Tile adhesive is one of the most common sources of asbestos-containing material in Finnish buildings. The adhesives used behind bathroom and kitchen wall and floor tiles often contain asbestos if they were laid before 1994. This article explains why tile adhesive is a high-risk material and how to confirm whether it contains asbestos.
Why is there asbestos in tile adhesive?
Asbestos was added to tile adhesive from the middle of the 20th century onwards to improve the adhesive's technical properties. Asbestos fibres made it stronger, more flexible and more heat resistant. Those qualities were especially prized in damp rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens, where the adhesive had to cope with swings in temperature and with moisture.
Asbestos was widely used in tile adhesive right up to the early 1990s. It was most common in the 1960s-1980s, the decades in which a large share of Finland's blocks of flats and detached houses were built.
Tile vs. tile adhesive
It is important to understand that ceramic tiles themselves do not usually contain asbestos. The asbestos risk lies specifically in the layer of adhesive between the tile and the wall or floor. That means simply lifting a tile and testing it is not enough - the sample has to come from the adhesive itself.
Renovators often lift a tile and have it tested while the layer of adhesive behind it goes untested. This is a common and unfortunate mistake, because the adhesive is the material most likely to contain asbestos.
Taking a sample of tile adhesive
Sampling tile adhesive means lifting one tile. Ease the tile off carefully with a chisel or a knife. Once it is off, take a sample of the adhesive layer by scraping it or prising off a piece with the chisel. The sample should be about 2-5 centimetres across.
Wear an FFP3 respirator and protective gloves while you take the sample. Avoid using excessive force, which only creates needless dust. Pack the sample in a Minigrip bag and label it clearly with the material and the place it came from.
Bathroom and kitchen tile adhesive
Bathrooms and kitchens are the most typical places to find asbestos-containing tile adhesive. Both rooms have a lot of tiling on the walls and the floor, and the adhesive behind each tiled surface may date from a different period and have a different composition.
In a bathroom, tile adhesive is particularly awkward, because stripping out a confined space produces a lot of dust. In a kitchen, the splashback tiles and the floor tiles are the usual candidates for removal during a renovation. In both cases, testing the adhesive before the work starts is essential.
What happens if the tile adhesive contains asbestos?
If the analysis finds asbestos in the tile adhesive, lifting the tiles and taking off the adhesive has to be done as asbestos removal work. That means an authorised asbestos removal company doing the job with the proper precautions - sealed containment, negative pressure and personal protective equipment.
Asbestos removal is routine work for professionals and can be built into the renovation schedule. The cost is reasonable set against the safety that proper removal provides. Skipping it and sanding or chipping asbestos-containing adhesive without precautions is both illegal and dangerous.
Summary
Tile adhesive is a common source of asbestos in old buildings. Before the tiles come off, the adhesive must be tested by laboratory analysis. Take the sample from the layer of adhesive exposed behind the tile, pack it tightly and post it to the laboratory. The result tells you how the work can be carried out safely.