Testing Floor Tiles for Asbestos

If your kitchen or bathroom is over thirty years old, it’s likely that you will want to replace them in the near future. The floor tiles used in kitchens and bathrooms of this age often contain asbestos, in the form of chrysotile, so it is essential to test for asbestos prior to removing them.

Floor tiles containing asbestos are not particularly dangerous, unless they become damaged or disturbed, which can result in the unintentional release of asbestos fibres into the air.

Both home and business owners are left with a choice of whether to replace the floor tiles, or whether to just leave them undisturbed.

Provided below is a breakdown of the best practices to take while making your decision. 

Damaged or Disturbed Asbestos Floor Tiles 

For the most part, floor tiles that contain asbestos are a low risk to humans. However, an entirely different situation occurs if the floor tiles become damaged or disturbed during removal or by accident.

Floor tiles can become worn down over the years, from both walking over them or from objects being dragged across them. After a while, these once-strong floor tiles become weak and brittle. At this point, they become a risk to humans. Once the floor tiles begin to crumble, asbestos fibres become airborne, representing a health hazard.

If you notice your floor tiles starting to become old and worn, take the first steps to ensuring safety by ordering a great value asbestos self-testing kit from Asbestos Samples Ltd.

If you order today, one of our asbestos testing kits can be with you the next working day. This kit includes all of the government certified safety equipment needed to keep you safe while taking samples of potential asbestos containing materials.

There is no longer a need to wait for a costly asbestos surveyor to come out to your property. Using our simple services, you can receive same-day results, which can help to mitigate unnecessary delays to your projects.

But What If I Like My Floor Tiles? 

The retro look is very fashionable at the moment, with many of the big-named stylists and publishers documenting it. However, this does not mean that you should keep your retro-looking floor tiles in favour of replacing them for newer ones.

These old floor tiles become incredibly slippery when wet, which becomes a hazard for people walking over them. This can be especially dangerous for the older generation, who can slip and fall, causing long-term damage to themselves.

If you really want to keep the retro feel, we would strongly recommend replacing these old floor tiles with modern tiles with a retro design. However, if you choose to do this, make sure you get the old tiles tested first to put a stop to any potential harm caused during the removal process.