For many years, asbestos was regarded as a highly valuable commodity. It was employed for sound proofing, mixing into cement, and as a component part of numerous coatings and commonly-used products like Artex, because of its insulating and strengthening characteristics.

Asbestos is typically found as a component of materials such as floor and ceiling tiles that have been bonded with other materials such as vinyl. Unfortunately, since the heyday of asbestos, it has been proven that this material poses a number of serious health hazards.

Asbestos is still one of the most common causes of occupational diseases today. So, if you have asbestos tiles in your office or even at home, you should know how to recognise them and deal with them. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at asbestos in tiles.

Why is it so common to find asbestos in tiles?

Because of its many helpful features, asbestos has been used in the past. It could be combined with other materials such as vinyl in powdered form to generate stronger tiles that are also fire resistant and have greater insulate qualities.

Asbestos has been banned in the United Kingdom since 1999, so you won’t find it in any tiles or building materials used professionally after that date. Many tiles, however, have remained in place from previous years. These are the tiles that could have asbestos in them.

Ceiling tiles with asbestos

Ceiling tiles are frequently used to minimise noise and prevent it from migrating from one room to the next. Asbestos has a number of beneficial qualities, one of which is sound dampening. This means it’s been used in acoustic ceiling tiles for a long time.

These are almost always seen in offices and other professional settings where a large number of individuals are likely to be working in a noisy atmosphere.

Asbestos is found in floor tiles.

Asbestos is commonly used in floor tiles because of its insulating and fire-resistant qualities. As a result, they can be found in a wide range of commercial and industrial settings.

Underneath the floor tiles is frequently a layer of glue (such as mastic). Asbestos is also likely to be present.

How can you know whether the tiles you’re looking at have asbestos in them?

It’s incredibly difficult to identify if tiles contain asbestos just by looking at them. As asbestos is simply a component of the tile, asbestos floor and ceiling tiles can appear to be identical to those containing only non-toxic elements.

In general, the only way to know for sure whether or not asbestos is present is to do an asbestos survey. A expert can take a sample of the tile during an asbestos survey to see if it contains asbestos. The surveyor will then write a report outlining the asbestos discovered and any potential next steps.

How to Get Asbestos Tiles Removed

If you have asbestos tiles on your property, it is commonly considered that you should have them removed as soon as possible. This may be the preferred line of action in some circumstances, but it is not always the case. This is why conducting an asbestos survey is critical. A survey will determine if the asbestos tiles are in good condition or are in danger of deterioration.

In some circumstances, it is preferable to leave asbestos tiles in place if they are in good condition. It’s possible that removing them will cause damage to the tiles.

The staff at Asbestos Removal 247 will be pleased to assist you with any asbestos services you require. We’ve worked with asbestos for years and have dealt with asbestos tile removal, among other things. For further information, please contact us immediately.