How To Assess Sheet Vinyl Flooring For Asbestos

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.

How to assess sheet vinyl flooring for asbestos.

Most often people will not remove asbestos materials due to cost and encapsulate them my adding additional layers. Look under carpets in basement or by lifting a floor vent and inspecting how many subfloors exist and if any contain vinyl. It is important to take samples of all layers that you will be removing. Place the sample into a bag and seal it.

The vinyl asbestos floor tile package label information combined with a simple comparison of tiles in the package with tiles installed in the building may be sound confirmation of asbestos containing materials. 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. In order to reduce the analysis cost you may instruct the lab to test the samples only until they find the first positive sample for asbestos. You will only need a piece the size of a dime.

Unfortunately vinyl tiles and sheet flooring that contain asbestos pose a potential exposure risk. In many cases the best thing to do about vinyl asbestos flooring is put a new layer of flooring on top of it. Where asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring is to be removed it must only be removed by an a class. If the material is in good condition it normally does not pose a threat because the asbestos is enclosed in vinyl preventing the fibres from escaping.

Place the sample into the bag close it and label the bag with a permanent marker. In cases where vinyl sheet flooring has been damaged to the extent where the asbestos containing material on the underside is disturbed a hazard assessment must be undertaken by a competent person to assess what control measures any risk. The peeling method to remove the remainder of the floor. That means it is safe to walk on but not safe to scrape sand or use power tools on.

Take the samples to an asbestos testing lab. 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. Flooring glue mastic underlay down to plywood or concrete. Take the samples in random areas throughout the sheet vinyl floor.

Use a utility knife or a chisel to cut off a small piece of flooring. But when vinyl asbestos flooring is in good condition it is considered nonfriable. Historical information about the dates of flooring installation may also be sufficient to rule in or out the possibility that flooring in a building contains asbestos. See vinyl asbestos floor tile packaging.