Frequently Asked Questions

In Somerset Hills homes built before roughly 1980, there is a good chance the existing floor is vinyl asbestos tile — typically 9″x9″, sometimes 12″x12″ — set in black “cutback” mastic. That mastic routinely contained chrysotile asbestos at one to three percent by weight, which is enough to classify it as asbestos-containing material under EPA standards.

You cannot tell by looking. Only laboratory analysis confirms it.

Here’s what actually matters about it:

Intact, it’s non-friable. New Jersey classifies vinyl asbestos tile and mastic as Category I non-friable material. Undisturbed and in good condition, it is not releasing fibers.

Mechanical impact is what makes it dangerous. Sanding, grinding, sawing, or chipping releases fibers. A crew that shows up with a floor grinder and no plan is creating a hazard that didn’t exist that morning.

There is a legal pathway. Contractors normally need a New Jersey Department of Labor asbestos license for this work, but the state provides an exemption specifically for vinyl asbestos floor tile removal. It requires submitting a Contractor Information for Non-Friable Asbestos Work Activities exemption request to the Department of Health in advance, and following the Resilient Floor Covering Institute’s recommended work practices for removal.

Disposal is regulated regardless. Material removed from a residential building of four or fewer units falls outside federal NESHAP requirements, but New Jersey still requires it to be managed and disposed of as ID 27A waste.

Sometimes the right answer is to tile over it. If the existing floor is sound and flat, encapsulating it under new substrate avoids the disturbance entirely. That depends on height clearance at doors and appliances, so it isn’t always available — but it should be considered before removal is assumed.

Ask any tile contractor how they intend to handle a pre-1980 floor. The answer tells you a great deal.