Asbestos Vinyl Sheet Flooring

Asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring is where the backing the side attached to the floor see figure 1 contains friable easily broken asbestos material.

Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring.

It also was installed over tongue and groove wood floors particleboard and plywood. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring has two layers a top layer of vinyl and a bottom layer made from paper that contains asbestos. Click here to read more. The removal procedures described in this publication address the removal of asbestos backed sheet vinyl only if.

Even some of the early peel and stick tiles used asbestos as the main ingredient. What is asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring. A majority of the vinyl flooring made before 1986 contained asbestos in the tiles or in the backing materials. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring poses a significantly greater asbestos exposure risk than floor tiles or wallpaper.

Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed. This fact sheet provides information regarding asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring and vinyl tiles containing asbestos. Manufacturers often made this type of flooring with a friable asbestos backing which means asbestos fibres are easily released into the air if the sheet flooring is disturbed or damaged. Dry asbestos particles are lighter than air wet ones are less prone to become air borne.

As with any asbestos containing material acm the first step to finding asbestos in linoleum sheet flooring and vinyl tiles is. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring can be more dangerous to remove than tiles if proper precautions are not practiced. 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. We include research citations on asbestos use in sheet flooring backer materials.

It is possible to make a tentative identification of floor tiles based on the individual tile pattern color and thickness. Asbestos backed sheet vinyl flooring was commonly installed in many ways including over hardwood softwood and concrete floors. Vinyl asbestos floor tiles were produced by a number of manufacturers and the decorative tile patterns were varied often annually as styles and tastes changed. 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.

Mixing asbestos into vinyl floor tiles made them more insulating and resistant to damage.