Asbestos was used in floor tiles, sheet flooring, and the glue beneath them for decades, and you cannot tell for certain whether a tile contains it just by looking. Only a lab test can confirm it.
This guide explains what to look for, when Canadian and Alberta rules apply, and the safe next step if you think you have it. It was written by the crew at Enviro Surface Removers, certified for asbestos testing and abatement, from 20 years taking flooring out of homes across Calgary, Edmonton, and the towns around them.
Asbestos floor tiles are tiles and sheet flooring made with asbestos fibres mixed into a vinyl or asphalt base, along with the adhesive used to stick them down. Builders used them because they were cheap, tough, fire-resistant, and held up to water and heavy foot traffic. That made them common in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, basements, and back entries.
The tile is only part of the picture. The black glue underneath it is its own concern, covered below.
You cannot confirm asbestos by sight. Only a certified lab test can. But four signs together mean you should treat tiles as asbestos until a test says otherwise:
A 9-by-9 inch tile is the single strongest clue. Modern tile is almost never made in that size, so a 9-by-9 tile in an older home is a reason to test. 12-by-12 and 6-by-6 tiles were also common.
A black, tar-like glue, known as cutback adhesive or black mastic, is itself a classic asbestos material, sometimes even when the tile above it is clean.
Flooring installed or last redone before 1990 is more likely to contain asbestos.
Often a greasy or oily sheen, a marbled or flecked pattern, colours faded with age. Tends to be brittle and snap rather than flex.
Often found under newer carpet or vinyl. Previous owners frequently laid new flooring straight over the old tile instead of removing it.
Yes, and often more reliably than in the tile itself. The black, tar-like cutback adhesive under old floor tile frequently contains asbestos, and it has to be treated as asbestos until tested, even if the tile turns out to be clean.
Taking that residue off safely is a controlled job with dust captured at the tool. That’s covered on our Dustless Tile Removal & Thinset and VCT Tile & Adhesive Removal pages.
Asbestos was common in Canadian flooring from the 1920s into the early 1980s.
| Year | What Changed |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Asbestos banned in Canada for use in vinyl floor tiles and vinyl sheet flooring |
| 1990 | Asbestos banned in flooring adhesives and mastics |
| Dec 30, 2018 | Canada’s full federal ban on asbestos — import, sale, and use — came into force |
One point that causes a lot of confusion: the 2018 federal ban stopped new asbestos from entering the country. It did not require asbestos already in place to be removed. Flooring installed before the ban is still sitting in homes across Alberta, and it is legal for it to be there. How you remove it, when you do, is set by Alberta’s workplace safety rules, not the federal ban.
Alberta adds one more rule worth knowing: under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Code, material that might contain asbestos is presumed to contain it unless a test shows otherwise. In plain terms, testing comes before removal, not after.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies asbestos as a Group 1 carcinogen, its highest category. Breathing in asbestos fibres over time is linked to serious lung disease, and the illnesses can take many years to appear. That’s why the goal is always to keep the material from becoming airborne in the first place.
One Alberta detail worth adding: many homes here run on forced-air heating. If asbestos dust is created and not captured, that system can pull it in and move it through the whole house — the clearest reason not to grind or scrape this material dry.
If you have any concern about your own health or a past exposure, that is a question for a doctor, not for us. Health Canada is a good starting point for the facts.
The safe answer for most people is to test first and have a certified crew handle removal. Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Code sets specific rules for handling asbestos, and the route that protects your health is professional testing followed by controlled removal and proper disposal.
If your floor might be asbestos and it needs to come out, that is the point to call a specialist.
Sometimes, yes. If the tile is in good condition and will not be disturbed, covering or sealing it — known as encapsulation — can be a real option, because it leaves the material alone. Pouring a new floor or self-leveller over it is one form of this, and it can work if the tile is sound and flat.
Because we remove flooring and don’t sell it, we have no reason to push you toward tearing a floor out that could safely stay covered. When covering is the right call, we will say so. When a renovation means the floor is coming up anyway, that’s when testing and proper removal matter.
Not all, but a 9-by-9 inch tile is one of the strongest signs. Modern tile is almost never that size, so a 9-by-9 tile in an older Alberta home should be treated as asbestos until a lab test says otherwise.
Yes. Intact, undisturbed tile underfoot is low risk, because the asbestos is locked inside the tile and is not going into the air. The risk comes from breaking, cutting, or grinding it, not from walking on it.
Yes, as long as the tiles are in good condition and left alone. Many Alberta homes have asbestos flooring under later coverings and are safe to live in until a renovation disturbs it.
Often yes, if the tiles are sound and flat. Tell whoever does the work that asbestos is underneath, so they don’t sand, grind, or drill into it, and keep a record that it is there.
No. If it is intact and undisturbed, it can often be left in place or covered. It only has to come out if it is damaged or if a renovation means the floor is coming up anyway.
Often, yes. Black cutback adhesive from before 1990 frequently contains asbestos and has to be treated the same as the tile. It stays stuck to the floor after the tile is lifted.
A small sample is sent to an accredited lab. Because disturbing the tile to take a sample carries its own risk, testing is best arranged through a company certified for asbestos work.
If your floor might be asbestos and you are planning to remove or renovate it, the safe order is simple. Leave it alone, get it tested, and if it needs to come out, have a certified crew take it out with the dust controlled. Enviro Surface Removers is certified for asbestos testing and abatement and works across Calgary, Edmonton, and the surrounding communities.
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