Asbestos in tile adhesive and floors – what it looks like, testing and removal

If you are renovating a bathroom or kitchen from before 1990, the tile adhesive is the first thing to think about. Asbestos in tile adhesive is the material most people run into during a renovation, because it hides behind tiles that otherwise look fine. Here you can read when asbestos was used in adhesive and floors, how to find out whether you have it, what you may do yourself, and how a safe removal works.

When was asbestos used in tile adhesive and floors?

Asbestos was mixed into tile adhesive, filler and floor glue from the 1950s until around 1980. Asbestos was as a rule banned in construction in 1972, but with exemptions; the last exemptions for indoor use ended in 1986 and for outdoor use in 1990. The fibres made the adhesive stronger and more flexible, and it was used both in wet rooms and on floors. Vinyl tiles and sheet vinyl from the same period, until around 1980, could themselves contain asbestos, typically as vinyl with an asbestos backing, and so could the glue underneath, often black or dark brown. The same goes for old levelling layers and magnesite floors in utility rooms, basements and workshops.

If your bathroom or kitchen was fitted after 1990, the risk is small. If it is from the 1960s or 1970s, assume the possibility until a sample has shown otherwise, and if it was renovated in the 1980s it cannot be ruled out.

What does asbestos tile adhesive look like?

The short answer is: like tile adhesive. Asbestos adhesive is typically grey or greyish white, hard and slightly fibrous where it breaks, but so is adhesive without asbestos. The fibres are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, and we cannot tell by looking either. The only way to know is an asbestos sample analysed at a laboratory.

The same goes for floor glue and vinyl. Black glue under old vinyl floors is a known place to find asbestos, but black glue does not equal asbestos. Test, and get an answer.

Test before you remove the tiles

Tiles are usually knocked loose with a hammer and chisel or a tile scraper, and that is exactly what releases fibres from the adhesive. The dust settles throughout the home and stays in the ventilation long afterwards. So: take the sample before anyone touches a tile. We take the sample with the right equipment, seal the spot and send the sample for analysis. If your tradesperson has already sent a sample off, we work from that result.

If you want to know more about what an analysis includes and when you should test, it is on the page about the asbestos survey.

What do you do now?

1. Don’t touch the tiles. Leave adhesive, vinyl and glue as they are. If tiles have already been knocked loose, close off the room, and don’t sweep or vacuum with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.
2. Have a sample taken. We take a sample of the adhesive and of the glue under the vinyl, seal the spot and send it for analysis. You get the answer in writing per material.
3. Decide from the answer. If there is no asbestos, your tradesperson carries on. If there is, you get a fixed quote for removal after a site visit, and you can see what drives the price on the pricing page.
4. The removal. We seal the room, work under negative pressure and hand over the base cleaned and documented, so the new wet room or floor can go ahead.

Can you remove tiles with asbestos in the adhesive yourself?

As a rule, no. Since 1 January 2025, demolition of asbestos-containing material requires an authorisation. The exception is brief demolition work of a minor nature, and the Working Environment Authority’s example is a few tiles that break when you drill into them. You may do that yourself, but the rules on dust and waste still apply: no sanding, no deliberate breaking, wet the material, pack it in sealed, labelled packaging, and deliver it as your municipality directs, typically at the recycling centre.

A whole bathroom, a kitchen floor or a glued vinyl floor is not a small job, and a job may not be split into small ones to avoid authorisation. What you may do yourself, and what still applies when you do, is in the guide to the asbestos rules.

The bathroom: the typical place

A bathroom from the 1970s often has tiles on both floor and walls, and the adhesive sits on a base of render or concrete that it has to be scraped off. The room is small, poorly ventilated, and there are pipes and fittings in the way. That is why removing asbestos from a bathroom needs an airlock, negative pressure and vacuum-extracted tools, not just a mask.

We seal the bathroom off from the rest of the home, put it under negative pressure so air only flows into the room and out through a filter, and remove tiles and adhesive with tools connected to an asbestos vacuum. Afterwards we clean the base so your tiler can start on the new wet room.

Vinyl floors and floor glue

Older vinyl floors laid in glue can contain asbestos in two places: in the vinyl itself and in the glue. If the vinyl lies whole and firmly bonded, it releases few fibres, and you can lay a new floor on top if the height allows. If it has to come up, it has to be removed as asbestos. We remove the covering and the glue, never sand asbestos glue, and clean the concrete or floorboards before we hand the room back.

How we remove tile adhesive and floors

The work is notified to the Danish Working Environment Authority before we start, and everyone working in the room wears a respirator and a suit. The room is sealed with an airlock and negative pressure, the waste is packed in closed, labelled bags and taken to an approved waste site, and you get documentation of notification, disposal and the work carried out. After indoor removal you can by agreement have a clearance measurement of the air so you know the room can be used again.

Disposal of tile adhesive and floors with asbestos

Tiles with adhesive, scraped adhesive, vinyl and glue are asbestos waste and must be sorted out from all other building waste. We pack it in double, sealed packaging, label it “asbestos” and take it to the approved waste site the municipality directs. Dusting waste is wetted before packing. You get the receipt from the waste site as part of the documentation. If the work affects more than 10 m² or produces more than 1 tonne of waste, you as the building owner must also notify the building waste to your municipality; we help with the figures.

What does it cost to remove asbestos in tile adhesive?

Three things decide the price: the area of tiles or floor, how hard the adhesive is bonded to the base, and how much pipework, toilet and fittings are in the way. A small bathroom with tiles on the floor alone is the smallest job; tiles on floor and walls in several rooms, or glued vinyl across the whole ground floor, is a larger one. Containment, negative pressure, disposal and documentation are always included.

We give a fixed written quote after a site visit, and the price in the quote is the price on the invoice. What drives the price of indoor removal, and what a quote always includes, is on the pricing page.