What Every New Zealand Homeowner Should Know About Asbestos
New Zealand has a complicated history with asbestos. It was cheap, versatile, and everywhere – used heavily in construction from the 1940s through to the late 1980s. The country wasn't alone in that, but we were slower than most to phase it out, and the result is a large proportion of our existing housing stock that still contains asbestos-based materials.
The good news? Asbestos that is intact and undisturbed poses little risk. The danger comes when it's disturbed – cut, drilled, sanded, or removed carelessly – releasing microscopic fibres into the air that can, over time, cause serious and irreversible lung disease.
For flooring specialists like RenoSure, this is front of mind on every job involving older homes. Here's what you need to know.
Where Asbestos Hides in Floors and Around Them
Asbestos wasn't just used in ceilings and wall linings. In the context of flooring and interior reinstatement, the materials most commonly found to contain asbestos in NZ properties include:
- Vinyl floor tilesParticularly the 9-inch and 12-inch square tiles common in homes built from the 1950s to the 1980s. Both the tiles themselves and the black bitumen-based adhesive used to lay them can contain asbestos.
- Sheet vinyl & linoleum backingThe paper or felt-like backing layer on older sheet vinyl can contain asbestos fibres. The surface material may look perfectly ordinary.
- Floor levelling & patching compoundsMany older products used to level subfloors before laying new flooring contained asbestos as a strengthening agent.
- Textured ceiling coatingsPopcorn and textured ceilings disturbed during removal or renovation nearby can release fibres downward into the work area.
- Fibrous cement sheeting (fibrolite)Used extensively as an underlay or subfloor material in NZ construction, particularly in the South Island and older ex-state homes.
- Pipe lagging & insulationIn older homes where subfloor access is required, pipe insulation wrapping can contain asbestos and is easily disturbed during access.
- Roofing & wall claddingWhile not flooring-specific, their presence in a building confirms the era and likelihood of asbestos use throughout.
As a general rule of thumb: if a New Zealand home was built or renovated before 2000, assume asbestos-containing materials may be present until proven otherwise. This is the approach we take on every job – and it aligns with WorkSafe NZ's official guidance.
How We Identify and Respond to Suspected Asbestos
Our team is trained to recognise materials that may contain asbestos based on their appearance, age, and location. But visual identification alone is never enough – asbestos can't be confirmed by sight. When we encounter suspect materials, our process is consistent and non-negotiable:
- We stop work immediately.No cutting, sanding, or removing of suspect materials. The risk of disturbing asbestos fibres is not worth any job timeline.
- We notify the client and insurer.You are informed clearly and promptly about what we've found, where it is, and why we've paused. We document everything in writing.
- We arrange professional testing.Samples are sent to a IANZ-accredited laboratory for analysis. Results typically return within a few working days, and we can recommend specialist asbestos assessors where required.
- We coordinate licensed removal if needed.If asbestos is confirmed and removal is required, this work must be performed by a licensed asbestos removalist under New Zealand's Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016. We have trusted contacts in this space and can manage that coordination for you.
- We return to complete the job safely.Once the hazard has been properly managed and clearance confirmation received, our team returns to finish the reinstatement to the same high standard.
Important: Under New Zealand law, friable asbestos (the crumbly, easily disturbed kind) must be removed by a licensed Class A removalist. Non-friable asbestos removal in quantities over 10m² also requires a Class B licence. It is not legal – or safe – for unlicensed workers to remove these materials.
Why This Matters More in Reinstatement Work
Insurance reinstatement jobs are particularly sensitive from an asbestos perspective. When a flood, fire, or impact event damages an older home, the affected flooring and subfloor materials are often already compromised – meaning fibres may already have been disturbed. Rushing in without an awareness check can expose everyone on site and, critically, the family still living in the home during repairs.
We take pride in the fact that our insurers and loss adjusters know they can trust us on this. When RenoSure is sent to a pre-2000 property, the asbestos awareness check is built into our pre-job process – it's not an afterthought and it's never skipped because a job is small or urgent.
Your home should be safer after we leave than when we arrived. That's the only standard we work to.