Many older homes contain asbestos tile flooring, as it was a common additive for both vinyl sheet flooring material as well as individually-formed tiles. Like with siding and other materials, asbestos was added to flooring due to its fire-resistant nature and for the extra strength it adds, making otherwise fragile and brittle material more flexible and durable.

Identifying flooring that contains asbestos is also like detecting asbestos in other materials; it can only be done through proper testing by a certified lab. While asbestos floor tiles often share similar characteristics and sizes, there’s no way to be 100% certain just from looking at it as to whether or not asbestos was added. Some manufacturers at the time did add asbestos while others didn’t, so only testing can tell you if your old floor tiles or sheet flooring contains asbestos.

If you do determine that you’ve got asbestos tile flooring in your home, the next step to take will depend on what your particular situation is. Removal can be very costly and expensive and is often more risky than simply leaving the old flooring in place and installing a new floor on top of it. Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed and the fibers are friable and airborne, so in many cases it’s safer to leave the old floor tiles as they are.

Another issue to consider when debating whether or not to remove asbestos tile flooring is the disposal of the material, as that adds another potential headache depending on local and state laws and regulations. More and more states are restricting where materials containing asbestos can be disposed of, so even if asbestos tile is removed it still needs to be disposed of properly.