Does Your Floor Need Asbestos Testing?

Is asbestos a concern when embarking on a new flooring project?  Well, that depends.  Per Colorado law, if you are impacting greater than the trigger levels of suspect asbestos-containing materials (“ACM”) – you must have your project inspected for ACM by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector before commencing work.  For a single-family residential dwelling the trigger level is 32 square feet.

Boiled down, this basically means that if more than 32 square feet of adhered material is going to be removed, than an asbestos test is legally required to ensure that no harmful asbestos containing materials are disturbed.  Some customers find this to be an inconvenience, but the law is in place to maintain a healthy living environment for you, your family, and any future inhabitants of the home.

The good news is, in our experience, asbestos is rarely detected and the project can proceed without incident.  Also, any flooring installed without adhesive, such as carpet, nail down wood, and floating floors, don't require testing.  In the event that asbestos is detected, often times disruption of the harmful product can be avoided.  If it is an old linoleum floor, which is a likely culprit, another layer of LVP or vinyl can often be installed over the top, leaving the existing floor undisturbed.  We at Floor Craft will do everything we can to help customers navigate asbestos regulations, but ultimately Floor Craft operates within the bounds of the law.  If Floor Craft is removing a floor over the limit, it gets tested first.