Is There Asbestos In Vinyl Flooring

The wondrous new no wax flooring sold by companies such as congoleum put a glossy sheen on post war american prosperity.

Is there asbestos in vinyl flooring.

Some asbestos containing flooring products were manufactured we estimate as early as the late 1920 s. Mixing asbestos fibers into building materials makes them stronger and more heat resistant. This is why asbestos was a popular additive in vinyl flooring products for much of the 20th century. Professionals follow the same procedures for removing flooring that contains asbestos when removing adhesive.

Unfortunately vinyl tiles and sheet flooring that contain asbestos pose a potential exposure risk. Asbestos is fibrous meaning it can be pulled apart into a soft woolly consistency. Asbestos is a mineral that lends fireproofing qualities to any substance it is mixed with. Asbestos has been used in vinyl wallpaper since the 1920s and vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring rose to prominence in the 1950s.

Asphalt based asbestos floor tiles and later plastic or vinyl based asbestos flooring were popular in the u s. But the flooring companies aim wasn t so much to make the floor tiles fireproof as it was to make the tiles more durable. The vinyl acts as a binder that holds the asbestos fibres within a solid matrix. In the 1940 s 1970 s and were produced by some manufacturers armstrong as late as 1980.

For about 35 years flooring companies included asbestos when they manufactured the vinyl tiles. If the material is in good condition it normally does not pose a threat because the asbestos is enclosed in vinyl preventing the fibres from escaping. Unfortunately particularly for 1970s and early 1980 s vinyl floor tiles there were popular patterns that were originally produced using asbestos fibers and filler that later were produced in almost the identical design but without asbestos.