What is the possibility of asbestos being in the vinyl flooring in my 1978 house?

Question

We are in the process of remodeling our guest bedroom. When we pulled up the carpet we found vinyl flooring underneath. What is the likelihood of the glue used containing asbestos? We started pulling up one of the tiles, but stopped. I know we can get a piece tested or do it ourselves. Does anyone know where to find a DIY kit?...or is that a bad idea. Thanks!!

Answer 1

I would think the glue would NOT have asbestos. I've had some experience with asbestos in the past and I believe the government stopped the usage of asbestos on the early 1970's (1972-74). I think the glue is safe. The only way asbestos becomes a problem is when it's air born. AND for it to do you damage you would have to breath A LOT of it. I'm sure your house and the glued flooring are fine. If you go to remove the floor, wear a mask (asbestos or not).

Good luck! :)

Answer 2

I had the tile and adhesive in my house tested, after the 1994 earthquake and the GLUE WAS LOADED WITH ASBESTOS. So don't go saying they NEVER put asbestos in adhesives, the put it in anything they could think of.
That being said I removed the tile in my house I didn't feel the glue was a friable material and unlikely to become airborne. I did not consider a one time possible exposure a significant heath threat.
The testing is not very expensive, it was $15.00 per sample. I do not know any DIY. They have to look at it under a microscope.

Answer 3

do you really want to just chance it? after all it's your home, ya gotta live there. as you can see from all of the previous answers, everyone thinks that they know what the stop date for using asbestos is. they had to stop producing it, but were allowed to sell their remaining inventory of products that contained it. it's just like lead paint which supposedly was stopped being produced in 1978, which you could have in your house, by the way. unless you have a piece tested you won't know for certain, since the replacement was a paper fiber type of underlayment for the vinyl flooring. asbestos was used in all sorts of products for construction, roofing, flooring, insulation, etc. heck, in 1962-3, my second grade teacher brought a bag of the stuff in for the class to make things with it. she got it from her furnace repairman, and was impressed with it's ability to be molded and shaped!

Answer 4

The possibility of asbestos being in your tiles or glue if your house was built in 1978 with new materials is zero. Asbestos was never used in the adhesive to begin with and only in composition tiles of an earlier origin.. Depending on what you're using as flooring then you can go right over top of them anyway.

Answer 5

I agree with the first answer, but remember you can't depots of it in the trash, at lease not in California, you have to hire a company to come and depots of it. My house was build in 1920 and I don't dare pull up the tile because I know it has asbestos so I cover it with wood flooring. Get a company to come and remove it can be costly. But it's a safe way.

Answer 6

Asbestos is not in the glue. It was used in the backing material of tile/linoleum. It is whitish/ash grey in color.

Asbestos is only harmful if inhaled, so just work carefully so as not to create a dust cloud. You can keep the area you are working on damp to prevent airborne particles.

Answer 7

asbestos CAN be there, regaurdless what the govmt. outlawed. and it WAS used in glues. retards! i know i am a demo proffessional(regaurdless my spelling) if you do small projects like yor house the the odds of it affecting you are minimal. but if you use masks the chances are even less to have any effects. ive removed asbestos many of times and have not contracted any contamination. from airplane hangars to warehousing. your house cant be that big.right?

Answer 8

PROBABLY NOT, IF IN TILES ( VINYL ) WET THEM WHEN YOU REMOVE...
IF GLUE LOOKS LIKE TAR, MOP UP WITH PAINT THINNER, MINERAL SPIRITS!