Asbestos Floor Tiles – How to identify ?

Asphalt asbestos floor tiles as an asbestos fiber source in buildings – Asphalt asbestos floor tiles were popular in the U.S. from 1920 into the 1960’s. Asphalt-asbestos floor tiles were produced at first in dark colors using a heavy asphalt binder combined with a very high percentage of asbestos filler fibers. It would be uncommon to find these floors still in use today, but if you encounter black or very dark asphalt floor tiles they are probably very high in asbestos fibers.

The black tiles shown at left were not dated and may be a newer product, but in general, if you find very old black floor tiles they are probably an asphalt-asbestos product.

Asphalt-asbestos floor tiles were produced at first in dark colors using a heavy asphalt binder combined with a very high percentage of asbestos filler fibers. It would be uncommon to find these floors still in use today, but if you encounter black or very dark asphalt floor tiles they are probably very high in asbestos fibers.

Depending on the particular mixture of asphalt, gilsonite, asbestos, limestone, and pigment used, these floor tiles could contain as much as 70% asbestos by weight. One reason that so much asbestos was used in flooring tiles was simply the wish to find an application for asbestos waste product from asbestos mining operations.

Asphalt -asbestos tiles that were manufactured early in the product life (1920’s) were either black, near black, brown, or a gray-brown tone. Dark vinyl-asbestos tiles used, for example, a mixture of 40 parts asphalt or gilsonite, 60 parts asbestos floats, 30 parts powdered limestone, and pigments (parts by weight). Another typical mixture cited by Rosato contained 70% asbestos fiber.

Where do you find these?

Sometimes you may find asbestos floor tiles hidden under carpets.  Textiles can be found in fuse boxes behind the actual fuse. Old fire blankets and heat resistant gloves can also be made out of asbestos textiles.  Asbestos composites can be toilet cisterns and seats, window sills, and bath panels.  Asbestos paper was used for lining under tiles and inside metal cladding.

What do these look like?

These asbestos containing materials are not very distinctive from what is used now. To make sure we recommend you ask the owners about how long they’ve had certain things or look for a trade name. You should be able to look up this trade name on the internet to find out more about it.

Why Asbestos Was Used in Floor Tiles ?

Almost all floor tiles manufactured in the past few decades until the mid 80’s contained asbestos. Previously these tiles were available in the size 9′X9′ and more recently 12′X12′.  Manufacturers of floor tiles preferred using asbestos because asbestos not only made the manufacturing process much easier than other conventional materials, but was extremely durable and cost-effective. These tiles were vinyl-asbestos floor tiles manufactured from polyvinyl chloride polymers.

These tiles usually consisted of a mixture of limestone, asbestos, plasticizer, stabilizer, binder, and pigment. The mixture was usually heated to temperatures of 300 degrees F and fed into a roller to be pressed to the desired thickness. They were then pressed through cylinders to gain uniform thickness, after which pigmenting and surface designs were done while the tiles were still hot and soft. The tiles were then cooled by immersion in water, water-spraying, or placed in a cooling unit. They were then cut into appropriate size and waxed, ready for the market.

Risks Involved with Asbestos Floor Tiles

Living in a home with asbestos floor tiles does not mean that you run the risk of asbestos exposure. The asbestos fibers are firmly embedded into the tiles and pose no risk unless the tiles are deliberately broken and asbestos fibers allowed to contaminate the air.

If you have got wooden flooring beneath the asbestos floor tiles and want to restore the wooden floor, take care. The asbestos tiles have to be removed with the glue underneath. This must be done with extreme care, making sure that no power tools are used to remove the tiles. This could damage the tiles and release asbestos in your home. Also the best way to restore the wooden flooring is to sand it. This is very harmful, since asbestos particles embedded in the glue will separate and get airborne.

One way of changing the flooring is to cover asbestos floor tiles with new non-asbestos tiles or flooring material. This makes sure that you need not disturb the asbestos tiles, and the risk of asbestos exposure due to the tiles is eliminated.

Many prefer removing and getting rid of the old asbestos floor tiles before replacing them with new tiles. If you are doing this yourself, be very careful. Certain asbestos tiles will not come off easily and will require brute force to dislodge them. This is dangerous because the tiles risk being broken and splintered, releasing harmful asbestos fibers in the air. It may take just a day or two to get rid of the old asbestos tiles and fix new ones, but if the asbestos fibers are concentrated in the room, it could cause serious health problems much later in life.

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