Removing Floor Tiles Containing Asbestos

Clean larger areas with the class h vacuum cleaner if available and or damp rags.

Removing floor tiles containing asbestos. In floor tiles asbestos is used primarily for its insulation properties and its ability to resist fire in addition to the tiles themselves a layer of mastic a type of adhesive below the tiles is also likely to contain asbestos. Resilient flooring is a nonfriable asbestos containing material as long as it s in good condition and as such no immediate action is necessary. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets. If removing the tiles is legal.

If the tiles or the floor beneath show oily discoloration the tiles very likely contain asbestos. But if you have a home built before the mid 20th century there is a good chance that the floor tiles contain asbestos. This is because removal poses the greatest risk of fiber release. Many older homes have asbestos tiles for flooring.

The asbestos floor tile identification articles in this series illustrate that with the combination of design appearance and an idea of floor tile age many asbestos containing floor tiles or sheet flooring products can be reliably identified even before confirmation by a test by a certified asbestos testing laboratory. The only way to make it a science is to hire a licensed asbestos inspector or by sending a sample to a lab to be tested but doing so can be costly and time consuming. Nonfriable materials are those in which the asbestos is locked and cannot become airborne. As you can see this method is not an exact science.

The flooring tiles are 9 inch 12 inch or 18 inch squares. Asbestos containing materials can exist in one of two states. Removal is usually the most expensive method and unless required by state or local regulations should be the last option considered in most situations. 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.

Asbestos in floor tiles. But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it. 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. A23 removing asbestos containing floor tiles and mastic spray water under the tiles to suppress dust as you lift them gently avoiding breakage cleaning and disposal where you have removed only a few tiles use damp rags to clean the floor.

If the tiles were installed between 1960 and 1980 there s a slight chance they contain asbestos. Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around.