Ceramic Tiles Contain Asbestos

Asbestos flooring only causes potential health problems when it gets disturbed so don t panic if you think your home has asbestos tiles.

Ceramic tiles contain asbestos.

Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around. Asbestos tiles have traits that make them easier to spot. Abating asbestos vinyl wallpaper and floor tiles does not typically require a license. It is always safer to assume material manufactured before 1980 contains asbestos.

Asbestos in ceiling tiles. The tiles most likely to contain asbestos are ceiling and flooring tiles. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring should only be removed by a licensed abatement professional. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets.

You could also cover the tiles with new vinyl flooring linoleum or even ceramic tiles. However as a favor to future owners of your house make some note of the fact that asbestos tiles are under the new flooring. In ceiling tiles asbestos is most commonly used for reducing the amount of noise that spreads from one room to another. Vinyl flooring and wallpaper that contain asbestos cannot be recognized on sight.

That way no one will be endangered years from now when they start to rip up the new flooring and find asbestos tiles beneath. As you can see this method is not an exact science. Common in homes built in the 20th century black mastic was used as an adhesive for ceramic tile linoleum and other flooring materials. If the tiles or the floor beneath show oily discoloration the tiles very likely contain asbestos.

Identifying building materials containing asbestos helps you plan for removal if you want them gone. When you remove that floor covering to make way for new flooring you may encounter the mastic and wonder whether it is safe to remove the main concern surrounding this question is that black mastic often contains asbestos. We explain the ingredients in ceramic floor tiles cite authoritative research on the presence or absence of asbestos in these ceramic tile or its absence and we point to sources of confusion about the question of which ceramic products tiles pottery filters contain or ever contained asbestos as a filler or as a fiber strengthen. Asbestos is used in these products for a variety of reasons.

The only way to make it a science is to hire a licensed asbestos inspector or by sending a sample to a lab to be tested but doing so can be costly and time consuming.