Ceramic Tiles Contain Asbestos

Common in homes built in the 20th century black mastic was used as an adhesive for ceramic tile linoleum and other flooring materials.

Ceramic tiles contain asbestos.

If floor tiles were installed between 1920 and 1960 there s a good chance they contain asbestos because most flooring tiles manufactured during this period did. Identifying building materials containing asbestos helps you plan for removal if you want them gone. Abating asbestos vinyl wallpaper and floor tiles does not typically require a license. As you can see this method is not an exact science.

In ceiling tiles asbestos is most commonly used for reducing the amount of noise that spreads from one room to another. The only way to make it a science is to hire a licensed asbestos inspector or by sending a sample to a lab to be tested but doing so can be costly and time consuming. Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around. Asbestos tiles have traits that make them easier to spot.

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. The tiles most likely to contain asbestos are ceiling and flooring tiles. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring should only be removed by a licensed abatement professional. That way no one will be endangered years from now when they start to rip up the new flooring and find asbestos tiles beneath.

Vinyl flooring and wallpaper that contain asbestos cannot be recognized on sight. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets. However as a favor to future owners of your house make some note of the fact that asbestos tiles are under the new flooring. But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it.

You could also cover the tiles with new vinyl flooring linoleum or even ceramic tiles. When you remove that floor covering to make way for new flooring you may encounter the mastic and wonder whether it is safe to remove the main concern surrounding this question is that black mastic often contains asbestos. If the tiles or the floor beneath show oily discoloration the tiles very likely contain asbestos. Asbestos is used in these products for a variety of reasons.

Asbestos flooring only causes potential health problems when it gets disturbed so don t panic if you think your home has asbestos tiles.