Kitchen Vinyl Flooring Asbestos

Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste.

Kitchen vinyl flooring asbestos.

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. Asbestos floor tiles were manufactured in three sizes. In many cases the best thing to do about vinyl asbestos flooring is put a new layer of flooring on top of it. That means it is safe to walk on but not safe to scrape sand or use power tools on.

Like floor tiles vinyl sheet flooring is a long lasting and economical material and it also offers more aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste. Asbestos removal is a hazardous process best undertaken only by a qualified professional. 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. Our photo left shows armstrong excelon 12x12 vinyl asbestos flooring made in 1972 identified in our floor tile photo guide asbestos floor tile identification photos 1949 1959 detailed photo guide to asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles and resilient flooring produced in 1900 1980.

Examine the condition of the tiles. It also was installed over tongue and groove wood floors particleboard and plywood. If you are removing the original vinyl floor from a home prior to 1980 you will need to locate a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to test your floor. Tiles that are disintegrating should be.

Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed. 9 x9 12 x12 and 18 x18. Asbestos backed sheet vinyl flooring was commonly installed in many ways including over hardwood softwood and concrete floors. Prior to the 1980s asbestos vinyl sheet flooring was very popular in homes.

New vinyl laminate flooring hardwood engineered. But when vinyl asbestos flooring is in good condition it is considered nonfriable. But the flooring companies aim wasn t so much to make the floor tiles fireproof as it was to make the tiles more durable. You could also seal it with a coat of epoxy floor paint.

What are asbestos floor tiles. The old tiles are relatively thin around 1 8 inch thick so installing new flooring on top will not appreciably raise the height of the floor. The removal procedures described in this publication address the removal of asbestos backed sheet vinyl only if. For about 35 years flooring companies included asbestos when they manufactured the vinyl tiles.