Today here on the SafeAir Contractors, Inc. blog we are shining the spotlight on asbestos floor removal and what you need to know if you suspect that your home floors are contaminated with asbestos. We aim to cover everything you need to know to keep your family safe and to get your home into livable condition ASAP!
Asbestos Floor Removal: Do Your Floors Contain Asbestos?
When we’re talking about asbestos floor removal, the first thing you need to know is whether or not your floors contain asbestos. Now obviously, if you are reading our blog, then asbestos is of concern, but how can you be sure whether the flooring in your home really is contaminated?
How Do I Know if I Have Asbestos in My Flooring?
The only true way to know whether or not your home contains asbestos contaminated flooring is to call in a professional assessor who can look over your flooring, take a sample, test that sample, and then help you to arrange removal if necessary.
With that said, however, there are a few key signs that can help you to decide whether or not you should have a professional come into your home to look at that flooring.
What Types of Flooring Can Contain Asbestos?
Firstly, let’s talk about what types of flooring most often contain asbestos:
- Old linoleum
- Some tile flooring
When looking over your flooring to determine whether you suspect asbestos contamination, it’s important to remember that if the flooring is intact, then the asbestos in that flooring poses little risk to you or your family. It is only when the flooring becomes damaged or worn that asbestos fibers can be released into the air and pose a threat to your health.
Identifying Asbestos in Your Flooring
While it’s best to leave the identification of asbestos-contaminated flooring to the professionals, the age of your flooring can help you to determine whether or not you should call in the professionals. Look at the Age of Your Flooring – when was your home built and when was the flooring laid down? In North America, if your flooring was put down before 1986, there is a high likelihood that it contains asbestos.
You can also look for any “spare” floor tiles or flooring materials that were stored in your storage closets, crawl spaces, attic, or basement. Often builders will leave a few spare pieces of materials behind for repairs if they are needed and if you can find any of this material, you may be able to identify the model number of your floor tiles or at least the manufacturer and year of manufacturing.
Another option, if you do not find any spare tiles in storage in your home is to use an online reference resource to lookup your floor tiles. The Inspect-a-pedia website is a great resource for doing this and can help you to locate the necessary information on asbestos flooring tiles.
If You Need Asbestos Floor Removal Services…
If you confirm that flooring in your home is contaminated with asbestos and you have noticed that flooring beginning to wear thin, crack, or peel, and you have confirmed that your flooring does contain asbestos through a professional assessor, it’s important that you do not attempt removal of the flooring yourself. Removal of asbestos-contaminated flooring can cause severe health problems as it sends large amounts of asbestos fibers into the air when done improperly.
Instead of trying to tackle asbestos flooring by yourself, pick up the phone and call a professional asbestos removal contractor like SafeAir Contractors, Inc. We not only have the right tools to get the job done properly, but we also have the proper licensure to do the job and properly dispose of the asbestos-contaminated material so that it does not pose a risk to the environment. This is a crucial aspect of conserving our environment because asbestos contamination does not only affect the area where it is disposed of, it can also leach contamination into the air, the water, and the soil which will affect all living things impacted by these resources!
In Need of Asbestos Floor Removal Services?
If you live in Ohio or Western Pennsylvania and need help with asbestos floor removal services in your home, SafeAir Contractors, Inc. can help! Just give us a call at 440-639-1191, let us know how we can help you, and we’ll get you set up with one of our skilled technicians ASAP for asbestos floor removal assessment.
