Is Asbestos Tile Under Carpet Safe

If the asbestos floor tiles or sheet flooring have been painted coated with a sealant or floored over using carpet laminate or any other continuous flooring so that the original floor is not exposed the risk level provided by the original asbestos containing flooring is low to beneath the level of detection in the building.

Is asbestos tile under carpet safe.

There s no evidence to show that vacuuming a carpet would release asbestos fibres so don t worry if you ve done this in the past. However as a favor to future owners of your house make some note of the fact that asbestos tiles are under the new flooring. Plan and budget for an asbestos abatement to remove the carpet and asbestos flooring materials 3. Common in homes built in the 20th century black mastic was used as an adhesive for ceramic tile linoleum and other flooring materials.

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. Asbestos is dangerous when disturbed but if it s used in an underlay the carpet should prevent it from being damaged. But that changes as soon as you decide to remove it. If the carpet glue is negative for asbestos but floor tile and or mastic are positive conduct a test pull to determine the likelihood of the floor tile remaining intact or being disturbed during the actual carpet removal.

Unlike many asbestos containing materials vinyl asbestos flooring is generally safe to be around. While those are the most common asbestos containing floor tiles many other tiles and floor coverings can be positive as well. This is why we often find vinyl asbestos tile underneath other kinds of floor coverings like carpet or even sheet vinyl. Vinyl is a type of plastic that has long been a popular material for floor tiles and sheets.

In a basement i d suggest a rubber based carpet pad rather than a fiber pad. Mastic that is black is also a tell tale sign. Many tiles in older homes do contain asbestos and there is no way to tell just by looking. Asbestos is safe and legal to remain in homes or public buildings as long as the asbestos materials are in good condition and not tampered with.

If you have an older carpet it should still be perfectly safe to vacuum it. The most common tiles that are positive are ones that measure 9 x 9. Carpeting and a suitable pad will do the trick. Wear a respirator mask goggles that form a seal around your eyes a hat and old clothing you will dispose of when the job is done.

You could also cover the tiles with new vinyl flooring linoleum or even ceramic tiles.