Vinyl Asbestos Sheet Flooring

Many colors and designs.

Vinyl asbestos sheet flooring.

The thicker the vinyl wear layer thickness the longer the material will be expected to wear. We describe sources of asbestos in older forms of sheet flooring including felt backed flooring rubber backed flooring and vinyl cushion backed resilient flooring products. Highly resistant to grease and alkalies. 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.

Easy to keep clean. This will entail peeling the sheet vinyl from the flooring beneath if the backing does not separate in the process or removing the sheet vinyl in sections with the underlayment attached. 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. We are told that the paper layer can contain from 40 to 70 percent asbestos.

If you are removing the original vinyl floor from a home prior to 1980 you will need to locate a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to test your floor. 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. Asbestos removal is a hazardous process best undertaken only by a qualified professional. Sheet vinyl flooring should be removed to avoid or minimize disturbance of the asbestos containing backing.

Prior to the 1980s asbestos vinyl sheet flooring was very popular in homes. This article describes sheet flooring products known to contain significant levels of asbestos. Vinyl resin sheet flooring asbestos backed medium or heavy gauge. Asbestos vinyl flooring was a durable and economical material that offered many aesthetic options to suit a homeowner s taste.

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. 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. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring has two layers a top layer of vinyl and a bottom layer made from paper that contains asbestos. Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed.

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.