How To Tell If Floor Tiles Contain Asbestos

As you can see this method is not an exact science.

How to tell if floor tiles contain asbestos.

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. See asbestos floor tile dimensions for details. If you have loose floor tiles and see the black mastic especially if the tiles show other traits of containing asbestos don t disturb them anymore. Call a professional to handle the removal process.

The mastic itself usually has asbestos in it. Another time period that asbestos floors were popular in was between the years of 1920 and 1960. Keep in mind that the mastic used as an adhesive for these older tiles might also contain some asbestos. If the tiles or the floor beneath show oily discoloration the tiles very likely contain asbestos.

How to identify armstrong congoleum linoleum other brands of resilient flooring or sheet flooring that may contain asbestos or not bottom line. 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. The tiles may have asbestos too. Asbestos was also a common ingredient in some mastic adhesives used for glue up application of ceiling tiles.

If floor tiles were installed between 1920 and 1960 there s a good chance they contain asbestos because most flooring tiles manufactured during this period did. Questions answers or comments about how to identify asbestos containing flooring materials and what to do when asbestos containing floor tiles or sheet flooring are found in a building. Asbestos may have been used in the ceiling tile tiles and in lay in ceiling tiles in suspended ceilings in the tile body or in paper facing or backing on the ceiling tiles. Asbestos containing sheet flooring in good condition in a residential environment is not a high risk of causing airborne asbestos hazards as the material is not friable.

Custom cut inlay in an asbestos floor tile installation of an older home. Asbestos containing floor tiles were produced in a wide range of thicknesses and dimensions as well as in custom sizes patterns shapes and cutouts.