Asbestos Floor Tiles How To Tell

Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around.

Asbestos floor tiles how to tell.

Asbestos is actually a silicate based material that used to be commonly used in building construction for surfaces as common as walls or floor tiles. The construction industry didn t start phasing out. Asbestos flooring only causes potential health problems when it gets disturbed so don t panic if you think your home has asbestos tiles. The risk for many people who live or work in buildings with old flooring is that it s hard to know if the building has asbestos floor tiles just by looking.

For all these reasons it is very difficult to determine for sure whether or not ceiling or floor tiles contain asbestos. But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it. Asbestos is actually a silicate based material that used to be commonly used in building construction for surfaces as common as walls or floor tiles. 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.

Because asbestos was widely used before 1980 if you have flooring tiles that were installed before then you need to test a piece of the flooring to make sure it s safe. Identifying building materials containing asbestos helps you plan for removal if you want them gone. Nevertheless it pays to know how to identify them and asbestos floor tile removal is a serious business. Asbestos floor tiles are fairly common in properties of a certain age and needn t be a reason to panic you may not even need to remove them.

Asbestos tiles have traits that make them easier to spot. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets. The older the tiles the more likely they are to contain asbestos. Determine the age of your tiles.

The biggest challenge for many people who live and work in buildings with old flooring is that it s very difficult to know if the building has asbestos floor tiling.