Asbestos Testing Markham
Asbestos testing Markham owners arrange depends on the age of the part of the building being worked on, which in a municipality of heritage villages and newer subdivisions can vary from one wall to the next.
Fully licensed and insured
Monday to Sunday: Open 24 hours
Old villages, new subdivisions
Markham combines old village cores, such as Unionville and Markham Village, with extensive newer development in Cornell, Berczy and Angus Glen. A heritage house in Unionville may have original plaster, later plaster repairs and 1960s flooring. A house in Cornell is far less likely to contain asbestos. Mixed commercial buildings along Highway 7 and Kennedy Road span many decades and construction methods.
That variety is why we do not say that a given neighbourhood is safe or at risk. We test the materials that your project will disturb.
Homogeneous material and sampling
O. Reg. 278/05 defines homogeneous material as material that is uniform in colour and texture, and section 3 requires samples to be representative of each area of homogeneous material. If analysis shows 0.5 per cent or more asbestos by dry weight in a sample, other samples from the same area are not required, and the whole area of homogeneous material is deemed asbestos-containing material. In practice, a surveyor identifies each distinct material, takes the required number of samples and labels where each one came from. This is general information about the regulation, not legal advice.
What we need to know for a Markham survey
- The age of the building and the age of any additions
- What work is planned, and where
- Any earlier renovations you know about
- Whether tenants or neighbours share the space
- Who needs the result, such as a contractor or lender
Survey steps
- ReviewWe go over the building history and your plans.
- Identify materialsEach distinct material that the work will touch is listed.
- Sample and analyseSamples are collected and sent to an accredited laboratory.
- ReportYou receive written results and a plain-language explanation.
When the answer is that nothing was found
A negative result is useful. It lets work go ahead with the knowledge that those materials are not asbestos-containing, and it gives you something to hand to a contractor or buyer. We keep the written result with the sample locations, so that if a later project touches the same area you do not need to start again.
Layers and additions
Many older houses have been altered several times, and each addition has its own materials. An original 1950s kitchen may be next to a 1980s addition and a 2010s basement. Sampling plans follow those boundaries. We note on the report which parts of the house each sample came from, so a future contractor can see at a glance which areas are known and which have not been checked.
Commercial and mixed-use buildings
Offices and retail units along Markham's main roads are often renovated for each new tenant. Before a fit-out opens ceilings, strips flooring or alters mechanical rooms, the landlord and tenant both benefit from knowing what is in the building. We work with managers on access and timing, and we give the landlord a report that can be passed to the tenant's contractors.
Markham asbestos testing questions
Does a heritage house need testing?
Not automatically, but if you plan work on old plaster, flooring or insulation, testing first is sensible.
How soon can you sample?
Call with the address and the planned work and we will say when we can visit.
Is the assessment free?
Yes.
Request a quote
Tell us what you need and we will get back to you. In a hurry? Calling is fastest.