Backing Asbestos Vinyl Sheet Flooring

Manufacturers often made this type of flooring with a friable asbestos backing which means asbestos fibres are easily released into the air if the sheet flooring is disturbed or damaged.

Backing asbestos vinyl sheet flooring.

Manufacturers often made this type of flooring with a friable asbestos backing which means mineral fibers are easily released into the air if the sheet flooring is disturbed or damaged. If the vinyl resilient sheet flooring backing material were dry sanded or scraped during building demolition for example or if the sheet flooring is worn through so that foot traffic continues to damage the backing material it is possible for unsafe levels of asbestos fibers to be released in a building. On wood floors the vinyl sheet flooring should be removed in large sections with a pry bar removing the underlayment while the flooring is still affixed to it. Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring poses a significantly greater asbestos exposure risk than floor tiles or wallpaper.

During removal pulling the vinyl layer away from its paper backing must be avoided as much as possible. Figure 1 asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring. Details for identifying asbestos or asbestos suspect sheet flooring products are at resilient sheet flooring id guide. Adding confusion to flooring terminology sheet vinyl flooring referred to in some product literature and other mateirals as vinyl flooring or sheet vinyl flooring contained asbestos containing backers that may have been solid vinyl sometimes containing asbestos that is typically white or cream colored or asphalt impregnated felt sometimes containing asbestos that is virtually always black in color but that may have been coated on its underside with red material possibly rubber.

The removal procedures described in this publication address the removal of asbestos backed sheet vinyl only if. Asbestos vinyl sheet backing. What is asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring. This article series describes sheet flooring products known to contain significant levels of asbestos.

Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring poses a significantly greater asbestos exposure risk than floor tiles or wallpaper. But before about 1978 in products that looked like this same material asbestos fibers were used as a strengthen material on vinyl sheet flooring backing. Separating the two layers could possibly release a dangerous level of asbestos into the air. Asbestos backed sheet vinyl flooring was commonly installed in many ways including over hardwood softwood and concrete floors.

Asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring is where the backing the side attached to the floor see figure 1 contains friable easily broken asbestos material. Vinyl sheet flooring comes in large pieces and is usually cut to the size of the room and laid down in one piece. I unknowingly tore up some. It also was installed over tongue and groove wood floors particleboard and plywood.