Precautions

Some previously manufactured asphaltic “cutback” adhesives contained asbestos. For removal instructions, refer to the Resilient Floor Covering Institute’s publication “Recommended Work Practices for Removal of Resilient Floor Coverings.”

WARNING: EXISTING IN-PLACE RESILIENT FLOOR COVERING AND ASPHALTIC ADHESIVES. DO NOT SAND, DRY SWEEP, DRY SCRAPE, DRILL, SAW, BEADBLAST, OR MECHANICALLY CHIP OR PULVERIZE EXISTING RESILIENT FLOORING, BACKING, LINING FELT, ASPHALTIC “CUTBACK” ADHESIVE, OR OTHER ADHESIVE. These existing in-place products may contain asbestos fibers and/or crystalline silica. Avoid creating dust. Inhalation of such dust is a cancer and respiratory tract hazard. Smoking by individuals exposed to asbestos fibers greatly increases the risk of serious bodily harm. Unless positively certain that the existing in-place product is a non-asbestos-containing material, you must presume it contains asbestos. Regulations may require that the material be tested to determine asbestos content and may govern removal and disposal of material. See current edition of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI) publication Recommended Work Practices for Removal of Resilient Floor Coverings for instructions on removing all resilient floor covering structures or contact your retailer or AHF Products at 866 243 2726. AHF floor coverings and adhesives do NOT contain asbestos.

The following guidelines for adhesive residue removal pertain to resilient flooring adhesive only. All other adhesives are to be removed 100%.

Required Degree of Removal of Existing Adhesive	Armstrong Flooring Product to be Installed
100% of the overall area of the original substrate must be exposed.	Residential Fiberglass Reinforced Flooring Luxury Solid Vinyl Tile Flooring
80% of the overall area of the original substrate must be exposed.	Rubber Tile Stair Treads Transition Strips Safety Zone Tile Excelon Static Dissipative Tile (SDT) (Subfloor must be porous when installing SDT) Residential Tile
Adhesives must be left so that no ridges or puddles are evident and what remains is a thin, smooth film.	Vinyl Composition Tile* except Safety Zone Tile and SDT

As an alternative over residual asphalt cutback adhesives, you can apply a cementitious underlayment, such as Armstrong Flooring S-194, as approved by the underlayment manufacturer. All warranties and/or performance guarantees concerning underlayment failure rest with the underlayment manufacturer and not with the manufacturer of the resilient flooring.

Note: Many adhesive removal products contain solvents that leave a residue within the subfloor. This residue can negatively affect the new adhesive and bleed through the new floor covering. The warranties provided by manufacturers of new floor covering materials will not cover instances where existing subfloor conditions damage their products or affect their installation.

The use of asbestos encapsulants or bridging materials over asphaltic adhesive is not recommended. These products may affect the bonding properties of the new adhesive.