If the floor is to be covered with a new layer of flooring such as sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles or even carpet padding and carpeting there is essentially no risk that asbestos particles can move up from the old floor into the occupied space.
Covering asbestos floor tiles with carpet.
Just like tom hd116 stated encapsulation and enclosure is really the best thing a homeowner can get sort of a professional abatement company to remove the tiles.
If the carpet glue is negative for asbestos but floor tile and or mastic are positive conduct a test pull to determine the likelihood of the floor tile remaining intact or being disturbed during the actual carpet removal.
You could also cover the tiles with new vinyl flooring linoleum or even ceramic tiles.
Identifying asbestos floor tiles.
In a basement i d suggest a rubber based carpet pad rather than a fiber pad.
Resilient sheet flooring containing asbestos was also produced finding wide use as early as 1968.
How to choose flooring.
Hey deltaskye thanks for your great question and welcome to the community.
The old tiles are relatively thin around 1 8 inch.
Porcelain floors are extremely versatile and durable with tile sizes up to 24 inches available for a clean modern look with fewer grout lines.
Young children or pets need spill proof and scratch resistant flooring budget.
In many cases installing a new floor over the tiles encapsulates the asbestos fibers and is an acceptable way to manage the material.
Nothing is abrading the old asbestos containing floor tiles and they re covered by a membrane of one or.
Some types like carpet or hardwood aren t ideal for every space family situation.
Carpeting and a suitable pad will do the trick.
That said it can be difficult to get a level surface for the new floor especially if the old tiles have chipped away.
To choose flooring it s best to start by determining what you need.
Price varies widely so you need to know what you can afford.
Plan and budget for an asbestos abatement to remove the carpet and asbestos flooring materials.
If your floor can be thicker without causing problems install a porcelain floor over the old asbestos.
You have lot of options when it comes to covering asbestos tiles and it only is a health risk when the floors asbestos particles come airborne.