Backing Asbestos Vinyl Sheet Flooring

Unfortunately vinyl sheet flooring manufactured with an asbestos backing poses a serious exposure risk when it is disturbed.

Backing asbestos vinyl sheet flooring.

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. The backing of the vinyl sheet didn t crumble or anything like that but it did separate when i ripped the sheet off the floor. Manufacturers often made this type of flooring with a friable asbestos backing which means asbestos fibres are easily released into the air if the sheet flooring is disturbed or damaged. But before about 1978 in products that looked like this same material asbestos fibers were used as a strengthen material on vinyl sheet flooring backing.

Asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring is where the backing the side attached to the floor see figure 1 contains friable easily broken asbestos material. Must be implemented to control. Figure 1 asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring. The vinyl sheeting itself does not contain asbestos.

Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring has two layers a top layer of vinyl and a bottom layer made from paper that contains asbestos. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring can be more dangerous to remove than tiles if proper precautions are not practiced. Details for identifying asbestos or asbestos suspect sheet flooring products are at resilient sheet flooring id guide. Dry asbestos particles are lighter than air wet ones are less prone to become air borne.

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. Or if your existing flooring is in good condition your best option may be to simply. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring poses a significantly greater asbestos exposure risk than floor tiles or wallpaper. Rather than removing it consider installing a new floor directly on top of it.

Removing your asbestos backed sheet vinyl flooring. 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. Sheet vinyl flooring should be removed to avoid or minimize disturbance of the asbestos containing backing. I unknowingly tore up some.

The backing would be one suitable for use as a surface covering for example a felt perferably a rubber bonded asbestos backing a vinyl sheet backing a cellulosic felt or other backing which lendsitself to surface covering applications. Another possibility is to lay 1 4 inch underlayment on top of your existing floor and then lay new flooring on top of that. Examples of armstrong linoleum flooring linowall wall covering.