Do Asphalt Floor Tiles Have Asbestos

As you can see this method is not an exact science.

Do asphalt floor tiles have asbestos.

Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see thick. Asphalt based asbestos floor tiles and later plastic or vinyl based asbestos flooring were popular in the u s. In north america if asphalt or vinyl floor tiles or sheet flooring were made or installed before 1986 treat the floor as presumed to contain asbestos. Later improvements in the manufacturing process made the production of flooring more consistent in appearance.

Asphalt is a main ingredient in asbestos tiles and the oil from the asphalt can leach out. Asphalt is one of the main materials used for the manufacturing of asbestos floor tiles and leakages of the oil incorporated in it can occur causing the color of the tiles to fade. Black mastic also known as cutback adhesive was commonly used to glue the flooring tiles down. Similarly among some floor tile products especially the earlier asphalt asbestos and some early vinyl asbestos flooring flooring sold with the same pattern and hue name may vary by manufacturing batch.

Over time asphalt which was a main ingredient in asbestos tiles can degrade and cause the tiles to look grimy or discolored in spots. To identify a particular asphalt asbestos or vinyl asbestos floor tile pattern color start in the image group most likely to be the same age as your building. Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see thick black adhesive underneath. In the 1940 s 1970 s and were produced by some manufacturers armstrong as late as 1980.

Tiles that are disintegrating should be handled with extreme care. Some sheet flooring or resilient flooring also contained asbestos as did floor tile mastics. If the tiles or the floor beneath show oily discoloration the tiles very likely contain asbestos. Asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles were produced in 9 x 9 12 x 12 and even 18 x 18 as well as in decorative strips and in thicknesses of 1 16 3 32 and 1 8 also in 0 08 gauge.