What does Asbestos Flooring look like? Photos Included

13 March 2025

Asbestos flooring can be worrying if you think you have come across it.

Luckily you can have samples tested to find out if your floor contains asbestos or not. In general, asbestos flooring was laid in domestic and commercial properties , therefore if you think it could be asbestos it would be right to get it checked before trying to remove it.

We explain in detail (with photos) what asbestos flooring is , where it can be found and how to find out if asbestos flooring contains asbestos.

What types of flooring can contain asbestos?

Asbestos was used in various types of flooring. More commonly used in the 1950s to 1980s :

Vinyl Flooring: Asbestos was often mixed into vinyl tiles (also known as VAT, or vinyl asbestos tile) or vinyl sheet flooring for durability and fire resistance. This type of flooring was commonly used in homes and commercial buildings from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Linoleum: Older linoleum floors, especially those installed before the 1970s, could contain asbestos. It was used for the same reasons—durability and fire resistance. Some paper asbestos backing was also applied under non asbestos linoleum too.

Carpet Backing: Some carpets and rugs, particularly those with a thick backing, may have been manufactured with asbestos to add weight and provide extra durability.

Cement or Asphalt Flooring: Certain cement-based and asphalt-based flooring materials, such as asphalt tile or some older floor adhesives, could have contained asbestos.

Flooring Adhesives: Even if the flooring itself doesn't contain asbestos, older adhesives used to lay the flooring (such as mastic or glue) could contain asbestos.

Where can Asbestos Flooring be found?

Any property which was built before the year 2000 can contain asbestos flooring.

The use and import of asbestos was banned in 1999 , taking into account surplus stock , 2000 is the date which is recommended as a base line.

Flooring within any property can contain asbestos. This includes (but not limited to) :

Commercial
Retail
Residential
Educational
Medical
Churches
Recreational

How to know if your property contains Asbestos flooring?

Step 1 - check the age of the property – any property from 2001 onwards will not contain asbestos flooring.

Step 2 - take a look at the flooring and under modern flooring. A lot of asbestos flooring has been overlaid with modern flooring to prevent having to get it removed.

Step 3 – Look for Vinyl Tiles , Linoleum , Paper Backing and Adhesives.

Step 4 – have Asbestos Testing carried out on the flooring to find out if it does contain asbestos.

Asbestos testing is the only way to tell if flooring contains asbestos. No one , no matter how experienced they are , can tell by a visual assessment!

Asbestos Testing can be carried out by a professional asbestos survey company , a small sample of material will be removed and tested by a UKAS Accredited Laboratory. The results show whether asbestos is present and what type of asbestos it is.