Old vinyl flooring and vinyl tiles, along with the adhesives beneath them, are common sources of asbestos in Finnish buildings. Asbestos turns up fairly often in floor materials laid in the 1960s-1980s in particular. This article explains how asbestos in vinyl flooring is recognised and tested.
Asbestos in the flooring vs. in the adhesive
Asbestos can be present both in the vinyl flooring itself and in the layer of adhesive beneath it. It is more commonly found in the adhesive, but there can be asbestos fibres in the backing of the flooring as well. That is why both need testing: the flooring itself and the adhesive underneath.
In many cases the vinyl flooring is asbestos-free but the adhesive beneath it is not. If only the flooring is tested and not the adhesive, the asbestos goes undetected. So when you take the sample, make sure the adhesive layer comes with it.
Asbestos in vinyl tiles
Old vinyl tiles are another common source of asbestos in floors. The 30 x 30 cm tiles that were popular in the 1960s and 1970s often contain asbestos, and so can the adhesive beneath them.
Vinyl tiles can often be recognised by their size and hardness - old asbestos-containing tiles are typically rigid and brittle. Appearance alone cannot confirm asbestos, though; the only reliable way is laboratory analysis.
How do you sample a floor material?
Sampling floor materials calls for a little care. Cut a small piece out of the vinyl flooring or vinyl tile so that the layer of adhesive beneath comes away with it. You can use a knife or a chisel to lift the edge of the flooring and free the piece.
Ease the sample out gently so that any dust stays put. Wear protective gloves; a respirator is recommended. Take the sample from the edge or a corner of the flooring if you can, where lifting it does the least damage to the floor.
Dating the material
The age of a floor material is a useful clue when assessing asbestos risk. Vinyl flooring and vinyl tiles laid before 1994 may contain asbestos, and it is especially likely in materials from the 1960s-1980s. If you know the year the house was built or when the floor was laid, you can gauge the scale of the risk.
Bear in mind, though, that the period alone never settles the question. Not every material of that age contains asbestos, and newer materials are not necessarily asbestos-free either if they were laid over old asbestos-containing adhesive.
Planning a floor renovation
When you are planning a floor renovation, always investigate the possibility of asbestos in advance. If the old vinyl flooring or vinyl tile contains asbestos, taking it up calls for asbestos removal procedures. That affects the schedule, the cost and who is allowed to do the work.
Alternatively, in some cases a new floor covering can be laid straight over the old asbestos-containing flooring, so that nothing needs taking up at all. Whether that is possible depends on the condition of the floor structure and on what the new material requires.
How to proceed
If you suspect asbestos in old vinyl flooring or its adhesive, take a sample and send it to a laboratory for analysis. Taking the sample is a matter of minutes, and the result is emailed to you on the day the sample arrives at the laboratory. Then you know for certain how to carry out the floor renovation safely and lawfully.