Asbestos Vinyl Floor 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.

Asbestos vinyl floor sheeting.

Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste. Tiles are safer to remove than the sheeting because the asbestos is held together by the vinyl which is not hazardous. 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 was used in vinyl wallpaper from the 1920s and in the vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring that rose to prominence in the 1950s.

Figure 1 asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring. Sheet vinyl flooring should be removed to avoid or minimize disturbance of the asbestos containing backing. 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.

Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets. This article describes sheet flooring products known to contain significant levels of asbestos. 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. Old vinyl products that contain asbestos remain in many buildings across the u s creating a hazard for contractors and do it yourself renovators.

The vinyl sheeting itself does not contain asbestos. Must be implemented to control. Vinyl asbestos flooring comes in two types tiles and sheeting. 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.

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. Asbestos containing sheet flooring or resilient flooring product identification. It is possible to make a tentative identification of floor tiles based on the individual tile pattern color and thickness.