Old Vinyl Sheet Flooring Asbestos

We are told.

Old vinyl sheet flooring asbestos.

A majority of the vinyl. Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed. Such products some sold under the brand name solarian were installed as recently as 1980 long after governmental restrictions on asbestos were initiated. 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.

Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring can be more dangerous to remove than tiles if proper precautions are not practiced. Sheet vinyl flooring should be removed to avoid or minimize disturbance of the asbestos containing backing. This article describes sheet flooring products known to contain significant levels of asbestos.

Always test for asbestos fibers before removing any older vinyl sheeting. Prior to the 1980s asbestos vinyl sheet flooring was very popular in homes. Asbestos was used in vinyl wallpaper from the 1920s and in the vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring that rose to prominence in the 1950s. Dry asbestos particles are lighter than air wet ones are less prone to become air borne.

If you are removing the original vinyl floor from a home prior to 1980 you will need to locate a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to test your floor. Asbestos removal is a hazardous process best undertaken only by a qualified professional. 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. One armstrong world industries vinyl resilient sheet flooring product thought to have been installed in 1967 was tested in a lab and found to contain 70 percent asbestos.

Asbestos containing sheet flooring or resilient flooring product identification. Removing old vinyl flooring techniques. A vinyl sheet flooring that looks like the above has a high chance of asbestos. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring has two layers a top layer of vinyl and a bottom layer made from paper that contains asbestos.

If black tar is adhering to the vinyl it is almost a 100 asbestos containing fiber product.