Asbestos Survey Before a Kitchen Refit | HSG Surveys

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If you’re planning a new kitchen in a property built or refitted before 2000, an asbestos survey before a kitchen refit tells you and your fitter exactly what’s behind the old units, under the floor and above the ceiling before the strip-out starts. We carry out targeted surveys for homeowners, landlords and businesses, covering just the kitchen and any areas the work spreads into.

Why Kitchen Refits Disturb Asbestos

A kitchen refit is one of the most intrusive jobs most properties ever have. Old units are pulled off the walls, wall tiles are knocked off, floors are lifted and ceilings are cut into for new lighting. The boiler is often moved or replaced, and extractor ducting is drilled through an external wall.

Kitchens were also one of the places asbestos was used most heavily. Heat- and water-resistant boards, textured ceilings, floor tiles and adhesives were all common choices up to the late 1990s, and many have been covered over by later refits rather than removed.

Where Asbestos Is Found During Kitchen Refits

Based on the surveys we carry out before kitchen refits, asbestos-containing materials most often turn up in these areas:

• Textured coatings (Artex) on kitchen ceilings and walls
• Vinyl and thermoplastic floor tiles, and the bitumen adhesive underneath
• Bitumen sound-deadening pads on the underside of old stainless steel sinks
• Asbestos insulating board (AIB) behind cookers, around boilers and lining cupboards
• Boiler flues, rope seals and gaskets in older wall-mounted boilers
• Asbestos cement panels and window boards in older kitchen extensions
• Pipe boxing and panels around old warm air heating units

Asbestos Survey Services Before a Kitchen Refit

Targeted Refurbishment Surveys

Under the HSE’s survey guidance (HSG264), a refurbishment survey only needs to cover the areas affected by the work. For a kitchen that means the room itself, plus any wall, floor or ceiling the work extends into. A targeted asbestos survey before a kitchen refit is quicker and more cost-effective than surveying the whole property. See our detailed breakdown of this survey type.

Asbestos Sampling & Testing

If there are just one or two materials you’re unsure about – usually the ceiling coating or the floor tiles – we can take bulk samples for analysis at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, with results usually back within a few working days. Find out more about sampling and testing.

Bathrooms at the Same Time?

If you are refitting a bathroom as well, the same visit can cover both rooms. Bathrooms share many of the same materials, including textured ceilings, floor tiles, boxing-in around pipes and boards behind old bath panels.

Landlords, Housing Providers and Businesses

Kitchen replacements are one of the most common jobs in rental properties, and they are usually done between tenancies. In HMOs and the common parts of flats the duty to manage asbestos already applies under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and the HSE’s asbestos guidance sets out what dutyholders need to do. Commercial kitchens in cafés, pubs, schools and care homes follow the same rules. If you already hold a management survey, we can check whether it covers the kitchen and survey only the gaps. Read our full guide to how management surveys work.

Areas We Cover

We carry out asbestos surveys before kitchen refits across the North of England, including West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Lincolnshire. We’re based in West Yorkshire, so we can usually reach most of the region within a few days. Not sure if we cover your area? Give us a call.

Asbestos Surveys Before a Kitchen Refit – Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an asbestos survey before a kitchen refit?

If the property was built or last refitted before 2000, it is a sensible step before the strip-out starts. Taking out old units, tiles and flooring, moving the boiler or cutting in new lighting and extraction can all disturb asbestos, and a fitter who suspects it will normally stop work until it has been checked.

Is my Artex ceiling asbestos?

It could be. Textured coatings applied before 2000 often contain a small amount of asbestos. It is generally low risk while it is left alone, but scraping, sanding or cutting into it for new downlights can release fibres. A sample will confirm it either way before any work is done to the ceiling.

Are old kitchen floor tiles asbestos?

Many vinyl and thermoplastic floor tiles laid before the 1990s contain asbestos, and the black bitumen adhesive underneath them can too. They are often hidden under newer lino, laminate or tiles, and only come to light when the old floor is lifted.

Can my kitchen fitter just work around it?

Sometimes, but only once everyone knows exactly where the asbestos is. An asbestos survey before a kitchen refit lets you and your fitter decide whether a material can be left in place, worked around or needs removing first, instead of finding out halfway through the job.

Do landlords need a survey before replacing a rental kitchen?

It is strongly advisable. The fitter needs to know whether asbestos is present before they disturb anything, and in HMOs and the common parts of flats the duty to manage asbestos already applies. Booking an asbestos survey before a kitchen refit during a void period means the new kitchen can go in without delaying the next tenancy.

How far ahead of the fitters should I book the survey?

Ideally two to three weeks before the strip-out, which gives time for lab results and for any removal to be arranged. We can usually visit within a few days, so even if your fitting date is close, an asbestos survey before a kitchen refit is still worth arranging.