Asbestos Floor Tile Removal

Do you have asbestos floor tile in you home? Are you interested in removing it or covering it with different flooring? Then you are at the right site which will show you everything you need to know about asbestos, its dangers and how to safetly remove in from your house.

Asbestos os a toxic material that when inhalation of asbestos fibers occurs it can cause serious ilness including:

• Malignant Mesothelioma

• Lung Cancer

• Asbestosis (Type of Pneunoconiosis)

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral that has long thin fibrous crystals. They word asbestos comes from a greek adjective meaning inextinguishable. The reason Greeks gave asbestos this name is because it was thought of as a miracle mineral with its soft pliant properties, along with its ability to with stand heat.

Asbestos became widespread during the industrial revolution in the 1960s being used for insulation in the US and Canada. By the mid 20th century it took on many uses around the country including fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes, fireplace cement, heat, fire, and acid resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, flooring, roofing, lawn furniture, brake pads, caulk, stage curtains, clutch plates, fire blankets and drywall joint compound.

Since the mid 1980s most developed countries have banned asbestos, as in the late 19th century it was very popular among manufacturers and builders because of its resistance to heat , electrical and chemical damage, song absorption, and tensile strength.

Asbestos Floor Tiles

Almost all floor tiles manufactured in the past few decades until the mid 1980s contained asbestos. Manufacturers of floor tiles prepared using asbestos because it was easy to manufacture and it was extremely durable and cost effective. These floor tiles were vinyl asbestos tiles made from polyvinyl chloride polymers.

Asbestos floor tiles consisted of a mixture of limestone, asbestos, plasticizers, stabilizer, binder, and pigment. When made it was usually heated to temperatures of 300 degrees F and fed into a rolled that gave the tiles the desired thickness. The still hot and soft tiles were then pressed through cylinders to gain uniform thickness, and then pigmenting and surface designs were done. After cooled off by water they were cut into the right sizes and waxed ready for sale.

The asbestos fiber gave the tiles the following properties:

• Abrasion resistance
• Extra strength and durability
• More flexibility
• Resistance to oil, grease, moisture, heat, acids, and alkalis.
• Dimensional stability (preventing expansion and shrinkage)

Risks of Asbestos In Floor Tiles

Living in a home that has asbestos floor tiles not not necessarily mean that you run the right of asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibers are firmly embedded into the floor tiles and do not pose any risks unless they are purposely broken allowing asbestos fibers to contaminate the air. How every over time heat, water, weathering and aging can weaken flooring to the point that it is friable. Friable tiles with allow small amounts of asbestos into the air.

Removing

Tools needed:

• Utility knife- for cutting in between tiles
  
• Metal putty knife-for removing materials on flat surfaces
  
• Razor scraper- for removing material on flat surfaces
  
• Abrasive scrub pads- for removing backing and adhesives.
  
• Spray bottle- with a cup of dish soap to five gallons of water.
• Mop disposable towels
• Duct tape- for sealing openings and bags
  
• Polyethylene sheeting- for isolating work area and covering vents and openings.
• Waste disposal bags
• Boxes- to put floor tile in
• Personal Protective Equipment- Respirator, disposable work suits, gloves, boots and eye protection.

If you have a wooden flooring underneath the asbestos floor tiles and want to restore the wooden floor, take great care in doing this. The asbestos tiles have to be removed with the glue that is underneath also. Extreme care and caution must be used, making sure no power tools are used to remove tiles because this could damage them causing asbestos to be released into the air. When restoring the wooden floor the best way to do it is by sanding it which could be very dangerous because asbestos particles can be embedded in the glue.

One way to change the flooring in your home is to cover over top the asbestos floor tiles with new tiles or flooring material. This well help ensure that you will not disturb the asbestos tiles greatly reducing the risk of asbestos being emitted into the air.

Many people prefer removing and getting rid of old asbestos tiles, and if you are going to do this yourself be very careful. While some tiles may come off easy, other may require some brute force to remove them. This can be dangerous because that tiles risk of being broken is greatly increased which can cause asbestos fibers to be released into the air.

To remove the floor tile it is most easily removed from the edges. Cautiously use a hammer and a putty knife or a simular tool to work under the edges of the tiles to pop them loose. Once you get the first tile loose you should work the putty knife at a 45 degree angle of entry to gently pop the remaining tiles loose.

Disposal

Asbestos debris and waste is disposed of in a landfill that accepts asbestos containing waste it ok, but not all lanffills accept asbestos waste. There are a few disposal methods besides taking it to a land fill:

• Contact a local waste hauler for special pick up.
• Contact a licensed abatement contractor for pick up and disposal.
  

Precautions When Removing Asbestos Floor Tiles

• Never sand floor tiles or the glue underneath
• Never use any power tool that could damage the tiles in anyway.
• Before removing the tiles, soak the entire floor with plenty of water for at least 30 minutes before. This allows and fibers that escape to be to heavy to float because they will be soaked in water.
• If there is dust while removing tiles, never use a vacuum cleaner. Vacuums will not trap asbestos fibers and they will reintroduce them into the air.
• All cleaning should be done with a soaking wet mop.
• All materials after cleaning should be put directly into a polythene bag and sealed tightly for disposal.
  
• When removing floor tiles always wear a approved respirator to ensure extra safety in case some asbestos is emitted into the air.