Inspecting Your Floor Tiles for Asbestos? Here’s How to Tell

Trends change over time, and we’re likely right in assuming that your passion for mustard-yellow flooring tiles has dwindled with the decades. However, if you’re about to upgrade your flooring to something more neutral or modern, it’s essential to understand that you might be dealing with asbestos.

Before you throw caution to the wind and start tearing up your floor tiles, take a moment to consider whether a greater level of care might be required. Here’s how to tell that your floor tiles might contain asbestos.

The Manufacturer Used Asbestos

Some homeowners are fortunate enough to know when their floor tiles were installed, the brand, and who the manufacturer was. You might even have a box of leftover materials lurking in your attic space or garage.

Therefore, identifying your flooring as asbestos can be as easy as researching your unique flooring material and seeing whether it was made with asbestos. One of the more well-known asbestos tile manufacturers was Montgomery Ward. The main ingredient in their tiles was asbestos, with quantities of up to 70% in fibers and powder.

The Tile Sizes and Manufacturing Year Match

Many asbestos tiles were made in specific sizes from around the 1920s until about the 1980s. The most common asbestos tile sizes were 9x9 and 12x12. Although, some were also 6x6. While not all tiles of these sizes contained asbestos, the measurements can indicate that great care should be taken when arranging the removal of your tiles.

The Patterns Were…Bold

The patterned flooring we used to install in our homes in the early decades was undoubtedly unique. We loved vibrant colours and patterns, and we weren’t afraid to pair them with equally as animated wallpaper.

Asphalt asbestos tiles were generally black, brown, or gray, but vinyl-based tiles with asbestos tended to be lighter and featured dyes to create colours, such as yellow. While you can learn that your flooring tiles might contain asbestos just by looking at them, the only way to know for sure is by hiring an asbestos removal company to undertake testing.

Undertake Asbestos Testing

As certain as you might be that your flooring tiles don’t contain asbestos, undertaking asbestos testing can be crucial for peace of mind. Without testing, you might pull up your flooring without appropriate safety measures that keep you and your family safe.

When you request testing and sampling, a trained asbestos expert will visit your home, take a sample of your flooring, and send it to a laboratory for full analysis and reporting. Once you have the results, you can create a plan for how you’d like to approach removal.

Do I Have to Remove My Asbestos-Containing Floor Tiles?

Let’s assume you’ve received the dreaded news that, yes, your floor tiles do contain asbestos. In that case, do you have to remove them? Everybody’s situation is different.

For example, removal can be in your best interests if your asbestos flooring is in a hard-wearing area and it’s beginning to show its age with wear. Asbestos is generally safe when left undisturbed, but friable fibres can be released into the air when it’s no longer in perfect condition.

However, if your asbestos flooring looks perfectly fine, you may decide to leave it alone until a later date. Alternatively, if your floor tiles are in excellent condition and you’d just like to update your home, covering them might be an option. You might like to choose a flooring type that can easily fit over the top of your current flooring without creating clearance issues. Vinyl tiles, laminate flooring, and ceramic tiles might all be suitable options for your home.

Why Do I Need to Worry About Asbestos Floor Tiles?

If you’ve lived in your home with asbestos tiles for a number of years, you might be wondering why it matters so much to take action now that you’ve confirmed the presence of asbestos.

While asbestos-containing materials are generally not harmful when in perfect condition, they can become dangerous when damaged or disturbed somehow. When that happens, tiny asbestos fibres can be released into the air, which your household occupants can breathe in.

Scientists have not yet established a ‘safe’ asbestos exposure level, and there might possibly not be one. Asbestos exposure can put people at risk of a range of life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer and asbestosis.

Therefore, if you have identified the presence of asbestos tiles in your home and want to remove or cover them, it can be worth your while to contact an asbestos removal company such as Chemcare to learn about your options.

They can help you determine whether you are dealing with asbestos, whether removal is your best option, or if covering them up with new flooring is suitable for your unique needs. There’s no time like the present to find out more about what your asbestos tiles could mean for you.