Vinyl Flooring Over Asbestos Tile

Installing vinyl flooring is a similar process.

Vinyl flooring over asbestos tile.

Installing ceramic or porcelain tile over asbestos tile. Most 9 inch vinyl tiles and many 12 inch tiles and the mastic adhesive that anchors them to the subfloor contain a level of asbestos. In many cases installing a new floor over the tiles encapsulates the asbestos fibers and is an acceptable way to manage the material. Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around.

From the 1930s to the mid 1970s vinyl flooring contained asbestos which is not safe for you to remove yourself. 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. Over time asphalt which was a main ingredient in asbestos tiles can degrade and cause the tiles to look grimy or discolored in spots. 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.

If you aren t removing the old floor you may be creating a new floor that is too thick for doors to open and shut or for thresholds to have clearance. But the flooring companies aim wasn t so much to make the floor tiles fireproof as it was to make the tiles more durable. Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see. But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it.

One of the biggest factors of installing a new floor over the old is thickness. But removing the tiles can disturb this trapped asbestos so the best strategy is painting over asbestos. This is trickier as you can t simply slap mortar down on top of old asbestos tile put down the new tile and expect a good result. The good news is that the harmful fibers are securely embedded into the vinyl material so under normal conditions the fibers aren t released into the air.

No other specialized prep work or treatment is necessary. Fortunately it is not difficult to install vinyl tile over your vinyl floor as. Asbestos is a mineral that lends fireproofing qualities to any substance it is mixed with. That said it can be difficult to get a level surface for the new floor especially if the old tiles have chipped away.

Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed.