Dimensions of Floor Tiles & Sheet Flooring That May Contain Asbestos:

This article includes photographs & dimensions of asbestos-containing floor tiles that were either asphalt-asbestos or vinyl-asbestos-based.

This article series explains how to identify floor tiles that are likely to contain asbestos, by making a simple visual inspection, noting the probable age of the building and age of its materials, and similar clues.

Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile Thickness and Dimensions

Here we provide photographs and descriptive text of the sizes in which asbestos-containing floor tiles were sold.

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.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Asphalt Asbestos, Plastic Asbestos, and Vinyl Asbestos floor tiles were widely sold in 6"x6", 9" x 9" and in some years 12" x 12" sizes.

But in fact, some asbestos floor tile manufacturers sold asbestos-containing flooring in every imaginable dimension including long narrow strips, custom shapes and cutouts, and in very large sheets. In addition some asbestos-containing floor tiles or sheet flooring were cut to custom dimensions on-site.

Bottom line: the floor tile dimensions do not alone ever let us rule in or out flooring as likely to contain asbestos.

Below we include a description of very small presumed-asphalt-asbestos floor tiles in a 1 1/2" size bonded to a jute backing fabric, as we illustrate just below, courtesy of an anonymous reader.

Shown below is a vinyl-asbestos floor specification summary and usage guide from a 1959 Armstrong floor tile catalog.

Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile Thickness & Usage Guide

The table shows the recommended usages of these floor tiles at different thicknesses, or gauges or weights.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Question: what is the weight of a typical asphalt-asbestos floor tile?

I need to know the specifications of the old , commercial ( so 1/4 - 1/8 ) , 9x9 asphalt tile.

I mainly need to know weight of the tile.

I have scoured the internet and cant seem to locate this. I am willing to pay by credit card to expediate the help.

thanks - Anonymous by private email, 2017/12/31

Reply: here are the weights of typical 9x9" or other sized asphalt-asbestos floor tiles

Asphalt-based or asphalt-asbestos floor tile in the 1/4" thickness range weighs about 1 pound per square foot.

Asphalt floor tile that is 1/8" thick will weigh about 1/2 pound per square foot.

1 sq.ft. = 12 x12 = 144 sq.in.

A 9"x9" floor tile = 9 x 9 = 81 sq.in.

The size of a 9x9" tile in sq.ft. is 81 / 144 = 0.56 sq.ft.

The weight of a 9x9" 1/4" thick asphalt asbestos floor tile will weigh about 0.56 lbs.

The weight of a 9x9" 1/8" thick asphalt asbestos floor tile will weigh about half that or 0.28 lbs.

Vinyl asbestos floor tiles of the same dimensions will be a bit lighter.

Watch out: asphalt asbestos floor tiles can often contain as much as 70% asbestos by weight. Asbestos was used as both a filler (using asbestos waste materials) and in fibrous form as a reinforcer.

Weights of Building Materials

All of these sources agree on the general weight of asphalt asbestos floor tile as I've used it above. None of them cites an original source.

• Boise Cascade, Engineered Wood Products, "WEIGHTS of BUILDING MATERIALS - POUNDS PER SQUARE FOOT (PSF)", [PDF], Boise Cascade Company, 1111 West Jefferson St. Suite 300 Boise, Idaho 83702-5389, USA, Tech Note GE-1 (2016) retrieved 2017/12/31, original source https://www.bc.com/resources/ge-1-weights-of-building-materials/
• Florida Building Code, "APPENDIX A.4 WEIGHTS of BUILDING MATERIALS" [PDF] ) retrieved 2017/12/31
• Wiley Online Library, "WEIGHTS of BUILDING MATERIALS" [PDF] retrieved 2017/12/31, original source http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com

1.5" Square Asphalt Asbestos Floor Tiles

Question: do these 1.5" square floor tiles contain asbestos?

Above we illustrate 1 1/2" square asphalt asbestos (presumed) floor tiles bonded to a jute backer fabric. An InspectApedia reader reports finding this flooring in a U.S. home constructed in Baltimore, MD in the 1930's. The reader asked:

In my home built in the late 1930's I recently uncovered an older floor tile under several layers of plywood.

Most of what I've found regarding asbestos tiles are that they're typically 9x9, 12x12 or sheet flooring. These tiles are 1.5"x1.5" and appear to be bonded together with woven fiber backing and some sort of black mastic (photos attached).

Could you please let me know if you have encountered these tiles before and the liklihood that they contain asbestos? - Anonymous by private email 2016/12/02

Reply:

I do not recognize the exact pattern of your flooring, nor have I seen 1.5" floor tiles before, but I'm not surprised. This sort of flooring was very widely popular for many decades. While I've not seen those small tiles before, but you may find a close match to the same tile colors and patterns in the ID-library of asbestos flooring beginning

at ASBESTOS FLOORING IDENTIFICATION​ (floor tiles)

There are so many manufacturers and floor tile patterns, types, sizes, and colors over many decades that just looking through catalogs organized by even color or pattern can daunting task.

One can narrow the question by a reasonable guess about the age of the flooring - in your case probably the 1930's. We can narrow the guess further if we know when a building was renovated, or by observing the type of tile adhesive or mastic used.

The use of a fabric backer (shown in our third 1.5" tile floor photo) to lay small-tile flooring is an old and well-established practice that's still used today with some ceramic and wood floor tile systems. It was a significant labor saver as the multiple small pieces were provided by the manufacturer already bonded to a backer fabric.

It's similar to laying sheet flooring and much faster than having to place such individual pieces.

I suspect your flooring is asphalt-asbestos material rather than the later vinyl-asbestos product. It's not soft/friable and it's usually easy enough to control dust and debris. More on that in a moment.

I suspect your flooring backer was jute (aka burlap), probably adhered using a mastic. (The mastic adhesive may also contain asbestos -

see MASTIC, CUTBACK ADHESIVE, FLASHING CEMENT ASBESTOS

Tile dimensions and thickness are also useful. If you send me flooring I'll measure thickness.

I would be grateful if you'd send me a sampler of these little tiles of each color for our own examination and documentation. Simply drop a few representative colors, along with some of the backing, into a freezer-type ZipLok bag, double-bagged, perhaps wrapped with cardboard to avoid damage.

Further measurements & observations about these tiny asphalt-asbestos floor tiles will be reported here.

Readers whose buildings have this flooring type installed or who have experience with it or who wish to send their own 1.5" floor tile photographs are welcome to CONTACT us or to post remarks using the page bottom COMMENTS BOX to share further information. - Ed.

6" Square Vinyl or Asphalt Asbestos Floor Tiles

These 6x6" tiles submitted as photos by a reader and described further

at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID REQUESTS might contain asbestos. This U.S. home was built in Massachusetts in 1953. The reader reported:

I have 4 different colored tiles (The bathroom/kitchen/hall have a main color and an edge color). They don't look exactly like any of the tiles or colors, but the pattern is similar to 1955 - Armstrong Excelon Vinyl Plastic Asbestos Floor Tiles, Patterns & Color Guide Navajo Gray 781.

Some six-inch asphalt based or floor tiles tested by a reader were reported to be asbestos free even though their pattern matched other 9"x9" asbestos-containing floor tiles in the Armstrong line. That's right 6" x 6" - though that floor tile size was rare.

9" Square Vinyl or Asphalt Asbestos Floor Tiles

Asphalt-based asbestos floor tiles and plastic or vinyl-based asbestos flooring were popular in the U.S. in the 1940's - 1970's and were produced by some manufacturers (Armstrong) as late as 1980. Some asbestos-containing flooring products were manufactured (we estimate) as early as the late 1920's.

Photo above from a 1950's home shows 9" square Armstrong Excelon-type VAT, courtesy of reader Kim who adds that asbestos testing indicated that the white floor tiles contained 7% and the black contained 5% asbestos.

We suspect the actual asbestos levels are higher in these tiles because both fibers and fine asbestos filler particles were often used.

Armstrong vinyl asbestos 9" x 9" floor tiles may also have been produced in three thicknesses, depending on the cost and durability desired by the consumer: 1/16", 3/32", and 1/8" thickness. Our 9" x9" lab sample of Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tile was measured at 3/32" (about 2mm) thick.

The Wards vinyl asbestos floor tiles shown just below are nominally 1/16 gauge (4mm) in thickness 9" x 9" square.

Above: 9" asbestos-containing floor tile sold by Montgomery Wards®.

12" Square Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tiles

Armstrong also made 12" x 12" vinyl asbestos floor tiles beginning in 1960. By 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.

At above left we show a 9" x 9" cork patterned vinyl asbestos floor tile found in a 1960's ranch style home in New York. At above right we show a 9" x 9" reddish brown asphalt or vinyl asbestos floor tile found in the same home.

Shown here is a white with black inclusions 12" x 12" vinyl asbestos floor tile found in a 1960's U.S. home where 9" x 9" flooring was also installed in other rooms.

See a very similar and long-running popular Armstrong floor tile pattern beginning
in

1955 ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1949-1959: Armstrong's Seneca white [Image]

In additional photographs below we show the examination of this "asbestos floor tile in the lab" as well as photos of the original labeling on the package in which these tiles were distributed.

Details about and more identifying photographs of Montgomery Ward vinyl asbestos tile flooring are

at MONTGOMERY WARD ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION.

We discuss the history of vinyl-asbestos floor tiles in our Age of House articles

at FLOORING MATERIALS. We discuss the inspection and diagnosis of various flooring defects, including vinyl asbestos tiles,

at FLOOR TYPES & DEFECTS.

According to Rosato, even when vinyl or other synthetic organic resins were used as the binder to produce light colored floor tiles, asbestos fibers continued to be the main ingredient in these floor tile products, and may be present at levels as much as 70% by weight.

Advice for Old Asbestos-Suspect Flooring of Various Sizes

• "Asbestos in your home or at work," Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Department, Winston-Salem NC 12/08
• "Asbestos Floor Tile Removal", the University of Minnesota's advice on removing VAT (vinyl asbestos or asphalt asbestos floor tile) can be read in detail at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/floortile/index.html
• MANAGING ASBESTOS in PLACE: A Building Owner's Guide to Operations and Maintenance Programs for Asbestos-Containing Materials ("Green Book"), web search 08/11/2010, original source: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/management_in_place.html
  How to Develop and Maintain a Building Asbestos Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Program, This information is designed to assist building owners and managers in understanding how to develop and maintain an operations and maintenance program for asbestos-containing materials in their buildings.
• "Asbestos Floor Tile Removal Guide & Instructions - copy on file as Asbestos_Floor_Tile_Removal_MDH.pdf ] - ", Minnesota Department of Health, retrieved 12/7/2010, original source: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/floortile/index.html
• Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on ASBESTOS, ITS INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS, ROSATO 1959, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print, text and images available at InspectAPedia.com).
• "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
• EPA, ASBESTOS IN YOUR HOME [PDF] - U.S. EPA, Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
• EPA Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in buildings, NIAST, National Institute on Abatement Sciences & Technology, [republishing EPA public documents] 1985 ed., Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460
• EPA Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in buildings, NIAST, National Institute on Abatement Sciences & Technology, [republishing EPA public documents] 1985 ed., Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,D.C. 20460

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020-01-11 by Adrian - rest results for sheet vinyl flooring asbestos

I have attached a picture of my test results. The sheet vinyl that has asbestos backing is already coming up in places so I wil be taking it off and disposing of it in accordance with local code.

On 2020-01-10 by (mod) -

Have I misunderstood your test results? That's asbestos-containing floor tile, right? Safest is to leave it there and cover it.

On 2020-01-10 by Adrian

The tile and mastic are both safe to remove as they do not contain asbestos.

The sheet vinyl that was adhered to plywood that was above the original house tile had asbestos paper backing. I plan on carefully removing the sheet vinyl (legal in my state for homeowners to DIY) using methods you have on the website.

Once I am past the plywood underlayment of the sheet vinyl top layer I will just be able to go after the tile, mastic and T&G subfloor with little to no worries.

If anyone has tiles from the 1930s that are 3x3 it’s at least worth getting them tested. $20 for my sample to be tested and now I have peace of mind.

On 2020-01-10 by (mod) - asbestos found in sheet flooring backer but not in some older floor tiles below

Thanks for the follow-up Adrian, that confirms what we thought and documenting it here will help other readers.

About the mastic adhered to subfloor, you have the option of simply sealing it and flooring over it with new material. That's the most-recommended, safest, and least-expensive approach.

On 2020-01-10 by Adrian

Thanks for the response. I have gotten my test results: the tile AND adhesive both tested negative for asbestos. The vinyl sheet that was on top has a paper backing that tested positive (65%) but that will be a far easier task to remove than the 3x3 tile and adhesive.

I don’t have much to say other than that. Thanks for this website. You guys provide incredible guidance and great advice. I can send a copy of my report in if you’d like just for others with my same questions.

On 2020-01-09 by (mod) - asbestos flooring removal guidelines and asbestos wetting guidelines to minimize hazards.

Adrian

In the more reading links given just above you will see 2 articles that detail asbestos flooring removal guidelines and asbestos wetting guidelines to minimize hazards.

On 2020-01-09 by Adrian

I have sent samples in to a local lab for analysis. Assuming that it is asbestos tile and mastic, is there a safe way to get it all up without scraping? I can see through the boards in the basement that there is tongue in groove subfloor underneath the layer of tile and I’m guessing that is what the tile is adhered to. I would be looking to replace all of that tongue in groove with plywood.

On 2020-01-08 by (mod) - asbestos risk in 3x3 inch floor tiles

Yes that looks like 1950's or early '60's asphalt asbestos or vinyl asbestos floor tile; the tile mastic may also contain asbestos.

It's best to leave it alone and in place but if it has to be removed then see the live links given for these two articles in the "More Reading" section at the end of the article above.

ASBESTOS FLOORING REMOVAL GUIDE

ASBESTOS REMOVAL, WETTING GUIDELINES

On 2020-01-08 by Adrian

I was recently pulling up sheet vinyl on top of plywood in my late 30s (1938 est according to county appraiser) house and found 3x3 tiles on top of what looks to be black felt and black mastic underneath. I have attached a photo.

Is it likely for tiles of this size to be asbestos containing? There is a lab about an hour away but wanted to know if it was worth the time and cost.

On 2019-09-26 by John Kolander, AIA - are 9x9 floor tiles asbestos while 12x12 are not?

I have always had the understanding that if I see a floor tile that is 9" x 9" that it is, or most likely to be VAT (Vinyl Asbestos Tile), and that the reason that flooring tile producers starting making 12" x 12" tile, was to indicate that these were VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) and did NOT contain asbestos.

This was intended to make identification quicker prior to testing the tile. Keeping in mind that the floor tile mastic that was used to put down VAT may or may not have been used in laying down newly produced VCT and may still need to be tested.

Please clarify. Thank you.

On 2019-09-26 by (mod) - some 12x12 vinyl or VCT floor tiles contain asbestos

Thanks so much for commenting John.

Your 9x9 asbestos rule was reasonable back in the day, and indeed there is plenty of 12x12 vinyl tile flooring that doesn't contain asbestos.

But from what we know now it is not the case that you can count on a pre 1986 (in the U.S.) 12x12 vinyl floor tile to be asbestos free. And in some countries the use of asbestos continued past that year.

We've found asbestos used in a remarkable range of floor tile sizes from 18x18 squares and strips down to 1-inch and decorative or specialty tiles. Not just in asphalt based- or asphalt-asbestos flooring but in vinyl floor tiles too. Some of the flooring packaging itself included the term "asbestos".

That asbestos shows up in 12x12 vinyl flooring has been confirmed from time to time by asbestos test lab reports shared by our readers as well.

For example, Armstrong continued to produce vinyl-asbestos flooring in various sizes including 12x12" up to the mid 1980s.

There were advantages of going to vinyl for floor tiles, principally making flooring that could be produced more-easily in lighter colors and patterns than asphalt-based floor tiles, and because the flooring could be thinner and more-flexible, even including self-stick adhesive flooring.

Shown here: the imprinted back of a Kentile vinyl 12x12 floor tile that contained asbestos. [Note: we have had a very few asbestos test lab reports finding no asbestos in Kentiles made at the very last year or two of the company's operations.

The Kentile company filed for bankruptcy in 1992, almost certainly in response to the financial burden of asbestos-related litigation, and emerged reorganized in 1998. Kentile was also named in further class action litigation in 2006. The company was not successful in an attempt to form an asbestos trust to respond to litigation.

Below: Wards 12x12 vinyl floor tiles.

On 2019-01-19 by Janet - Do floor tiles size 4.5 inch by 18 inches made around 1963 contain asbestos?

Do vinyl tiles size 4.5 inch by 18 inches made around 1963 contain asbestos?

On 2019-01-19 by (mod)

It's definitely possible. In nearly 50 years of inspecting buildings, examining flooring, testing or having tested floor tiles and sheet flooring for asbestos, as well as having read flooring catalogs throughout the full flooring historical range, I have to say that ANY sized floor tile made in North America before the late 1980s might contain asbestos.

Folks who asserted that some sizes like 12x12 did not contain asbestos are mistaken.

Yes, SOME 12x12 tiles were asbestos free but others were not.

On 2018-05-22 by Jay

Did they ever make a 9"/9" or 6"/6" vct that DID NOT contain asbestos

On 2018-05-22 by (mod) - some older floor tiles of smaller sizes do not contain asbestos

Yes but not likely before the early 1980's in North America

Same for 3x3, 12,12, strips, inserts, and other odd floor tile sizes.

On 2017-07-01 by Anthony

Hey great information here. I'm rehabbing my kitchen and under 2 other layers of floors I found what looks to be 36"x 36" vinyl tiles. Glued and nailed to the subfloor very dark yellowish gold in color. The house was built in 1950 Chicago. What are the odds you think the tile or the glue contains asbestos? Thanks.

On 2017-07-01 by (mod) - asbestos possible in 36" x 36" floor tiles

That's a vinyl tile size I've not seen, Anthony, but certainly possible.

Both Sears and Armstrong flooring included 36" x 6" and 18x18" sized tiles and do so currently, though those sizes are likely to be more recent than the 1950's when earlier tiles were usually much smaller.

If you think the flooring went down before the early 1980's it'd be prudent to treat it and its adhesive as PACM - presumed asbestos-containing material. That means avoid making a dusty mess.

On 2017-05-17 by Darren

My home was built in 1959 and I found reddish colored 9x9 floor tile. I live in Texas and it appears to be the original flooring. What can you tell me about this flooring?

On 2017-05-18 by (mod) - treat 1950s floor tiles as PACM

From the age and description it would be prudent to treat the floor tile as Presumed Asbestos Containing Material (PACM).

What's needed to be done depends: if the floor is in good condition its hazard from asbestos is probably not detectable and the US EPA and other experts say the least risk is to leave it alone or cover it in place.

...

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

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ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE DIMENSIONS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to ASBESTOS HAZARDS

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