Asbestos, a group of naturally occurring silicate minerals that occur as  thin separable fibers, was widely used in vinyl and linoleum floors for  its desirable properties. The properties of this material (and lack of  knowledge about its hazardous effects) contributed to its popularity  back in 70s and 80s. Almost all floor tiles manufactured in the past few  decades until the mid 80's contained asbestos in varying amounts. (In  fact, one of the easiest methods of finding out whether your home has  asbestos, is to find out when it was built. If you have any doubts, you  can send a sample for lab testing for confirmation.) Some of the most  desirable properties of asbestos which added to its popularity were:Heat resistanceFire resistanceChemical resistanceNonconductor of electricityHighly durableCost-effectiveSound absorbent

Manufacturers of floor tiles preferred using asbestos because  asbestos not only made the manufacturing process easier than other  conventional materials, but was extremely durable and cost-effective.  Previously asbestos floor tiles were available in the size 9×9, and more  recently 12×12. These tiles were vinyl-asbestos floor tiles that were  manufactured from polyvinyl chloride polymers.

These tiles usually consisted of a mixture of limestone, asbestos,  plasticizer, stabilizer, binder, and pigment. The mixture was heated to  temperatures of 300°F, and fed into a roller to be pressed to the  desired thickness. They were then pressed through cylinders to gain  uniform thickness, after which pigmenting and surface designs were done  while the tiles were still hot and soft. The tiles were then cooled by  immersion in water, water-spraying, or placing them in a cooling unit.  They were then cut into appropriate size and waxed, after which they  were ready for the market. The asbestos fibers gave these tiles the  following properties.

Heat and fire resistanceAbrasion resistanceExtra strength and durabilityAdded flexibilityResistance to moisture, oil, grease, acids and alkaliesDimensional stability

The ability of these tiles to withstand high temperature prevented  them from cracking. Dimensional stability prevented expansion and  shrinkage during the manufacturing process. Overall manufacturing costs  were low, and that was beneficial to the manufacturer as well as the end  user.

Risks Involved with Asbestos Floor Tiles

Simply living in a home with asbestos floor tiles does not mean you run  the risk of asbestos exposure. The asbestos fibers are firmly embedded  into the tiles, and pose no risk unless the tiles are deliberately  broken, and asbestos fibers are allowed to contaminate the air. In some  cases, these tiles may wear out with time due to which the tiny fibers  may contaminate the air and result in asbestos floor scrubbers suppliers exposure.

If you have a wooden flooring beneath the asbestos floor tiles and want  to restore it, you need to be extra cautious. The tiles have to be  removed along with the glue underneath. This must be done with extreme  care, making sure that no power tools are used to remove the tiles as  the use of such tools could damage the tiles and release asbestos in  your home. Many people choose to sand the wooden floor to restore it,  which is again pretty harmful, since asbestos particles embedded in the  glue separate and get airborne.

One way of changing the flooring is to cover asbestos floor tiles with  new non-asbestos tiles or flooring material. This makes sure that you  need not disturb the asbestos tiles, and therefore the risk of asbestos  exposure due to the floor tiles is eliminated.

Many prefer removing and getting rid of the old asbestos floor tiles  before replacing them with new tiles. If you are doing this yourself,  you have to be very careful. Certain asbestos tiles will not come off  easily, and will require brute force to dislodge them. This can be risky  as the tiles are likely to break and get splintered, and this, in turn,  may release harmful asbestos fibers in the air. It may take just a day  or two to get rid of the old asbestos tiles and fix new ones, but if the  asbestos fibers are concentrated in the room, it could cause serious  health problems much later in life.