Vinyl-asbestos floor tile photos for 1973 & surrounding years:

Photo guide to asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles made or installed close to 1973.

Page top photo: Armstrong Solarian floor tile from a home built in 1978. Our reader (Anonymous by private email ) reports that an ASBESTOS TEST REPORT for THIS FLOORING [PDF] found 2% chrysotile asbestos in a sample of this flooring.

These flooring products typically contain chrysotile asbestos, and possibly other asbestos forms. Some of the tile adhesive mastics used also contained asbestos.

History & Components of Armstrong Solarian No-Wax Flooring

Armstrong's Solarian no-wax flooring product line was a floor covering innovation introduced in 1970 (by best research to date).

The earliest Armstrong Solarian flooring advertisement that we've found  appeared in California's Southside Journal, Volume 33, Number 11, 11 June 1970.

This newspaper is available through the California Digital Newspaper Collection archive found with this search result for the phrase "Armstrong no wax solarian 1970"

Special thanks to InspectApedia reader LRN20554 for help with researching the year in which Armstrong's Solarian (No Wax) line of flooring was introduced.

Solarian flooring, a descendent of Armstrong's earlier Corlon (Coronelle) flooring was the first "no-wax" vinyl flooring product.

Solarian floor tiles or sheet flooring were comprised of three layers.

1. Urethane:
   
   The "no-wax" feature for Designer Solarian and later Solarian II was achieved by a top layer of clear, shiny, flexible but hard-surfaced urethane.
2. Color/Pattern layer (vinyl):
   
   A second thin vinyl layer that provided flooring pattern and color was next below the clear urethane gloss (no-wax) layer.
3. Flooring backer:
   
   A white or light gray vinyl composition backer gave body to the sheet flooring or floor tile - using a combination of asbestos long and short fibers for strength and as a filler.
   
   In some catalogs and other documents Armstrong referred to this floor tile or sheet flooring backer as "Asbestos-Fiber felt backing."
   
   A more-detailed list of ingredients in a typical vinyl-asbestos floor tile includes:

• Asbestos - 5 - 25%
• Binder - 15 - 20%
• Limestone - 53 - 73%
• [note that some products used asbestos powder as filler] Plasticizer - 5%
• Stabilizer - 1 - 2%
• Pigment - 0.5 - 5%

Watch out: that white-gray backer layer of vinyl no-wax Solarian flooring contained Chrysotile asbestos in both long fiber forms for strength and asbestos "shorts" as a filler material.

Test results reported by our readers range from ">2%" (I suspect that lab's work was inadequate) to 35% to as much as 65% Chrysotile asbestos as

reported at ASBESTOS TEST RESULTS for TILE & SHEET FLOORING.

In fact some Solarian advertising, catalog text, and even floor packaging refers to the flooring as Solarian Vinyl Asbestos Flooring, sold in both sheet flooring and 12x12-inch floor tile formats.

Watch out: when identifying Solarian flooring you don't rely on the flooring color and pattern alone.

Some popular Armstrong flooring patterns produced much earlier in sheet linoleum and later in the company's Corlon product line were reproduced over many decades and across different floor compositions and Corlon itself was a descendent of Armstrong's earlier embossed linoleum flooring line.

The first Armstrong catalog we've found that includes the word Solarian was from 1973, as you can see in this catalog:

ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN / the sunny floor that shines without waxing - 1973 Catalog [PDF] Armstrong Corporation

Image above: a page from Armstrong's 1973 Solarian floor catalog.

Original Solairan floor tile patterns are below on this page beginning

at 1973 ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN FLOOR PATTERNS / COLORS - vinyl-asbestos "no-wax" flooring

More Solarian floor tile examples are

at ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN FLOOR TILE 1978

Armstrong Solarian was sold in both tile and sheet form - as shown in our next photo below:

discussed also

at ARMSTRONG CRAFTLON & SOLARIAN FLOORING - sheet flooring asbestos content.

For a quick check and five easy questions that can help tell you if an unknown floor covering contains asbestos, try

DOES THIS FLOORING CONTAIN ASBESTOS?

Below: a Solarian Flooring advertisement from the March, 1982 issue of Housing Magazine, published by McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1221 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

Reader Comments or Questions on Solarian Floor Tile History & Asbestos Content

65% Chrysotile asbestos confirmed in Armstrong Solarian Sundial # 66660 sheet flooring

We tested this Armstrong Sundial Solarian sheet flooring. The test results show the backing made of is 65% chrysotile asbestos fiber.

The area in the image was under a cabinet and still had the Armstrong stamp on it.

In another area, it looks like it might be numbered 66660. - On 2020-12-09 by ED

Reply by (mod) -

Ed, thank you very much for posting the photo and asbestos test results for that Armstrong Solarian flooring.

That information will be most helpful to other readers.

Do you have an idea of the age of the building in which the floor was installed and perhaps about when the flooring itself was placed?

Country and city are also helpful.

Will Solarian flooring installed in a 1991 home contain asbestos?

Does anyone know what year this sheet flooring was produced? Or if it had asbestos?

I believe it’s Armstrong Sundial Solarian, I’ve seen ads from 1987 -1993 with what looks like this design.

It’s installed in a home built in 1991, my husband just took it all out, he thinks it’s fine because of the date but I’m concerned - On 2019-12-01 by JP

Reply by (mod) - asbestos in 1991 flooring is unlikely

It would be unusual to fine asbestos-containing flooring in a 1991 home but not impossible if new old stock flooring has been used.

That pattern was popular as early as the 1970s and extends to present. So it may have been made with and later without asbestos.

Armstrong Solarian / Cambria Flooring Asbestos

It's hard to tell from the pictures on the site, but it's just a guess that it's the Solarian sheet flooring.

I've attached a picture of the actual tile on my floor. It's a small 3 inch by 3 inch tile, which is throwing me through a loop trying to identify it.

It also has the "Cambria" / "cambra" / "cambray" stamp, does that ring any bells with you?

In the areas where the backing (looks like beige plaster paper glued to floor) is exposed, what would you suggest I do in the meantime.

I'm going to send a sample away for testing, but I have kids and I want to minimize risk.

They don't go in that room, but it's dusty and it's used as a storage room, so there is some traffic, but not much. - On 2017-12-15 by Karrie

Followup by Karrie - What's the asbestos hazard level

One second inspection, not quite sure if it's the Solarian Devonport. It has the same cream/taupe tones, but the actual tiles imaged are 3 inches by 3 inches.

So, does the Armstrong Solarian Devonport SHEET flooring contain asbestos?

We have what resembles this product on our basement bathroom floor. It has the Armstrong logo stamped on it and the home was built in the 70s.

It also has "Cambra" or"cambria" stamped with the Armstrong name.

I can send pictures if you'd like.

When the old shower was removed, the top vinyl was torn so that the backing glued to the floor was exposed in about a square foot of area.

The rest of the flooring is intact, though it has seen water damage.

This bathroom hasn't been finished yet, just wondering what the hazard level is and how I should move forward.

Reply by (mod) - Some Armstrong Solarian sheet flooring reports testing as (at least) >2% chrysotile asbestos

Karrie,

Yes some Armstrong Solarian sheet flooring products contained asbestos, depending on the year of manufacture.

Some readers have had the flooring tested and confirmed an asbestos content.

On Armstrong sheet flooring from the 1970's and Armstrong Solarian sheet flooring before the mid 1980's it would be prudent to treat the material as Presumed Asbestos-Containing Material or PACM.

Armstrong Solarian Davenport flooring in a Starr Home was in various hues and colors: Asbestos? Still available?

My house is a Starr Home built in the mid 1060s in Enfield CT. The flooring in the kitchen looks like the Armstrong Solarian Deveport white , but it has a bluish green border around it and seems more blue than white.

Do you happen to know this tile, does it have aspestos, and does it still exist? We would like to get a couple of more pieces actually. Janice

My house is A STARR HOUSE

I have a kitchen floor tile, 12x12, which appears to be Armstrong Solarium Devenport white.

But it has a bluish green border around it and little random line-like scratches on it. Do you know what it might be and does it have aspestos? - Janice - On 2017-10-12

Reply by (mod) - Armstrong Solarian flooring pattern was made in various hues

Right, Janice. The same Armstrong Solarian flooring pattern was made in various hues, all with about the same formula. If your home was built and the flooring was installed in 1060 it's pretty historic, older than the Magna Carta.

But you probably meant 1960 - a date that means it's correct to assume the flooring contains asbestos.

No, you won't normally find that 60+ year-old flooring for sale currently.

 

...

---

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---

---

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2024-10-20 by LRN20554 What are the earliest and latest years of production of Armstrong's Solarian Suntone pattern sheet vinyl?

Photo above: this reader confirmed that this Armstrong Solarian Suntone flooring contained 35% Chrysotile asbestos.

Hello, I am hoping to learn the earliest and latest years that the Armstrong Solarian "Sunstone" pattern sheet vinyl was sold (see attached photo). Any information gratefully appreciated.

This discussion appeared originally at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1974-1979 

Reply by InspectApedia Publisher (mod) - 1970 to ? for Armstrong Solarian Suntone flooring

@LRN20554,

Good question, we've actually got the answer in our data - improved with your help to be early to mid 1970 as the first advertisements we've found for the Armstrong Solarian flooring series.

To find your specific Suntone pattern you'd want to look through our Armstrong catalog pages included both as examples in web pages and in PDFs of those catalogs that we've found for Armstrong flooring - principally from copies filed by the U.S. Library of Congress, though there are other sources too.

As we built this series of pages, describing different flooring products and organizing them by year, I'm sure that I've recorded the first year that the solarion product line was sold. But we'll have to look back a few years to find it. Or if you're in a rush you could do that yourself.

All of the floor tile example photos are listed in groups by year.

I'm looking further for history of the Solarian Sunstone pattern. The history that we've found for the Solarian (No-Wax) flooring is at our page ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN NO-WAX FLOORING HISTORY

https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Armstrong-Solarian-Flooring-History.php - we've moved this conversation to that page - Ed.

A very similar version of your Sunstone flooring pattern appears on the cover of one of the 1973 Armstrong flooring catalogs we've found:

ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN / the sunny floor that shines without waxing - 1973 Catalog [PDF] Armstrong Corporation -https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Armstrong-Solarian-Catalog-1973.pdf

And of course I can't rule out that that flooring could have appeared in 1972 or even as early as 1970.

Tell us the location and age of the building where your flooring is installed and also let me know if that's an original layer or if there was an older floor covering below it.

Interesting that the flooring name "Sunstone" was used by other manufacturers, such as in this Congoleum Flooring catalog

inspectapedia.com/interiors/Congoleum-Flooring-Catalog-2015.pdf

Image: an Armstrong Solarian No Wax flooring ad from 1970, cited in detail below.

Followup by LRN20554

@InspectApedia Publisher, Thank you, Daniel, for this excellent website. I didn't find the dates I was looking for in other areas of this site, but after searching the internet, it seems that Armstrong Solarian sheet vinyl was probably first introduced in 1970.

At least, that seems to be the date of the very first newspaper ads for the Solarian product line (calling it "new" at that time).

I still don't know exactly when the "Sunstone" pattern in my photo was first introduced, but the 1973 Armstrong catalog online at https://digital.hagley.org/08164220_solarian includes this pattern, so this pattern must have been introduced some time between 1970 and 1973.

FYI I had a sample of this flooring tested and the results showed that the vinyl contained 35% Chrysotile asbestos.

If anybody happens to know anything more about the earliest or latest sale dates of the Solarian product in this particular pattern, I would still be interested to know. Thank you.

Reply by InspectApedia Publisher (mod)

@Anonymous, LRN20554

thank you for that helpful detail.

I'm reviewing our data and Armstrong catalogs and will add more information here

Daniel

Followup by LRN20554

@InspectApedia Publisher, Thank you again. The sheet vinyl in question was in a house in California which was built in the early 1960's.

We did not find any older layer of flooring beneath it, but since Solarian was apparently not introduced until 1970, this vinyl can't have been the original flooring installed at the time of original construction.

Reply by InspectApedia Publisher (mod)

@Anonymous,

That's very helpful and I thank you for taking the time to add that information. I wasn't confident about the 1972 year but it's as far as I had gotten.

The last I looked at this was more than 15 years ago and I didn't remember where other than the library of Congress I was finding good historical information about Solarian. I'll be sure to look for more examples to include here.

Thank you for your help, working together makes us smarter.

Daniel

Followup by Anonymous

@InspectApedia Publisher, Daniel, I want to add some info that you may not have about the Armstrong Solarian brand of sheet vinyl. Elsewhere on this site I believe you wrote that 1972 is the earliest confirmed date of manufacture/sale of Solarian.

However, I found multiple newspaper ads from 1970 (but no earlier) referencing the "new" Armstrong Solarian no-wax flooring when I searched for Armstrong Solarian at the California Digital Newspaper Collection hosted by UCR Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research at cdnc.ucr.edu .

The earliest mention I found there is in an ad in a newspaper dated 11 June 1970. You should be able to access the same material that I found once you create a free account on their site. I hope this is useful.

Reply by InspectApedia Publisher (mod)

Confirming that our best data shows that Armstrong introduced Solarian No-Wax flooring in 1970. The advertisement shown here appeared in California's Southside Journal, Volume 33, Number 11, 11 June 1970.

This newspaper is available through the California Digital Newspaper Collection archive found with this search result at https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=q&hs=1&r=1&results=1&txf=txIN&txq=armstrong+no+wax+solarian+1970&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------

Special thanks to InspectApedia reader LRN20554 for help with researching the year in which Armstrong's Solarian (No Wax) line of flooring was introduced.

Daniel

 

On 2023-06-24 by Ashley - Asbestos in 1979 Armstrong Solarian No Wax Flooring Item No. 26440 bar code Item#24311

Hello! We have tile in our bathroom, we are unsure when it was installed. House was built in 1979.

We found a box of the original tile, spent a bit searching for it but haven’t found how old the tile is and if it has asbestos. Armstrong Solarian No Wax, color isn’t listed but it’s white (see photo) item number: 26550

Whoops. After investigating further, I’m not sure if the box is the right product. It has mixed tiles in it.

The tile we are looking to see when it was manufactured and if it as asbestos is: item number is: 24311 still an Armstrong peel and stick, color is white and a little textured

On 2023-06-24 by InspectApedia DF (mod) - Likely no if your flooring was manufactured after 1986 in the U.S.

@Ashley,

Armstrong Peel-and-Stick Floor vinyl floor tiles were introduced late in 1969 and continue in popular use today. That bar code and Item#24311 look like a more modern Armstrong self-adhesive floor product.

We think that Armstrong Solarian no-wax flooring was introduced in 1970.

Some, but apparently not all self-adhesive floor tiles made by Armstrong during the period 1969 - 1982 contained asbestos. The company stopped manufacturing these tiles with asbestos in December of 1982.

Not all adhesive floor tiles produced during this period contain asbestos. It is necessary to know the flooring product model number or collection name of a tile in question, or to submit a sample to an asbestos test laboratory to make a final determination.

We can’t tell from just an item number.

Short of calling Armstrong, which might be your best bet, you should see the live link at the end of this page and titled

DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if your FLOOR probably contains asbestos

Also see more about peel and stick tiles at

SELF-ADHESIVE "PEEL & STICK" VINYL-ASBESTOS FLOOR TILES

 

Are these 1991 Armstrong Citation Solarian floor tiles an Asbestos Product?

I have the box for some tiles that are in my bathroom under a newer subfloor that I just tried to remove. How can I search if they are asbestos? Box had date of 6-11-91 and 3/91 as well as 213931 and 393A -On 2020-12-30 by Gail -

On 2021-06-27 by inspectapedia.com.moderator - no

@Gail,

1991 floor tiles in North America will not contain asbestos

See also SELF-ADHESIVE "PEEL & STICK" VINYL-ASBESTOS FLOOR TILES

 

Solarian Supreme 82000 discontinue date

Trying to find Solarian Supreme 82000 discontinue date - On 2020-05-05 by Dave B -

Reply by (mod):

Have you tried asking the Armstrong Flooring Company directly?

or call them at 1-866-243-2726

...

Continue reading  at 1974-1979 ARMSTRONG FLOOR TILE GUIDE, COMPETE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1973 ID FAQs - photos, ID & asbestos content questions in 1973 flooring, posted originally at this page.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ARMSTRONG CORLON FLOORING - Corlon® vinyl flooring & in CorAire, Hydrocord® & Nylex
• ARMSTRONG NYLEX FLOOR & WALL COVERINGS
• ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN NO-WAX FLOORING HISTORY
• ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN FLOOR TILES 1975-1976-1977
• ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN FLOOR TILE 1978
• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE COMPOSITION
• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PRODUCT NAMES - index to brands
• ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
• ASBESTOS FLOORING IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INDEX - all brands, all years
• ASBESTOS FLOORING REMOVAL GUIDE
• ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST
• ASPHALT & VINYL FLOOR TILE HISTORY
• DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if your FLOOR probably contains asbestos -
• FLOOR COVERINGS: 1900 - 1949 - older types of floor coverings, sheet linoleum, congoleum, & tiles

Suggested citation for this web page

ARMSTRONG SOLARIAN NO-WAX FLOORING HISTORY 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

---