Covering Asbestos Tile With Vinyl

Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets.

Covering asbestos tile with vinyl.

But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it. New vinyl laminate flooring hardwood engineered floating flooring and carpeting can all be successfully installed over asbestos tiles. However removing the asbestos siding first though more expensive is the best alternative in the long run. But be sure to check your local building codes first to see if it is allowed in your area.

Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed. Vinyl tile is an excellent option for sealing in asbestos tiles. Applying a layer of sheathing or sheets of foam insulation over the asbestos then covering it with vinyl siding is a common practice. If you aren t removing the old floor you may be creating a new floor that is too thick for doors to open and shut or for thresholds to have clearance.

Cork pattern vinyl asbestos floor tiles were produced in at least three hues by armstrong as well as montgomery ward and sears and possibly kentile and other companies. Even ceramic slate and stone tiles can be installed on. 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. Above we show a 9 x 9 cork patterned vinyl asbestos floor tile found in a 1960 s ranch style home in new york.

Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around. Asbestos found in the vinyl floor tiles at the toh tv project house means a state licensed and well protected abatement crew must do the removal. But the flooring companies aim wasn t so much to make the floor tiles fireproof as it was to make the tiles more durable. Asbestos is a mineral that lends fireproofing qualities to any substance it is mixed with.

You can assume this floor tile contains asbestos. Photo by russell kaye i m told that the old vinyl floor tiles in the basement of our 1950 house contain asbestos and that i should not try to remove the tiles but cover them with wall to wall. One of the biggest factors of installing a new floor over the old is thickness.