Identify Asbestos Vinyl Sheet Flooring

As with any asbestos containing material acm the first step to finding asbestos in linoleum sheet flooring and vinyl tiles is.

Identify asbestos vinyl sheet flooring. Asbestos containing sheet flooring or resilient flooring product identification. At asphalt based sheet flooring we report that some tests of red backed asphalt core vinyl sheet flooring found that the floor did not contain asbestos. If your building was built before 1980 mastic mixed with asbestos may have been used to seal your tiles to the floor. This article describes sheet flooring products known to contain significant levels of asbestos.

Mastic is a type of glue used to adhere tiles and vinyl flooring to the subfloor. Possible signs of asbestos mastic include discoloration and an oily texture. 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. A vinyl sheet flooring that looks like the above has a high chance of asbestos.

If black tar is adhering to the vinyl it is almost a 100 asbestos containing fiber product. We describe sources of asbestos in older forms of sheet flooring including felt backed flooring rubber backed flooring and vinyl cushion backed resilient flooring products. But other asphalt impregnated felt products and floor backers did contain asbestos so unless you have had a lab test performed it would be prudent to assume that the material contains asbestos. I don t recognize that exact flooring pattern jack and am guessing it s an early 1980s vinyl sheet flooring.

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. This will entail peeling the sheet vinyl from the flooring beneath if the backing does not separate in the process or removing the sheet vinyl in sections with the underlayment attached. Sheet vinyl flooring should be removed to avoid or minimize disturbance of the asbestos containing backing. Always test for asbestos fibers before removing any older vinyl sheeting.

Stain proof fireproof stylish and affordable vinyl products strengthened through the inclusion asbestos in their manufacture were a very popular choice in many new zealand houses. Vinyl floor tiles or sheet flooring were made or installed before 1986 should be treated as a floor covering presumed to contain asbestos or else have a sample tested and report the results here please.