What are asbestos floor tiles, and how can you identify them?

It might be easy for many people today – including contractors who may need to carry out work in commercial, public, and domestic buildings alike – to overlook how common the use of asbestos floor tiles once was. From around the 1920s until the 1970s, asbestos was frequently combined with other flooring materials such as vinyl and asphalt, to create tiles often barely distinguishable from their non-asbestos equivalents.

The reality, however, is that contractors do need to know how to identify asbestos floor tiles, in addition to understanding the implications of these products’ presence in a wide variety of buildings. Asbestos in construction materials can pose very serious health risks, so contractors need to be well-informed on the measures they must take to help ensure both safety and legal compliance.

It is also almost impossible, however, for most contractors to both identify and manage asbestos floor tiles entirely by themselves. This underlines the importance of such professionals knowing the circumstances in which they will need to hire experts to assist them with the specialised process of asbestos management.

What are asbestos floor tiles?

Asbestos floor tiles are very much what they sound like; floor tiles that incorporate asbestos in some way. For generations, it was common for vinyl, thermoplastic, and asphalt tiles alike to have asbestos blended into them during their production. This was done to help boost the tiles’ thermal, chemical, and corrosion resistance, as well as their all-round durability – all important priorities given the tendency for these products to be installed in high-traffic areas.

Although a final ban on all types of asbestos in the UK was imposed in 1999, for the bulk of the century immediately prior to this, the fibrous silicate mineral was in widespread use across the country. The substance was especially routinely used in the construction sector, being incorporated into products such as asbestos insulating board (AIB), asbestos cement roof tiles, thermal insulation (lagging), and sprayed coatings, as well as floor tiles.

It wasn’t even just the tiles themselves that tended to contain asbestos, as the now-notorious mineral was also frequently present in the adhesive used to stick the tiles down. So, this is another risk that contractors will need to account for in settings where asbestos floor tiles may sustain damage or undergo removal. 

What do asbestos floor tiles look like?

As we touched on above, much of the difficulty in identifying asbestos floor tiles lies in their tendency to strongly resemble floor tiles that do not contain asbestos. However, there are a few elements of asbestos floor tiles’ appearance that might lead contractors to at least suspect they may contain the now-banned carcinogen.

One such aspect is the tiles’ dimensions; while they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, it was especially common for them to be made in squares of 9” x 9”, 12” x 12”, and 18” x 18”. They also tend to be thin and brittle, to such an extent that removal of them is usually done by scraping them up (although we recommend that you do not attempt to break up these tiles if you aren’t wearing suitable personal protective equipment, or PPE).

Asbestos floor tiles come in many different colours, such as grey, white, brown, black, and green. Vinyl floor tiles are mainly in light colours like cream, pink, green, and blue, whereas asbestos asphalt tiles are typically darker in colour, as a consequence of asphalt being the primary material. Indeed, it is worth bearing in mind that usually, only approximately 11% to 25% of an asbestos floor tile is asbestos.

How can you identify asbestos floor tiles?

If there are floor tiles in a property for which you are responsible (or where you are working as a contractor) that you suspect could be asbestos, visual inspection – bearing the aforementioned potential signs and clues in mind – is an important first step. However, you cannot depend on such “amateur” examination alone as a means of confirming whether certain floor tiles contain asbestos – professional testing of the material will be required in order to do this.

It is also worth examining relevant documentation – such as building records and renovation histories for the given premises – to search for any mention of asbestos floor tiles having been used. Remember that these products have been referred to by a variety of names over the years, such as “Marley tiles”, “ACM tiles”, and “thermoplastic tiles”. If you see a trade name on the tiles, Googling it could provide clues to the materials they are likely to contain.

The most accurate way to confirm whether your suspect tiles are asbestos tiles, is having them professionally tested using a process of bulk sampling and analysis. Engaging the services of certified asbestos testing professionals will enable you to rest easy in the knowledge that specialised equipment and techniques will be used to safely capture samples of the floor tiles. This will be followed by thorough analysis for any sign of the fibrous silicate mineral.

Where are asbestos floor tiles commonly found?

Buildings constructed or renovated between 1920 and 1980 – particularly domestic properties with areas that might be especially likely to see tiles installed, such as kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, basements, and utility rooms – stand a particularly high chance of containing asbestos floor tiles. It is by no means unheard-of for properties built in the 1980s and ‘90s to also have asbestos floor tiles, but the likelihood of this is much lower.

Otherwise, there aren’t really any “hard and fast” rules on where one might reasonably expect to see asbestos floor tiles. It is, though, often worth looking under carpets or other newer floor coverings, given the historical tendency for some building owners to leave existing asbestos tiles in place and lay new flooring on top of them.

How dangerous are asbestos floor tiles?

Asbestos, in general, has a well-deserved reputation for being extremely dangerous. Inhalation or ingestion of this mineral – as can easily occur if someone disturbs asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) on a given site – is associated with a heightened risk of the exposed individual going on to develop certain potentially fatal health conditions. These include such diseases as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer.

On the other hand, compared to many other ACMs, asbestos floor tiles are perceived as presenting a lower risk. This has much to do with the heavily bonded and non-friable nature of asbestos floor tiles – the term “friable” applied to materials that are prone to breaking up or crumbling when put under pressure.

So, even in instances of asbestos floor tiles being disturbed or broken, the risk of large quantities of loose asbestos fibres being released is not as great as would be the case with other ACMs. When you bear in mind that asbestos floor tiles were specifically designed to withstand regular foot traffic, their non-friability makes a lot of sense. With the asbestos itself being wrapped tightly inside the tile, these tiles are not regarded as dangerous for as long as they remain in good condition.

However, a major change to the risk profile of asbestos floor tiles occurs if the product is damaged or begins to degrade – an event that greatly increases the chances of the asbestos inside the tile becoming loose. So, asbestos floor tiles should never be regarded as universally “safe” in all circumstances; they will still need to be carefully watched and managed.

Do you need a licence to remove asbestos floor tiles?

It isn’t necessarily automatically the case that if asbestos floor tiles are found in a property, they will have to be removed. If the tiles are in good condition, it might actually be safer to leave them in place.

Alternatively – particularly if the tiles are damaged or deteriorating in condition, or if you intend to carry out renovation work in the building that could disturb them – you might make the decision to have the tiles removed.

It isn’t typically necessary for someone to hold a licence from the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in order to manually remove asbestos floor tiles, unlike the situation with certain “higher-risk” asbestos work. However, such an individual should still have received training enabling them to recognise and work safely with asbestos.

If, however, the planned work presents a high likelihood of the material undergoing significant break-up and deterioration as a result, this will count as notifiable non-licensed work. This will also be the case for the removal of floor tiles that have an asbestos-paper backing.

In some other situations, however, the planned removal work might entail the grinding-off of flooring materials. If so, this would be considered a higher-risk activity necessitating the use of a HSE-licensed contractor.  

Why should you employ experts for the identification and removal of asbestos floor tiles?

Although – as we have addressed in this article – the risks posed by asbestos floor tiles are not believed to be as severe as those that other ACMs present, this does not mean you should attempt “DIY” asbestos removal. Work on asbestos floor tiles can still present significant safety hazards, and any mismanagement of these risks could also bring serious legal repercussions.

Hiring reputable, certified, and licensed asbestos professionals can bring various benefits in your management of asbestos floor tiles.

You will have the peace of mind of knowing, for instance, that such professionals possess the necessary specialised expertise and proper equipment. Furthermore, you can be confident of these asbestos experts complying with all relevant legal and safety standards, as well as having strong liability protection (although of course, you should always double-check the specific insurance cover that your chosen asbestos company holds).  

Conclusion: asbestos floor tiles require proactive and diligent management

Asbestos floor tiles are by no means among the most dangerous ACMs; indeed, they are not regarded as dangerous at all for as long as they are in good condition. The risks that these heavily bonded products can present, however, are liable to greatly increase in the event of them sustaining damage or beginning to degrade.

With these factors in mind, it is crucial to arrange some level of professional involvement in the identification, management, and/or removal of any suspected asbestos floor tiles at a property for which you are a contractor.

By consulting with and hiring licensed asbestos professionals to help manage these ACMs – especially for any retrofitting projects in the given building – you can greatly help ensure all the right steps are taken to maintain safety and legal compliance.

Contact our own experts at Oracle Solutions today, and we will be pleased to provide you with a free and fast quote for any of our highly rated services.