FAQs about using our color photo guide to asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles, 1900 -1986 - dominant floor tile color to identify the probable asbestos-containing floor tile brand, pattern, and age.

This article series gives an asbestos floor tile identification key sorted by primary flooring color: beige, black, blue, brown, tan, wood tone, gray, green, red, white, yellow, etc.

Q&A on Using an Asphalt or Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tiles Color Guide

These questions and answers about using color or patterns to help in identifying asbestos-containing floor tiles or sheet flooring were posted originally

at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION COLOR KEY - please give that article a try.

On 2018-11-17 by (mod) - based on age and country assume this floor tile contains asbestos

Wayne I can't make a certain asbestos determination from your (excellent) photo, but given the age of the floor I'd treat it as presumed to contain asbestos.

On 2018-11-16 by wayne

getting ready to remodel this room in a public building. Don't see anything like it in pics above, but some of them are not very clear. this building was built in 72-74 area

On 2018-10-24 by (mod) -

Loretta:

The gold sheet flooring (in the photo below), if you can remove it intact, without creating further dust and tears, should be able to be removed with minimal risk.

On 2018-10-24 by Loretta

first layer is newer peel and stick dark brown. under that is the gold diamond pattern and underlayment over wood floor. is the gold linoleum safe for me to remove?

On 2018-09-28 by (mod) - How will an underlayment paper will stop the asbestos tiles from discoloring the vinyl sheet flooring

Vinyl or asphalt-based asbestos-containing floor tiles will not discolor a new layer of flooring placed overtop.

Those flooring materials do not exude dyes or pigments. If you are seeing staining it's from something else: mastic, leaks, coatings, waxes, spills.

On 2018-09-28 by Krista

How will an underlayment paper will stop the asbestos tiles from discoloring the vinyl sheet flooring?

Since it discolored the glueless vinyl flooring which was padded and much thicker than paper, I wasn't sure how an underlayment would stop from happening again

What it is in the underlayment products that stops it from happening? We went to the store and the guy wasn't sure that even the more expensive ones would stop it. So I was hoping you could help us understand so we get the right thing. Thank you for your help.

On 2018-09-28 by (mod) identify this vinyl sheet flooring?

Mary I can't identify the brand or model sheet flooring in your photo for certain. Are there any stamps or markings on its reverse or "back" surface?

On 2018-09-28 by Mary

(Aug 24, 2018) Mary said:

Can anybody identify this vinyl sheet flooring? The House was built in 1978.

On 2018-06-28 by (mod) - floor tile obscured by mastic

Need

Indeed it's a bit difficult to see under the black mastic but I think I see a cork-pattern type vinyl asbestos floor tile. Given the age of the home it'd make sense to treat the floor as presumed to contain asbestos.

That does not mean it should be removed.

Watch out: some floor tile mastics or adhesives also contained asbestos.

On 2018-06-28 by Need Help

See under this mastic black tar. I can't find this tile in the list, so I'm not sure. House was built in 1963. Please help.

On 2018-04-10 by (mod) -

Sure, a flooring underlayment - film, paper, synthetic fabric, even solid core plywood.

On 2018-04-10 by Krista

The original flooring in my kitchen is mostly dark brown asbestos tiles with occasional white tiles throughout for a pattern. The tiles were covered over with vinyl sheet flooring. After about 8 years I noticed the discoloration of the flooring except for where the white 12 inch square tiles were underneath.

The discoloration of the vinyl flooring is darker where the kitchen table legs are and other furniture/appliances, probably from the weight. Is there something we can put down to prevent the discoloration from happening before installing new vinyl sheet flooring?

On 2018-03-06 by (mod) - asbestos in yellow/tan plaid sheet flooring?

Mandy if the floor was installed before the early 1980's it's reasonable to treat it as presumed to contain asbestos.

Or you'd have a sample tested - use the page top EXPERTS DIRECTORY link to see our directories of certified asbestos testing labs.

On 2018-03-06 by Mandy

Our house was built in 1940. We moved in, in 2004. Our kitchen floor looked like the red brick pattern up above. We covered it with a floating floor several years ago and we just now pulled up that floor to put down new floor again. The original red tiles underneath had water damage and were peeling off the floor.

How do we know if this is an asbestos containing floor? Several pieces have broken off and it’s chipping so my husband had my kids scraping it up and that when I started whether this is safe or not. I found a picture of the flooring on this site so now I’m worried.

On 2017-07-17 18:15:08.656454 by (mod) -

Brady

Following up

Clickingon the link "Acapulco White" in the article section above brings up this image

https://inspectapedia.com/sickhouse/Asb_Excelon_Smooth_Tide_1973_62.jpg

etc.

On 2017-07-17 18:14:07.182486 by (mod) -

Thank you so very much, Brady - I reviewed the article above in the section you described, but for me all of the links worked, each bringing up a larger image of the floor tile example.

Next I checked the page for broken links - none were present.

Then I searched for the phrase "home sickness and wood paneling mold" as a phrase across our entire website: those exact words don't appear - leading me to see that this is an odd problem that needs more work.

A google search for the same phrase “home sickness and wood paneling mold” finds our article on the topic of moldy wood paneling
https://inspectapedia.com/mold/Paneling_Mold_Contamination.php - which does not pertain to flooring that may contain asbestos.

If you've time and inclination to help me dig into the problem further, try clearing your browser's cache, then re-loading this page. Let me know if the problem happens again. You can also contact me directly using the page top or bottom CONTACT link if you need help with a white asbestos-suspect floor tile and I'll do my best.


We work hard on precision and accuracy but I certainly agree that in page coding error can slip in so I much appreciate that you took the time to write about this.

Daniel

On 2017-07-17 by Brady Bisel

Under the section of whites, there’s 2 photos, the one on the left dated 2009 and the one on he right dated 2011. My home has the white brick patterned vinyl flooring in our bathroom, yet When I click on each available white photo sample, that particular type of vinyl flooring isn’t included in that list - just the photo on top.

When I click on the photo, the url for the photo says “home sickness and wood paneling mold” which doesn’t have anything to do with asbestos vinyl flooring. Can anyone clarify if that is in fact a type of vinyl flooring that’s part of the white asbestos flooring samples?

On 2017-06-30 by Cathy

We have just removed 3 layers of flooring in our house. The house was built in the 1940's. The newspaper on the bottom layer was dated 1949. the 2 bottom layers had a hesian layer on the bottom. Is there anywhere i can send a photo for confirmation?
Thanks

On 2017-06-09 by (mod) -

Wallace,

Yes some tile mastic adhesives also contained asbestos.

If you can clean up without making a dusty mess you're probably at rather low risk. If you've already removed the floor and just see the mastic, the least-risky approach would be to leave it alone and cover it over.

Seach InspectApedia for ASBESTOS in TILE ADHESIVE to read details.

On 2017-06-08 by Wallace

Our home was built in 1964, We removed a tile floor that looks like one you have pictured. There is now a layer of black adhesive covering the floor. Is this likely asbestos? If so, what should we do?

On 2016-05-26 by Virginia

The building I work in was built in the '50s and the 12x12 tiles look similar to the pictures I have seen here.

My studio space has been carpeted (no padding) and am wondering if it is safe to have small children in the room? I don't know what condition the tiles were in when it was carpeted, although the rest of the building's tiles are mostly okay.

On 2016-04-03 by Anonymous

From your note alone, sure;

On 2016-04-03 by Dawnica Hall

Just bought a house built in 1917. One bedroom looks like the tile in one of the pics called Osage green. It has a few holes in it but has been covered by carpet for years. Is it safe to put new tile or hard wood over this. Thank you

On 2016-01-25 by deniseandcourtney

Just move into a house. Built in 1964. Water damage in wall and on carpet in basement finished room.

Fixed the wall and pulled up carpet to reveal a brown patterned and color-speckled 12x12 tile underneath. Some tiles are cracked and broken. I see the "Use CONTACT link" below but there is no place to upload a photo...

On 2015-12-03 by (mod) -

You can use the page bottom CONTACT link to send photos

On 2015-12-03 by Chris

I found some tile under a subfloor in a house built in the 70's, they are 9x9 with a light beige stone like pattern on them. I've looked on the website but haven't seen it, I was wondering if you might be able to help me?

On 2015-08-22 by (mod) -

Trissa,

It would be rather unusual for a home built in 1990 to have been constructed using asbestos-containing floor tiles unless the builder obtained "new old stock" flooring and unless the builder further ignored the by-then widely known asbestos concerns that led to cessation of production of asbestos-containing flooring in the U.S. by the early 1980s.

Are you certain that the flooring is by Armstrong? As we state in the article above, 1972 most Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tiles were sold in the 12" x 12" dimension. From 1973 to 1980 all Armstrong Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tiles were sold in 12" x 12" size. But other 9x9 flooring tiles may have been produced later such as Kentiles.

On 2015-08-22 13:53:26.531532 by (mod) -

Trissa,

It would be rather unusual for a home built in 1990 to have been constructed using asbestos-containing floor tiles unless the builder obtained "new old stock" flooring and unless the builder further ignored the by-then widely known asbestos concerns that led to cessation of production of asbestos-containing flooring in the U.S. by the early 1980s.

Are you certain that the flooring is by Armstrong? As we state in the article above, 1972 most Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tiles were sold in the 12" x 12" dimension. From 1973 to 1980 all Armstrong Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tiles were sold in 12" x 12" size. But other 9x9 flooring tiles may have been produced later such as Kentiles.

On 2015-08-22 07:01:28.954918 by Trissa

Our house was built in 1990 and the basement floor was done in plain (no pattern) black and white checkerboard, 9" squares from Armstrong. Today a flooring expert told me that if the tiles are 9" Armstrong they must contain asbestos, since they stopped doing 9" square tiles when they stopped doing asbestos. Is this true? I can submit photo if needed.

On 2015-08-01 19:05:15.288547 by Robyn

I was wondering if this floor tile is Asbestos.

Question: Armstrong asbestos floor tile diecut inserts from around 1952 - ways to seal these floors?

Am looking for information on Armstrong diecut inserts from around 1952. Also are there any recommended ways to seal these floors so you can enjoy the look but without any asbestos concerns? Thanks, Sarah - Sarah 6/23/11

Reply: gentle cleaning followed by floor restorer clear coating protects from asbestos fiber release

Sarah:

Our photos show examples of some of the diecut flooring inserts from the 1950's; I'm not sure what other information you seek.

About sealing vinyl-asbestos tile floors, especially in residential use where school or public regulations and public access worries don't apply, I've had great success using clear-coating floor restorer products.

As you can see at ASBESTOS FLOORING LEFT IN PLACE, we just did this recently in a New York home.

The floor was washed with mild detergent and water. Then we used a spray cleaner recommended by the floor resetorer manufacturer. The spray cleaner removes old wax residues. Next we used a magic marker to color in some gouges that had marred the floor surface. Finally we coated the flooring with the floor restorer product. The floor looked new, and great.

In sum, if you maintain a hard clear coating on top of the floor surface you won't be releasing any measurable level of asbestos fibers by normal foot traffic.

Also see ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION for more ways to reduce the asbestos hazard in asbestos-suspect or presumed asbestos-containing flooring.

Question: 12x12 code 422 80 made by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Plant C Akron, Oh

Do you have info about whether the following 2 tiles contain asbestos?

1. Box says Color Tile vinyl floor tile 12x12 code 422 80 made by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Plant C Akron, Oh. and sold by color tile supermart with a Vancouver, Wa address.

2. Box says Amtico Suravinyl Tile 12x12 1/16 ga 7LDF18 AH084 1 AL1102 and also says Zip Stik self adhering duravinyl tile; made by American Biltrite INc. Trenton, NJ.

Do I need to send photos to make ID possible? Any help is appreciated. - Nan Duncan 8/28/11

My previous email had a typo-- 2. should read Amtico Duravinyl.

Reply:

Nan,

American Biltrite in Trenton produced asbestos-containing floor tiles; if your American Biltrite flooring was installed before 1980 it's likely that it contains asbestos.

Goodyear also produced asbestos-containing floor tiles. I'd make the same suggestion: if your Goodyear flooring was installed before 1980 it's likely that it contains asbestos.

See GOODYEAR ASBESTOS FLOOR TILES for details.

Question

Found what I believe to be asbestos tiles under carpet in all 4 bedrooms of a house my daughter purchased. The house is 100 + age so this indicates these tiles would be asbestos. Some are damaged through age and also have been stapled to hold the underpad of carpeting and also the carpet tack around the edges.

What is the hazard of the staples and tack? Should we be concerned about fiber leakage thru these holes and various damage in the rooms. Thank you - Leaha 9/7/11

Reply:

Leaha

Shile one cannot assert the age of a flooring material necessarily from the age of a house (as flooring can be installed long after original construction) it's reasonable to use caution about old-looking flooring in a 100 year old home before knowing much more.

But it's unlikely that there would be measurable asbestos particle movement up through wall to wall carpeting over floor tiles; the hazards would more likely arise during demolition.

See ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION  for advice about minimizing the hazards should you need to remove material.

If nevertheless you are worried about the health and safety of building occupants, you'd want a professional inspection for all conditions there; a loose railing or step or a fire hazard could be a greater risk that should not go ignored.

Finally, you could order asbestos tests on settled house dust or even air sampling if you are very anxious about the matter; frankly those steps would not be my first concern.

Question: identifying various other brands and product numbers of floor tiles

do you know if the SEARS brand HOMART 64-7169 asphalt floor tile contained asbestos? - Paul Wright 9/22/11

Have you heard of Dura Floor Plastic Asphalt Tiles? Do they contain asbestos? - Jo Lynn Judka 10/24/11

I have 12" x 12" tile in the basement just like the pattern San Roque Gold 57161 from 1980.
However, this tile is not 1/8 thick but 1/16 and it was peel & stick. Would this contain asbestos? - David 11/27/11

Is there a way I can forward someone a photo of a school floor to determine if it contains asbestos? I am unable to get back into the building It is closed, but the school dept wants to open it again and is saying that there isn't a problem. I looked through the tiles on your site, but oculdn't find an exact match. The school was built in 1950-1960, but we have no evidence that the tiles have been replaced. Can you help? -

we have an armstrong floor tile (black color) with the following numbers on the back L4 1230 021898. We don't know the year it was installed. Does it contain asbestos? Is there a way to cross reference these numbers? - Dan 5/1/12

We have the San Roque pattern sheet vinyl. Did Armstrong use the same patterns at a later date for their sheet vinyl but without asbestos? We have already started to remove it and I am concerned. - Sue 10/24/2012

We have vinyl sheet flooring that was put in about mid 1984. Is this anything to worry about? When exactly was asbestos banned in the manufacture of sheet flooring? - Peter 11/6/2012

Reply:

David, naturally by email alone no one can say with certainty whether or not a floor tile contains asbestos, but if your flooring matches one of the ACM floor tiles we illustrate here, AND if you are confident about the age (as you suggest) most likely it is an asbestos-containing product. And yes, for sure there were some peel-and-stick floor tiles that contained asbestos in the tile baking.

That does not necessarily mean that you need a costly asbestos remediation job - it depends on the condition of the surface, use made of the area, etc. If the floor is sound you may have the option of simply covering it with a new material.

JoLynn, sorry we don't have information about DuraFloor plastic asphalt tiles. Do you know the age of the product?

You're welcome to send us photos (see the CONTACT link at top, side, bottom of our pages), and I'll research further. Certainly up to the early 1980's many asphalt floor tile products contained asbestos.

Dan, while we have published product and lot numbers for some floor tile products, there are just too many of them, thousands.

Unlike mechanical equipment like water heaters or furnaces, I have not found a standard of correlation between product numbers and date of manufacture, though it probably was included in widely varying ways by individual manufacturers.

You can narrow down the asbestos question by:

- noting the age of the building itself as that sets the earliest plausible date for its floor materials +/- a year or so to allow for flooring sold from stock

- noting the date of any renovations of the building

- noting whether or not there are multiple layers of flooring or other similar changes that give a renovation history

- noting information on any packaging used for the floor tiles - sometimes an extra box of floor tiles is left and stored in a building, intended to supply future repairs or changes to the floor


- comparing the appearance of your flooring to the photographs we provide in these tile identification articles

- sending a small sample of flooring to a certified asbestos testing lab

For a tile floor of unknown constituents, do not do something foolish such as grinding, sanding, power sawing, or a dusty messy demolition.

Peter,
I think you mngh want to ask Armstrong, but in NY case, if you remove materials following the recommended procedures and avoid making a dusty ness you should be OK

Question: how much asbestos was in floor tile?

How much asbestos did the Armstrong Excelon Standard 12"x12" tiles contain - Loretta D 12/21/11

How much asbestos did the Armstrong Excelon vinyl asbestos floor tiles contain (12"x12", 1972/1973)? - Loretta 12/22/11

Hi! Would you expect the armstrong corlon resilent flooring with the hydrocord backing from the mid 1960s to contain significant amounts of asbestos? I am trying to find some information on it as I think that may be what is in our home...the only info I can find is that the backing probably did contain an asbestos and latex composite..

.I am wondering how likely the composite material would become easily friable if we attempted to remove it... - Kate 2/16/12

Reply:

Loretta, lacking hard science facts I have to give an OPINION that the material is high in asbestos content because in addition to asbestos fibers that gave strength to the tiles, many such floor tiles included a high level of asbestos filler - very ultrafine particles. We'd need to have a sample for specific testing to obtain an content level measurement.

Question

Hi there, being naive and not aware that floor tiles may contain asbestos - I began removing some older tiles from under the carpet in my kids room.

After seeing a warning on a Home Depot website - we stopped the removal. Is there any way of testing or visually confirming the possibility of it containing asbestos? I was working in the area for approximately 2 hours without any breathing apartus, etc. What are my options at this point? My wife is freaking out. Thanks - Sean M 1/22/12

Question

I think I've looked through all the photos here and fortunately, the only one that appears to resemble what I have is in the "1989 & Later Armstrong Accoflex Series Flooring Tiles" image just above this comment box.

UNfortuneately, it is very difficult to be sure from this small image and i am sure what I have is NOT from the UK. The tiles I have are 12" x 12", 1/8" thick light blue and white (like streaked clouds on a blue sky) resembling "Spruce" above. The tiles are VERY heavy, quite inflexible and have very tiny sparkling crystals throughout.

These physical apsects make me very uneasy. Since the tiles are at least 25 years or more old, should I be concerned? Where might I go for an expert opinion? Thanks. - Scott 2/1/2012

 

Question: How much asbestos hazard was I exposed to during our floor renovation project?

We recently partially demo'd a ceramic tile floor in the kitchen of a home built in 1970. We popped the ceramic tiles up with a pry bar and sledge hammer. Beneath the tiles was a linoleum floor covering. I've visually identified the flooring on your website. It is Armstrong, Excelon, Custon Burnham 1972, 57080 Blue.

How much asbestos does this contain? Also, we didn't bother peeling it all up because it was too difficult. We chipped up the remaining ceramic tile on top of it and just covered the remainder of the floor with plywood and fastened the plywood with split drive fasteners. We then nailed pine plank flooring over the plywood. Do we have any reason to worry about asbestos exposure??? My husband wore a dust mask. - Kelly McCullin 11/13/2012

I have ArmStrong sheet layment in my kicten.There was a layer of newer layment on top I did realize it was the orignal under it. The house was built in 1974. I removed about a there foot area before I realized it. If i was exsposed to it how much does it take to make you sick and what are the symptoms.I have to think I am not the only one who has done this. - David 11/28/2012

Reply: it depends ... Here is a list of some risk factors when removing flooring that may contain asbestos

David, and also Kelly McKullin:

Unfortunately no one can say with any accuracy whatsoever just what level of hazard you were exposed to during your asbestos floor removal. The variables include:

• the total amount of material disturbed and removed
• the actual asbestos content of the flooring and of other materials, such as mastic, that were disturbed
• the removal methods used to take up flooring, and just how much dust you created
• nature of demolition dust and debris - particle size, therefore airborne particulate levels & duration of particles in the air. For example, picking up a whole floor tile that is already loose may produce almost no detectable airborne particulates, while running power tools, saws, grinders, sanders, hammers, can make a lot of dust
• dust control measures used during the project
• cleanup methods used after the project both in and out of the work area
• remaining dust that could have led to longer term exposure
• individual health history, respiration rate, personal protective gear used or not
• other site & individual -specific data not listed here

If you have specific individual health questions those should be posed to your doctor who knows your personal health history

Presuming that your project is now long over, if you have reason to be concerned, you might want to do some strategic dust sampling to see whether or not the building needs further cleanup

See ASBESTOS REMOVAL GUIDE, FLOORING and ASBESTOS REMOVAL, WETTING GUIDELINES

Question: asbstos in a 1996 home?

(June 18, 2014) Karen said:

Is it possible that my floor tile in a house build in 1996 could have asbestos? Has a similar look to it.

Reply:

Anything is possible Karen, but installing 20 year old flooring stock in a 1996 home would be quit unusual.

Question:

(Apr 6, 2014) Anonymous said:

Moved to a new home. Had to remove carpet in basement due to dog urine. I have been scraping off the glue used for the carpet and installing new vinyl tiles. Just realized the floor tiles probably are asbestos. Have I been creating a health hazard by scraping? Will the vinyl tiles protect against the asbestos?

(May 18, 2014) P Brier said:

We are tearing up old resilient flooring and hit the original resilient layer of kitchen. The product is labeled "Weyerhheuser" on the edge, and is about 3/8" thick with a vinyl wearing surface. The substrate is grey, soft, fibrous....seems like asbestos. I have a photo of the
printed surface pattern and Weyerhaeuser logo.

We decided based on info here to seal it with a lacquer, and build over it with new flooring.

Reply:

P.B. What you suggest makes sense; generally it's safest to avoid disturbing the material.

Question:

(June 19, 2014) Anonymous said:

the tile in the basement of the house which was built in 1935 is blue and white-wondering if it is asbestos

Reply:

Certainly based on age that's a reasonable assumption if the floor tile is asphalt or vinyl material.

Question:

(June 22, 2014) Vincent said:

Hi,
I've looked at your helpful collection of tile images, but I'm still uncertain about my particular tiles. My house was built in 1951, and I'm not sure when these tiles were installed. They are glued to my concrete basement floor. I appreciate any info you can provide. imgur.com/a/Un6HT#0 Thank you!

Reply:

Looks quite like an Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tile, Seneca-like pattern from the 1950's

Question: how to distinguish between cork flooring and cork-pattern vinyl/asbestos tiles

(June 29, 2014) Eden said:

Hi hoping you can help, im unsure if cork floor tiles in the bedroom contain asbestos or not? its a mud brick house was built in the 70s. i found an unpolished cork tile in the garage is this an indication it is a genuine cork floor tile or vinyl type im unsure how to differentiate between the two?

Reply:

Eden, cork flooring is quite a bit softer, more resilient, and looks like cork in cross section. Search inspectApedia for

CORK FLOORING

To see examples.

Vinyl asbestos cork pattern flooring is more dense in cross section

Reader follow-up:

(July 13, 2014) Eden said:

Thanks for your help! i still found it difficult to determine between the two (perhaps a little paranoid also) so i got a sample tested for $50 turns out it was cork tiles thankfully :)

Question: Pennsylvania Levittown home asbestos flooring?

(July 16, 2014) KB said:

Hi Can you tell me if the original floor in a PA Levittowner has asbestos? Thanks

Reply:

Based on age that's a reasonable assumption if the floor tile is asphalt or vinyl material.

Question:

(July 16, 2014) dan said:

i recently ripped out a plush carpet to find a rubber back glue down carpet underneath glue to which looks to be asbestos tile, the lower half of house was removed by a professional,

i did not touch the rubber back glued to it upstairs, my question to you is can we drill tru in order to lay half inch plywood n install a vinyl floor in this area or will it create a issue with the breaking up of athe tile and create a problem

Reply:

Dan

If the flooring is an original 9" or 12" vinyl or asphalt floor tile such as those shown in this article series then most likely the answer is yes.

inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos-Hazard-Reduction.php

contains suggestions for minimizing the hazard if you need to cut or remove sections of this material.

Question:

(July 22, 2014) Anonymous said:

Can you tell me if Armstrong vinyl floor covering contains asbestos?

Reply:

Anon, current Armstrong® flooring products do not contain asbestos and have not since the early 1980's or earlier depending on the product.

Question:

(July 24, 2014) Betsy Delmonico said:

When I bought my 1930s house in 1986, there were two large pieces of linoleum or vinyl flooring rolled up in a closet in the attic (a space which had been made into pine-walled bedrooms in the 1950s). One is about 8' by 10' and I haven't measured the other.

They seem to have been used, but not much, and not to have been glued down. Somebody cut a foot-square hole near the end of one, about the size of the heating vents in the attic. The fronts are a braided-rug pattern, multi-colored but mostly tan and brown, repeating every few feet, and the backs are a green felt-like material. I haven't found the pattern online though I've looked for several hours.

Do you know

(a) whether this is likely to contain asbestos, and

(b) who manufactured it and/or

(c) whether they might have any value?

Reply:

From the house age the material you describe could be non-asbestos (linoleum) or it could be asbestos-containing sheet flooring.

To understand how to identify linoleum, see

LINOLEUM & OTHER SHEET FLOORING

Use our CONTACT link to send us some sharp photos of both sides of the flooring and we can comment further.

Question:

(Aug 2, 2014) Troy said:

I'm tearing up carpeting in a room above my garage from the 1930's. Under the carpet is a linoleum/vinyl? sheet floor with a very thin black paper backing marked Armstrong. Any info about this product would be helpful. The flooring is only laying on the subfloor (no adhesive) It can easily be lifted but tears easily.

Can this be safely removed by me using water to limit dust as I tear it up. I will not be using any power tools to remove.

(Aug 18, 2014) Kathy C said:

We have a cottage that we inherited. It was built in the 50's we recently tore up a covering on the floors that was like felt and noticed some 9x9" square tile on the floor in the kitchen and two bedrooms. There is very little if any damage to the tiles. They are beige/natural tone in color. What's the chance of them having asbestos in them?

Reply:

Kathy chances are very good.

Question:

(Aug 24, 2014) mareiarden said:

I recently bought a house built in 1954. Ripped up the carpet to find the original asbestos tile throughout the house. It's in great shape and I absolutely love it. Have been lightly scrubbing it on my hands and knees, tile by tile by tile... I can't find barely anything on the internet, however, about how to actually take care of it.

One website recommended something called Johnson's Wax Paste (or something like that), but there's conflicting advice about whether or not I can use a buffer on asbestos tile...?

I should probably add... I've been using Krud Kutter in places where previous owners spilled paint on the tiles...

Other than that, I've been using plain water, just taking years upon years of dirt up... The tiles look amazing when wet, but when they dry, not so much... Will the Johnson's Wax Paste (or whatever it's called) help to maintain the "wet" look?

Reply:

Marie

Search InspectApedia for - ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION for advice on approaches to keeping antique floor tile while minimizing the asbestos hazard.

Don't grind, cut, saw, sand, nor buff with steel wool.

Do use gentle liquid cleaners, mopping, HEPA vacuuming, and if you don't want to paint the surface or install new floor over it, use a hard clear sealant such as we describe in that article.

Question: asbestos content in Armstrong Peel & Stick Flooring? Armstrong 0740112698s

Anonymous said:

Hello,
I was pulling up some vinyl tile in my bathroom and quickly realized it was a "recent" peel and stick on top of an older one. I can't seem to get enough of the top off the bottom to get a picture, but I found this number on the back of the older tile: armstrong 0740112698s. I can't seem to find any information on it and was wondering if you could.

All I know is it is a pink tile, but I can't get enough of the top tile off to get a picture.

Reader follow-up:

I contacted Armstrong and found out the tile I had in my bathroom was produced in 1998 and did not contain any asbestos.

Reply:

Indeed some peel-and-stick flooring contained asbestos but not material produced in 1998. Thanks for the update.

 

Question: can't find my floor tile in your photo library

(June 21, 2015) Bruce said:
I don't see my pattern in any of the images and I have no idea what year the tiles would have been manufactured or who manufactured them. Are there other resources who show images?

Reply:

Our home page for asbestos-containing floor tiles is

at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID GUIDE at

inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos-Floor-Tile-Identification.php

where you will see additional photo guides to floor tiles from all of the major manufacturers.

Or you can use our CONTACT link to send us images of your flooring for further research or posting.

Question: Sears 9x9" floor tiles contained asbestos?

Jackie Chouramanis said:
Back of tile says SR-KVA-90 under it is stamped 11/65

side of box 2319 5 6110A
these are 9x9 and green any idea if VAT?

I just emailed you what I had availabe right now. We have Green and White tiles, as see in the 1973 Armstrong photo. The box also states Sears

Reply:

Jackie

I'd like to see some clear photos of the front and back of the tile you describe. Our email is at the page bottom CONTACT link.

But it's reasonable to assume that a 9x9 floor tile from 1965 is a VAT.

Sears also produced green floor tiles that resembled the Armstrong line and contained asbestos. Some of these can be seen at

inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Sears_Vinyl_Asbestos_Tile_List.php where the page top photo includes Sears green VAT floor tiles in a pattern.

...

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

Or see this

Asbestos Flooring Identification

• ASBESTOS FLOORING IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INDEX - all brands, all years
• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID GUIDE - home
• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION COLOR KEY
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION BEIGE BROWN TAN or WOOD TONE
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION BLACK
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION BLUE
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION GRAY
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION GREEN
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION RED
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION WHITE
  • ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION YELLOW
  • SPECKLED / SPOTTED FLOOR TILE ASBESTOS
• ASBESTOS FLOORING LEFT IN PLACE
• DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if your FLOOR probably contains asbestos -
• FLOOR TILE / SHEET FLOORING PHOTO GUIDES

 

Suggested citation for this web page

ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION COLOR KEY FAQs 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

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