Asphalt Floor Tile Adhesive Asbestos

Some cutback adhesives contained asbestos.

Asphalt floor tile adhesive asbestos. Black mastic also known as cutback adhesive was commonly used to glue flooring tiles down. Asphalt tiles between the 1920s and 1960s asbestos fiber fillers were used in asphalt tiles. Asbestos containing seals may wear down flake or peel away. Beige black blue brown tan wood tone gray green red white yellow etc.

Asphalt based asbestos floor tiles and later plastic or vinyl based asbestos flooring were popular in the u s. Color photo guide to asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles 1900 1986 using dominant floor tile color to identify the probable asbestos containing floor tile brand pattern and age. Asphaltic cutback adhesive is an older type of mastic made with asphalt based cement. Cutback is the black asphalt based adhesive that was frequently used to install vinyl asbestos tile asphalt tile and vinyl composition tile.

Asphalt is one of the main materials used for the manufacturing of asbestos floor tiles and leakages of the oil incorporated in it can occur causing the color of the tiles to fade. But then asbestos was found to be a health hazard. By their nature adhesives are difficult to remove once they have set which means renovation or demolition work on floor tiles wall panels or anything else glued in place can create large amounts of dust and debris as the dried adhesive is chipped or scraped away. It was also resistant to moisture oil grease heat alkalis and acids.

Asphalt tiles are generally resilient and last for many years. Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see thick black adhesive underneath. Asbestos adhesive was used for asphalt flooring tiles and vinyl or linoleum sheet tile because it strengthened the flooring and made it more durable. As a petroleum based material the cutback is not softened by water.

Here is an asbestos floor tile identification key sorted by primary flooring color. These tiles may contain various coloring fillers and synthetic fibers which the asphalt binds together. Some asbestos containing flooring products were manufactured we estimate as early as the late 1920 s. Some of the flooring tiles have come off and you see thick black adhesive underneath.

It is commonly thought that asbestos was added to these compounds for fire resistance. We re uncertain of its precise history but we found it mentioned in a 1937 patent for composite panel board.