Asbestos Adhesive Under Sheet Vinyl Mastic

Some dissolves with warm water.

Asbestos adhesive under sheet vinyl mastic.

Asbestos was used in those forms in vinyl asbestos flooring in both floor tile and sheet flooring forms. The encapsulants work by forming a barrier that seals and binds to asbestos fibers and prevents them from being released. Asphaltic cutback adhesive is black in color and is usually found beneath vinyl tiles and flooring. Asphaltic cutback adhesive is an older type of mastic made with asphalt based cement.

Low asbestos use banned. It is commonly thought that asbestos was added to these compounds for fire resistance. To test this soak a small area and scrape with a putty knife or wider blade such as a small drywall. Flooring walls ceilings roofs hvac systems plumbing boilers furnaces and machinery in houses businesses public buildings and ships toxicity.

Asbestos was mixed with this product to make it more durable. Asbestos encapsulants are applied to materials containing asbestos and prevent the release of hazardous fibers. Asbestos fibers were used as a strengthening material in roof flashing cements as well as in flooring mastics and cutback adhesives. Mastic is a type of glue used to adhere tiles and vinyl flooring to the subfloor.

Depending on what type of flooring product is being installed on top of the cutback adhesive you do have some options. Possible signs of asbestos mastic include discoloration and an oily texture. Spans almost a century with one of the earliest examples dating back to 1887 when the precursor of the johns manville. As a petroleum based material the cutback is not softened by water.

If your building was built before 1980 mastic mixed with asbestos may have been used to seal your tiles to the floor. Asbestos mastic will also always be black in color. Some cutback adhesives contained asbestos.