Home built in 1960.
Asbestos tile glue color.
Manufacturers have been using asbestos for decades so asbestos containing tiles come in a vast array of colours styles and sizes.
If your building was built before 1980 mastic mixed with asbestos may have been used to seal your tiles to the floor.
In addition to the tiles themselves a layer of mastic a type of adhesive below the tiles is also likely to contain asbestos.
As the name suggests black is its predominant color.
Possible signs of asbestos mastic include discoloration and an oily texture.
Asbestos adhesive was used for asphalt flooring tiles and vinyl or linoleum sheet tile because it strengthened the flooring and made it more durable.
Even if the vinyl flooring is pulled up intact the old adhesive underneath may also contain asbestos.
It was also resistant to moisture oil grease heat alkalis and acids.
Both the flooring and the mastic are likely to contain asbestos.
Here is an asbestos floor tile identification key sorted by primary flooring color.
You will only see black asbestos mastic after a floor covering has been removed.
Beige black blue brown tan wood tone gray green red white yellow etc.
Vinyl tiles with asbestos are all 12 12 or 9 9 tiles with asbestos.
But there may be traces of other colors such as those from subflooring showing through the mastic or pieces of floor covering that were not completely removed.
Mastic is a type of glue used to adhere tiles and vinyl flooring to the subfloor.
Most 9 inch vinyl tiles and many 12 inch tiles and the mastic adhesive that anchors them to the subfloor contain a level of asbestos.
Our photos above show a typical black floor tile adhesive mastic on the underside of a 9x9 cork pattern vinyl floor tile found in a u s.
The good news is that the harmful fibers are securely embedded into the vinyl material so under normal conditions the fibers aren t released into the air.
Over time asphalt which was a main ingredient in asbestos tiles can degrade and cause the tiles to look grimy or discolored in spots.
But then asbestos was found to be a health hazard.
Asbestos was a common ingredient in plastic cements and sealants for rooftops.
Over time weathering exposes the white asbestos fibers in asbestos containing sealant causing it to turn from black to grey.
Asbestos mastic will also always be black in color.
Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see thick.
But removing the tiles can disturb this trapped asbestos so the best strategy is painting over asbestos.
