Do Asphalt Floor Tiles Have Asbestos

In the 1940 s 1970 s and were produced by some manufacturers armstrong as late as 1980.

Do asphalt floor tiles have asbestos. Asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles were produced in 9 x 9 12 x 12 and even 18 x 18 as well as in decorative strips and in thicknesses of 1 16 3 32 and 1 8 also in 0 08 gauge. Asphalt based asbestos floor tiles and later plastic or vinyl based asbestos flooring were popular in the u s. Asphalt is one of the main materials used for the manufacturing of asbestos floor tiles and leakages of the oil incorporated in it can occur causing the color of the tiles to fade. The only true way to tell if the tiles contain asbestos is by checking the package or having a lab test a piece of the tile for asbestos.

In addition many older asphalt tiles manufactured between the 1920s and 1960s contain asbestos filler fibers. If the tiles or the floor beneath show oily discoloration the tiles very likely contain asbestos. Some asbestos containing flooring products were manufactured we estimate as early as the late 1920 s. Tiles that are disintegrating should be handled with extreme care.

Similarly among some floor tile products especially the earlier asphalt asbestos and some early vinyl asbestos flooring flooring sold with the same pattern and hue name may vary by manufacturing batch. Some sheet flooring or resilient flooring also contained asbestos as did floor tile mastics. Later improvements in the manufacturing process made the production of flooring more consistent in appearance. 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.

Asphalt is a main ingredient in asbestos tiles and the oil from the asphalt can leach out. Over time asphalt which was a main ingredient in asbestos tiles can degrade and cause the tiles to look grimy or discolored in spots. Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see thick black adhesive underneath. 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.