Vinyl Asbestos Tile
This is why we often find vinyl asbestos tile underneath other kinds of floor coverings like carpet or even sheet vinyl.
Vinyl asbestos tile. The substance is sturdy yet flexible easy to wash and cheap to install and replace. 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. You can t tell simply by looking at a floor if it is vinyl asbestos flooring vat it looks similar to the 12 x 12 tiles we commonly see every day that is often referred to as vinyl composition tile.
It is possible to make a tentative identification of floor tiles based on the individual tile pattern color and thickness. Even ceramic slate and stone tiles can be. The floor tiles are only harmful when the asbestos particles are made into airborne dust.
Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste. Peel and stick adhesive vinyl tiles are particularly good when the floor is already fairly thick because they require no additional layer of adhesive to work. Tiles that are disintegrating should be handled with extreme care.
Working with asbestos flooring can release toxic dust. 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. The time period for asbestos vinyl flooring if the flooring in question was installed between 1952 and 1986 your vinyl flooring might contain asbestos.
Old vinyl products that contain asbestos remain in many buildings across the u s creating a hazard for contractors and do it yourself renovators. Intact asbestos tiles are not a major risk and can in fact be left in place and covered with other materials such as carpet vinyl linoleum or concrete. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets.
New vinyl laminate flooring hardwood engineered floating flooring and carpeting can all be successfully installed over asbestos tiles. Vinyl is a plastic resin manufactured from ethylene and chlorine. Vinyl has been a popular choice for flooring and wallpaper throughout the modern era and many vinyl building materials manufactured before 1980 had asbestos mixed in to increase their durability.
This happens when improper removal takes place during aggressive demolition causing the tiles to break apart into small pieces.
