FAQs about asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles - 1949-1959, set #5.

Photos & comments help identify early patterns, colors, brands of asphalt asbestos or vinyl asbestos flooring.

This article series provides guides to identifying asphalt-asbestos flooring (1917 - ca 1960) & vinyl asbestos floor tile (ca 1952 - 1986): identification photographs, product names, styles, colors, and vinyl-asbestos floor patterns, and colors for asbestos-containing floor tile products made between about 1930 and 1986 - confirmed to contain asbestos in asbestos fiber or asbestos powder-filler form.

Asphalt & Vinyl Asbestos Floor Floor Tiles 1949-59 FAQs set #4

These questions & answers about identifying asbestos-containing floor tiles from the 1950's to 1960's were posted originally

at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1949-1959 - topic home.

Or see DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? 5 Easy Steps to Decide if a Floor Probably Contains Asbestos

Produced from the 1950's into the very early 1980's, most of these VAT (vinyl asbestos tile) and asphalt-asbestos flooring products contain chrysotile asbestos, and possibly other asbestos forms.

Asbestos is safe and legal to remain in homes or public buildings as long as the asbestos materials are in good condition and the asbestos can not be released into the air.

If you do not know the brand name of your flooring you can take a quick look at example photos of the product line of each manufacturer given in the list of photo guides found at CONTINUE READING below.

[Click to enlarge any image]

On 2020-04-21 - by (mod) - 1950s & 1960s typical vinyl asbestos & asphalt asbestos 9x9-inch floor tiles

Linda

Those look like 9x9 vinyl-asbestos floor tiles from the 1950s or 1960s.

Best left in place. See ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION - steps to take to reduce the asbestos hazard

On 2020-04-21 by Linda

My house was built in the 50’s but “completely” remodeled.

The bedrooms have carpet I considered pulling up but I am under the suspicion that the vinyl tiles underneath may contain asbestos.

They are 9x9 I am attaching a picture. Went through the catalogs on here and they don’t seem to match any color patterns though

On 2020-03-18 - by (mod) - leave intact 1950s asphalt asbestos 9x9 inch floor tiles in place.

Gale

You don't need a layer of subfloor as long as the existing vinyl/asphalt asbestyos 9x9 floor tiles are intact and well-secured; clean the surface (non-abrasive, liquid only),

then your vinyl sheet flooring can be installed as per the manufacturer's instructions.

On 2020-03-15 by Gale

The house was built in 1950, this part anyway, and based on the sliminess of the seller,

I am pretty sure these are 9x9 asbestos tiles. Should I put a new subfloor over it and put my luxury vinyl on top of the subfloor?

On 2019-10-25 by Nick

Hi Dan, Thanks for the reply. Yes I looked that page and read through it. I am fairly convinced these contain asbestos.

The house was build in 1964 and these are all over the basement floor. Luckily they are in good shape and I will install new flooring on top. Also luckily I had my walls/plaster tested and they are asbestos free!

Thanks for your input

On 2019-10-16 by (mod) - 9x9 Asbestos floor tile in Montreal

Nick, that Looks like a 9x9 asphalt asbestos floor tile -
Perhaps Armstrong Apache white.

have you checked the simple questions at DOES THIS FLOORING CONTAIN ASBESTOS? inspectapedia.com/hazmat/DIY-Asbestos-Floor-Test.php

On 2019-10-16 by Nick

Help identifying vinyl tile needed. This is a 9"x9" in the basement of a home in Montreal. Any idea what tile this is?

On 2019-10-10 by (mod) - black 9x9 asphalt asbestos floor tiles removed overnight by landlord - should I test the air for asbestos?

Looks like a 9x9 asphalt asbestos floor tile - have you checked the simple questions at DOES THIS FLOORING CONTAIN ASBESTOS? https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/DIY-Asbestos-Floor-Test.php

Air testing would not be useful nor reliable in this case, but instead you might want to test representative samples of settled dust - that will tell you if more cleaning is needed.

On 2019-10-10 by Anna

this room had the 9x9 tiles. The landlord had them removed overnight.... I am concerned, should I perform air quality test?

On 2019-10-08 21:15:01.954639 by (mod) -

Yes I would treat that tile as presumed to contain asbestos - OR if you cannot avoid a costly dusty demolition (best to just cover over the floor) then have a sample tested - and be sure to report any news back here as it'll help others.

On 2019-10-08 by David

We are building an addition and found old vinyl tiles under the ceramic tile floor. The house was built in 1956, Colorado Springs CO, ElPaso county and the tiles are Armstrong 9” x 9” x 1/16” . I have attached pictures. I believe it could be asbestos but couldn’t find a match in the Armstrong catalog. Blac

On 2019-09-22 by (mod) - white brick pattern floor tiles or sheet flooring from 1978 probably contains asbestos

Almost certainly yes, Sherri.

See more examples of white brick and red brick asbestos-containing floor tiles and sheet flooring at

SHEET & TILE FLOORING ASBESTOS ID-BRICK PATTERN ID

On 2019-09-22 by Sherri E

Can you tell me if this 12x12 tile [shown above] contains asbestos? Home was built in ‘78. From what I can see, there appears to be black glue underneath

On 2019-09-17 by (mod) -

Looks like it could be an asbestos containing vinyl flooring.
Knowing the country, city, building age would help,

Try the simple Q&A at DOES THIS FLOORING CONTAIN ASBESTOS? for easy tips to make an educated guess about the risk of asbestos-containing flooring.

On 2019-09-17 by erika

hi, i recently started peeling off the layers of my kitchen floor and discovered 3 layers of tile on top of black tar paper which i pretty stuck onto the underlying wood. Here is a photo of the older 1st layer of tile, it is 12 by 12 . do you think the earlier tile or the black tar paper may contain asbestos? There is also alot of old adhesive stuck to the original wood floor.

On 2019-09-04 by (mod) - wax covered asbestos floor tiles can be stripped.

Yes Concerned, but you'll need to use a wax stripper.

Watch out: Use a liquid wax stripper; do not grind, sand, chop, cut etc. the floor or you risk creating an asbestos dust hazard.

On 2019-09-04 by Concerned Person

This floor has always been black waxed, as seen in the pic. Can this floor be stripped?

On 2019-07-20 by (mod) -

Alex

No one can say much about the asbestos content of the scraped-edge of floor tiles in your photo.

But
the easy questions at DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - live link near page top

will help you make a reasonable guess about whether or not your floor tiles contain asbestos.

Or treat the debris as presumed to contain asbestos.

Asbestos containing flooring that has been covered over should be fine.

On 2019-07-20 by ALEX

Hi there,
We’re doing some kitchen renovations in a house built circa 1967 and removed a layer of clip-in laminate vinyl flooring (probably laid sometime in the last 10 years). Underneath was underlay and more vinyl flooring (I think) and underneath that is slate. Not sure when the second layer was laid.

I was wondering if you would be able to help determine if the second layer of vinyl could potentially have asbestos underneath. I have attached images of the second layer here.
Thank you!

On 2019-03-28 by (mod) -

1963 vinyl tiles most often contain asbestos. You might want to see

DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - live link near page top

at https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos-Floor-Tile-Identification.php#VinylAsbestos

On 2019-03-28 by HCMN

We bought a 1963 house in MN a few years ago. We had water in our basement recently and pulled back the carpet to rip out the pad and discovered 12x12 tile. They are white and have a bit of a wood grain to them. We don't know when it was installed and don't have any packaging to look at. Could this be asbestos? Are we file covering it back up with carpet pad and carpet? Can it get wet if we have water again as long as it dries out? Any thoughts would be great.

Thank you.

On 2019-03-18 by NMS

Hello, is there any chance you can help identify whether the small glimpse of this floor tile pic might contain asbestos? This is in a 1961 house and I have to assume this is the original flooring I've uncovered, so I have been looking at the 1961 pics but so far have not seen a match. It appears to be grayish splatter with larger specs of yellow, red, gray and turquoise.

I have only uncovered a small amount of the subfloor to see what I'm dealing with. I'm trying to do a diy on a small (31 sf) bathroom and was planning to install a simple click floating LVP flooring over the current (newer) vinyl sheet when I found there there was an additional subfloor that raised the height between this and the living area.

The only reason why I could think of is if there was flooring underneath that was being hidden - which I've confirmed. Now I need to figure out what to do next. If it has asbestos, I'm not in a position to deal with abatement. so I either need to keep it covered and deal with the height transition or I'm wondering whether the current 1/4" subfloor is actually needed and whether I could remove that (not disturbing the linoleum underneath) and float the LVP directly on top of the old linoleum. Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.
IMAGE LOST by older version of Clark Van Oyen’s useful Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2019-02-08 by (mod) -

see DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS?

You don't give the age but if your cork-pattern vinyl floor tiles were made before the mid 1980s and are in North America they probably contain asbestos.

On 2019-02-05 by Adam Lewis

Do these 9x9 tiles contain asbestos?
IMAGE LOST by older version of Clark Van Oyen’s useful Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2019-02-05 by (mod) - probable asbestos in cork pattern vinyl 9x9 floor tiles (shown above)

Adam,

You don't give the age but if your cork-pattern vinyl floor tiles were made before the mid 1980s and are in North America they probably contain asbestos.

The best and quickest way to make an educated guess (without a lab test) about whether or not your floor tiles or sheet flooring contains asbestos is to

see DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS?

5 questions we pose there and whose answers can help you make a reasonable guess at whether or not a particular floor tile or sheet flooring contains asbestos

On 2019-02-05 by Adam Lewis

Do these 9x9 tiles (in the photo above)_ contain asbestos?

On 2019-02-03 by (mod) - older floor tiles in spatter pattern often contain asbestos

Lynda

I don't know enough about your building or floor to offer an absolutely certain opinion but your floor tiles look like asbestos containing versions we've seen.

Please take a look at DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? 5 Easy Steps to Decide if a Floor Probably Contains Asbestos

Before laying ceramic tile over the floor in your photo your contractor will check the floor framing and stiffness to be sure the ceramic tile won't crack. Adding subflooring or bracing could be needed.

On 2019-02-03 by Lynda Staples

This tile was under the carpet.

I want to lay porcelain tile over it. Around the perimeter of the room, and in front of the door where I took up newer ceramic tile, the old tile was removed previously.

Can you tell if this is asbestos tile and if I should leave it alone? Thanks for your help! Lynda

On 2019-01-11 by (mod) - Asbestos in 1965 Excelon floor tiles: Sea Grass # 7C723853

Given the age and brand and product name Excelon I would treat the floor as presumed to contain asbestos - or have a sample tested.

I like the floor too. As you'll read in the article series at the ARTICLE INDEX near the end of this page article, there are options for leaving such tile in place by coating it - assuming the floor is in good condition.

On 2019-01-11 by Gail

Hi. Bought a house with these in laundry and toilet area, with extra box in shed. Are these asbestos? House built 1965. They are lovely

On 2019-01-09 by (mod) - asbestos in 1955 9x9 floor tiles

Dustin, I can't know from text or even from some photos for sure if a material contains asbestos or not but from 1955 it would make sense to treat the floor as presumed to contain asbestos.

You are welcome to attach some photos (one per comment) showing details about your flooring.

On 2019-01-09 by Dustin

In my basement there is 9×9 tile,the house was built in 1955 the pattern is almost a brown,mud red and light beige marble. Looking at a broken piece it looks like there's a layer of something in the middle

On 2019-01-08 by (mod) - leave in place and cover asbestos-suspect flooring from 1964

Melanie

You can cover the floor with new sheet or other flooring, or clean (non -abrasive) and seal it with an expoxy floor paint or similar products.

Details are at ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION

On 2019-01-08 by Melanie

Our house was built in 1964, we had an inspection done when we bought the house 15 years ago, nothing was said of asbestos.

But we are finishing this basement room off now to be a bedroom and are concerned that these tiles might be asbestos and the inspector passed it because they were on good condition at the time.

Can I seal the floor to be safe and what should I use? Thank you

On 2018-12-31 by (mod) - asbestos not likely in 1987 US made sheet flooring

A 1987 floor covering manufactured in the U.S. would not be expected to contain asbestos.

U.S. manufacturers had stopped using asbestos in floor tiles and sheet flooring by about the end of 1987.

On 2018-12-30 by Diana

Bought a house and they replaced flooring 30 years ago. 1987 vynl in our kitchen.. Making sure it is safe to remove to replace with ceramic tile. Any information how to figure that out?

On 2018-12-12 by (mod) -

I think you would either treat the floor is presumed to contain asbestos or you'd have samples tested.

The white backing material often is an asbestos containing better. But of course we don't know what flooring you have there.

Just from the information and your note in photo I can't say anything more definitive.

On 2018-12-12 by Erica

1916 home with 3-4 layers of linoleum? And vinyls? Any chance to know if they have asbestos?

On 2018-12-12 by Anonymous

Should floor be painted with something?

On 2018-10-18 by (mod) - its safest to treat the floor as presumed to contain asbesto

its safest to treat the floor as presumed to contain asbestos, leave it in place and cover it with new flooring.

On 2018-10-18 by Ashley

Also this role in my kitchen..

...

Continue reading  at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1949-1959 - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID GUIDE - home
• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION COLOR KEY - home
• ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
• ASBESTOS FLOORING IDENTIFICATION
• ASBESTOS FLOORING IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INDEX - all brands, all years
• ASBESTOS FLOORING REMOVAL GUIDE
• ASBESTOS REMOVAL, WETTING GUIDELINES
• ASBESTOS RISK ASSESSMENT
• ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST
• DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if your FLOOR probably contains asbestos -
• DOES THIS MATERIAL CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if a BUILDING MATERIAL probably contains asbestos -
• MARBLE / STONE CHIP PATTERN FLOORING ASBESTOS
• RESILIENT SHEET FLOORING ID GUIDE

Suggested citation for this web page

ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION 1949-1959 FAQs-5 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to ASBESTOS HAZARDS

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---