Can I Paint Over Old Asbestos Floor Tiles

It s easy to apply and as long as you don t damage the surface of the asbestos tiles it will cover and prevent the tiles from being exposed.

Can i paint over old asbestos floor tiles. Let the paint cure for two or three days then apply three coats of clear water based polyurethane. The thin coating that the paint could provide would not be enough to encapsulate fibers that may become friable if crushed or punctured making it just as bad as if you had made no treatment at all. The advice you received is correct. Using epoxy paint to seal and keep an old asbestos containing tile floor is described beginning at asbestos flooring left in place.

Here too we want to prepare the old mastic coated surface to be sure that the floor leveling compound we apply or fill in floor tiles that we stick down will remain in place. The best way to deal with old asbestos floor tiles is to cover them up. That s enough to prevent the damage and wear that can release fibers into the air. But the good news is that if you don t disturb it you can paint tile install laminate or carpet over it.

But as long as the floor is in good existing shape now you can cover encapsulate the tiles using floor leveling compound. Sanding sawing drilling or tearing the tiles out however can release fibers into the air. Plan to add a maintenance coat of polyurethane every two years. Asbestos floor tiles will not release toxic fibers and pose a health risk unless they are disturbed.

You can tile directly over asbestos with new tile including ceramic tile. We need to level spots where floor tiles were removed so that variations in the original floor surface don t telegraph up through a new layer of resilient sheet flooring to be installed. Epoxy paint designed for floors holds up well to regular foot traffic. Asbestos becomes dangerous when it s disturbed through chipping cutting breaking which sets the fibers in the air and any removal should be handled only by a certified asbestos abatement team.

The thing about painting over the asbestos is that your top coating is only going to be as strong or durable as the coating underneath it. Use a portland cement based adhesive to adhere the new tiles to the old. Take care to choose a tile whose thickness is not going to create a problem and choose a tile that is rated for floor use. No sealer is needed.