Vinyl asbestos tiles ( VAT ) and tile glues were just one of the many uses of asbestos before their bans in Australia in 1985 in the building and construction industry . VAT’s we very popular in domestic and commercial construction . The same styles and grades were used for both types of construction because of their versatility durability and colour range . An asbestos expert can easily get a sample tested for you in a nationally accredited laboratory. Not all vinyl tiles contain asbestos and not all glues , but sometimes there was a combination of the two .
A licenced asbestos removal professional should be engaged to remove VAT’s and the glue under neath . The glue comes in two distinct colors black and yellow or “emulsion tile glue” both may contain asbestos or be contaminated with asbestos from the VAT’s and visa versa .
There are two ways to remove the glue from vinyl tiles
1 With a solvent
2 With a floor grinder
Obviously the use of solvents is much more advisable because this method is unlikely to release any asbestos fibres . Grinding the floor releases asbestos fibres into the air making them friable and is a much more involved process and requires the use of A class asbestos removal professionals.
An example of what Black vinyl tile glue looks like after the vinyl tiles have been removed .
Yellow vinyl tile glue or “emulsion tile glue “
