Asbestos Vinyl Floor Sheeting

The vinyl sheeting itself does not contain asbestos.

Asbestos vinyl floor sheeting.

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. Vinyl asbestos tiles should not be sanded and the glue that holds the tiles to the floor should not be sanded either. 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. However you re not completely in the clear because asbestos was a common ingredient in the mastic used to hold these flooring materials to the subfloor.

Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed. 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. While asbestos is useful as a binding agent in the manufacture of vinyl and rubber floor coverings it isn t needed to make linoleum tiles or sheet flooring. Tiles are safer to remove than the sheeting because the asbestos is held together by the vinyl which is not hazardous.

Vinyl asbestos flooring comes in two types tiles and sheeting. Asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring is where the backing the side attached to the floor see figure 1 contains friable easily broken asbestos material. It is possible to make a tentative identification of floor tiles based on the individual tile pattern color and thickness. 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.

Figure 1 asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring. Asbestos containing sheet flooring or resilient flooring product identification. Old vinyl products that contain asbestos remain in many buildings across the u s creating a hazard for contractors and do it yourself renovators. Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste.

This article describes sheet flooring products known to contain significant levels of asbestos. Must be implemented to control. You can visually identify vinyl flooring materials that contain asbestos by reviewing the vinyl asbestos floor tiles and sheet flooring identification photo guide see resources.