Installing Kitchen Vinyl Flooring Over Asbestos

One of the biggest factors of installing a new floor over the old is thickness.

Installing kitchen vinyl flooring over asbestos.

Does this vinyl kitchen floor contain asbestos. This is a custom built house constructed in 1983 currently under contract i am purchasing. The vinyl asbestos tile vat you installed way back used asbestos as a matrix into which the vinyl was forced as a binder and a surface upon which to add the colors and designs. Prior to the 1980s asbestos vinyl sheet flooring was very popular in homes.

From the 1930s to the mid 1970s vinyl flooring contained asbestos which is not safe for you to remove yourself. Fortunately it is not difficult to install vinyl tile over your vinyl floor as. If you are hiring a flooring company they may be hesitant to work around asbestos tiles. If you aren t removing the old floor you may be creating a new floor that is too thick for doors to open and shut or for thresholds to have clearance.

If you are removing the original vinyl floor from a home prior to 1980 you will need to locate a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to test your floor. It also was installed over tongue and groove wood floors particleboard and plywood. Asbestos backed sheet vinyl flooring was commonly installed in many ways including over hardwood softwood and concrete floors. This is trickier as you can t simply slap mortar down on top of old asbestos tile put down the new tile and expect a good result.

No other specialized prep work or treatment is necessary. The installers refused to install over it due to the risk of particles becoming airborne. The interior of the house is very outdated with original carpet and i am assuming the vinyl tile floors in kitchen are the original floors from 1983. In your situation for a new floor the most effective but simplest way you yourself could get a new floor over the asbestos tile is a process called encapsulation.

Installing ceramic or porcelain tile over asbestos tile. In many cases installing a new floor over the tiles encapsulates the asbestos fibers and is an acceptable way to manage the material. The removal procedures described in this publication address the removal of asbestos backed sheet vinyl only if. That said it can be difficult to get a level surface for the new floor especially if the old tiles have chipped away.

Installing vinyl flooring is a similar process. Vinyl tile is an excellent option for sealing in asbestos tiles.