Does Old Vinyl Flooring Have Asbestos

Many older homes have asbestos tiles for flooring.

Does old vinyl flooring have asbestos. As time goes by and more homes are remodeled fewer homes contain asbestos tiles. Dry asbestos particles are lighter than air wet ones are less prone to become air borne. Asbestos was used in vinyl wallpaper from the 1920s and in the vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring that rose to prominence in the 1950s. Photo by russell kaye i m told that the old vinyl floor tiles in the basement of our 1950 house contain asbestos and that i should not try to remove the tiles but cover them with wall to wall.

Who produced vinyl or asphalt asbestos flooring. We are told. If you break the flooring into pieces while removing it you have effectively turned it into a friable material. The use of asbestos in cigarette filters and even now in brake linings leaves us a century behind correction.

Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring has two layers a top layer of vinyl and a bottom layer made from paper that contains asbestos. Even if the vinyl flooring is pulled up intact the old adhesive underneath may also contain asbestos. Does this flooring contain asbestos. My confrontation is to provide a new floor for a common area in a block of units where the maybe asbestos tiles are cracking to a degree suggesting positively asbestos tiles.

Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste. Asbestos found in the vinyl floor tiles at the toh tv project house means a state licensed and well protected abatement crew must do the removal. To make an informed guess before testing at whether or not your floor contains asbestos take a look at the 5 easy questions found at. How to remove asbestos tiles.

Vinyl asbestos floor tiles were produced by a number of manufacturers and the decorative tile patterns were varied often annually as styles and tastes changed. If you decide to remove nonfriable vinyl asbestos flooring you have to be cautious for two reasons. If the floor is old enough to be an asbestos containing vinyl or asphalt based tile best would be to cover it over with new materials. Today the use of asbestos in new vinyl materials has been largely phased out in the united states but many homes businesses and public buildings constructed before 1980 still contain old asbestos vinyl flooring and wallpaper.

It is possible to make a tentative identification of floor tiles based on the individual tile pattern color and thickness. But if you have a home built before the mid 20th century there is a good chance that the floor tiles contain asbestos. Safest and least costly.