for throughout the industry. We are an approved contractor for Northern Beaches Council.

To obtain a Free Price Beat Guarantee Quote from Australia’s #1 Magnesite Flooring Removal Company simply fill out our:
Free Online Quote Form!

You can also contact us directly on:
0424 408 330

Or email us at:
Enquiries@CarpetRemovalSydney.com.au
for a free quote & site inspection today.

We will ALWAYS Beat All Of Our Competitors Quotes By Up To 30%*