Asbestos in pre-2000 homes

Who should sample a suspect floor tile before you strip a kitchen?

A competent asbestos surveyor or analyst, not the home surveyor and not you with a chisel. HSE lists vinyl floor tiles among the products that can contain asbestos in pre-2000 buildings. The sample has to be taken so that dust is controlled, and the result has to come back before the floor is smashed out.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.

What is the fuller explanation?

The home survey may say “thermoplastic tiles, possible asbestos” and move on. That is a flag. The kitchen fitter needs the flag before they price. If the tiles will stay under a new floor, disturbance may be small. If they will come up, sampling comes first. A positive result changes the method and who is allowed to do the work.

Ask the sampler how many tiles they will take and how long the lab takes. Ask the fitter to quote two ways only after the result, or to exclude removal until then. Do not let a single “asbestos allowance” in a kitchen quote stand in for a method. There is no honest allowance we can print without the result.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Which floors did you suspect, and will they be disturbed by normal walking or only by the refit?
Did you lift a tile? Unless a specialist was instructed, the answer should be no.
What should I tell the kitchen fitter verbatim?

What are the typical next steps?

Pass the survey wording to the sampler and the fitter.
Do not let the fitter “just see what’s underneath” with a crowbar.
Reorder the kitchen plan if the result says the floor must be left or removed under controls.

Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.

Also asked about this

Are all old floor tiles asbestos?

No. HSE says they can be. The lab says whether these are.

Can you screw a new deck over them?

Screws disturb the tile. Ask the competent person whether covering without fixing through the tile is the better plan. Do not decide from a forum.