Tiling Over Asbestos Floor Tiles

You can also use other materials to cover up the asbestos flooring.

Tiling over asbestos floor tiles. In many cases installing a new floor over the tiles encapsulates the asbestos fibers and is an acceptable way to manage the material. The asbestos floor tile identification articles in this series illustrate that with the combination of design appearance and an idea of floor tile age many asbestos containing floor tiles or sheet flooring products can be reliably identified even before confirmation by a test by a certified asbestos testing laboratory. Porcelain floors are extremely versatile and durable with tile sizes up to 24 inches available for a clean modern look with fewer grout lines. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets.

Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around. Flooring options to tile over asbestos tile. Asbestos is completely safe as long as it isn t disturbed. Asbestos tile is only dangerous when it is broken up torn or crushed and fibers are released into the air which is when health risks for mesothelioma and other diseases become a danger.

That way no one will be endangered years from now when they start to rip up the new flooring and find asbestos tiles beneath. But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it. If your floor can be thicker without causing problems install a porcelain floor over the old asbestos. Damage to the asbestos tile may require a professional to safely remove the material.

You could also cover the tiles with new vinyl flooring linoleum or even ceramic tiles. Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see. Over time asphalt which was a main ingredient in asbestos tiles can degrade and cause the tiles to look grimy or discolored in spots. So after much reading on asbestos tile and due to my limited budget i ve decided to just cover them with traffic master floating laminate flooring but everyone i ve talked to has said they won t install the flooring with the asbestos tiles.

That said it can be difficult to get a level surface for the new floor especially if the old tiles have chipped away. However as a favor to future owners of your house make some note of the fact that asbestos tiles are under the new flooring.