Everything You Need to Know About Asbestos Floor Tile

Are you worried about asbestos floor tile and don’t know whether to remove them, leave them or cover the surface with a new flooring option?

Working with asbestos material is harmful to the environment as it releases toxic dust, which is extremely dangerous for health.

You may be suffering from terrible diseases like lung cancer if you inhale such material from the air. No need to worry about this scenario!

Our flooring experts will guide you on the right way to tackle this situation, and you will safely deal with asbestos floor tiles by keeping their pro tips in mind for DIY removal.

Types of Asbestos Floor Tiles

The asbestos floor tiles can be distinguished into two different categories regarding the materials used in their construction. These types are:

Friable Asbestos

You will find this type of asbestos in the pipe insulation and floor tile. This material is not durable enough and can easily break or crumble by hand.

This material releases toxic dust, which is extremely dangerous to the environment and the persons breathing near it.

The vinyl asbestos flooring contains friable material that should be eliminated carefully to avoid asbestos exposure.

Non-friable Asbestos

Nonfriable asbestos is durable and less dangerous than friable asbestos.

If you have no intention to damage nonfriable material floor tiles, it never harms you, and the material is not harmful to the environment. You can notice nonfriable materials in asbestos cement.

Why Asbestos Floor Tile is Dangerous?

When released into the air, there are plenty of health issues with asbestos fibers. Everyone in the surrounding will inhale this dangerous fiber.

Asbestos particles may be lodged into the lungs, leading to serious illness.

The friable asbestos material is more dangerous than nonfriable asbestos because it can easily be crushed while eliminating it and releasing toxic dust, which is dangerous for health.

You may not be at any risk when it is not disturbed; however, the released fibers of asbestos can seriously cause lung cancer when trying to remove asbestos tiles from any surface.

The physical damage can be protected if you seal the working area. Moreover, you have to use protective measures while working with asbestos floor tiles.

Suppose you work near this area and never inhale asbestos fiber from the air. If you don’t have a complete suit, you must wear a face mask, gloves, and boots to protect yourself.

How to Identify Asbestos Floor Tile?

The easiest way to identify asbestos in floor tiles is to test the surface. A test kit is available in the asbestos-testing lab, which can share the test results online.

There are some other reasons or indications to inspect the asbestos flooring tiles, which can be identified with the help of the following key points:

Age of Tiles

You have to gather information about the age of covering asbestos floor tiles. If you found any building constructed before the 1980s, there is a certain chance these asbestos floor tiles risk us.

Measure the Size of Tiles

Most of the asbestos floor tiles are measured in floor squares shape and are available in 9×9 inches, 12×12 inches, and 18×18 inches.

If you find these dimensions from its manufacturer, you might face asbestos linoleum.

Discoloration

If you feel oily discoloration of floor tiles, it shows asbestos on the surface. This discolored effect might be caused by Asphalt, which is used in the manufacturing process of asbestos floor glue.

If you feel this ingredient is part of your floor tiles, you need extreme care.

Black Adhesive Underneath

The black mastic was used underneath the floor tiles to glue it. There is the possibility that the thick black adhesive underneath the floor tiles contains asbestos.

You have to examine the underneath condition of the tiles to save yourself from major risk.

Equipment to Safely Remove Asbestos Floor Tile

Always place the following gears near you before starting the process of removing asbestos tiles. By working with this mechanism, every homeowner can do this job perfectly and with no health risk.

You have the option to live with these asbestos tiles or eliminate them from their base and install a new flooring option:

Respirator with HEPA Filter
Disposable rubber gloves and coveralls
Air Purifier
Wet Wipes
Pump sprayer of water
Sealable plastic bags to dispose of all the messes
Plastic sheets to seal the area

Pro DIY Tips for Safely Remove Asbestos Floor Tiles

The safest way to tackle these floor tiles is to cover them with your new flooring option. The licensed asbestos contractors are also recommended to cover the asbestos floor tiles instead of exploring them.

If you are still looking to eliminate it from the surface, you can adopt DIY removal options to save labor costs. You can safely dispose of these floor tiles by keeping the following valuable tips in mind:

Before disturbing the asbestos house tiles, you must wear a face mask, gloves, and body suit for your safety.
It is risky to start this asbestos removal process without knowing the age and other details of its flooring. You have to gather the basic information and inspect the surface condition before starting this process.
Place the pump spray bottle filled with water near you to reduce the airborne fiber from the environment.
Shut off the HVAC unit of the building and seal the working area to protect other persons from asbestos fibers.
Use a floor scraper to remove such floor tiles perfectly from their base.
You have the option to call a licensed asbestos contractor if you find any difficulty.
If you complete the asbestos tile removal process and still do not purchase the new flooring products, seal off the surface with a plastic surface.
Dispose of all the asbestos material in asbestos disposal bags and seal them properly.
Clean all the subfloor surfaces with soapy detergent and clear all the messes with a wet mop. Finish off the cleaning process by rinsing out the surface with warm water.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Worry About Asbestos Floor Tiles?

The asbestos material will never harm you until you disturb it, but if you break the asbestos floor tiles, you must know that it will release asbestos fiber into the air.

This material is extremely dangerous to inhale. You have to adopt precautions and measures before disturbing asbestos material.

How Do I Know If Floor Tiles Have Asbestos?

You can test your flooring sample at an asbestos-testing lab and get the results online to check whether your floor tiles contain asbestos or not. It is the definitive way to determine whether your floor tiles have asbestos.

What Years Was Asbestos Used in Floor Tiles?

The vinyl sheets and floor tiles introduced asbestos material in the 1950s, and vinyl wallpapers used this material even before this time.

You can’t precisely predict its production dates, but it is necessary to test the flooring surface constructed between the 1920s to 1970s for safety.

What Do You Do if You Have Asbestos Tile?

The easiest way to deal with the asbestos tiles is to cover them up with your new flooring option. It will also protect your living environment from the released fiber of asbestos in the air.

Are All Old 9×9 Tiles Asbestos?

If you get 9×9 inches dimensions for your floor tiles, they will surely contain asbestos. Before handling this dangerous material, you must treat such floor tiles with extreme care and precautions.

What Percentage of Asbestos Is in Floor Tiles?

There is around 2% asbestos in floor tiles, which never releases any dangerous fiber. If you feel a higher percentage of asbestos in any floor tile, you have to adopt preventive measures to handle the situation.

Conclusion

Now you will identify the asbestos tiles from the naked eye. If you don’t want to put your hands on this material, you can cover it with your innovative flooring option.

However, if you are looking to eliminate it from the surface, you must take a sample of these floor tiles, submit it to the asbestos-testing lab, and wait for the results.

Before disturbing the asbestos tiles, you must wear a face mask, gloves, and other protective gear for your safety.

Must remember the pro tips mentioned in the DIY removal section and do this work with care!