Kentile Flooring identification photos, history, asbestos content:

How to identify asbestos-containing Kentile or KenFlex floor tiles: here we provide a photo guide to Kentile asphalt-asbestos flooring & Kentile vinyl asbestos floor tile identification photographs, a list of product names, styles, colors, and vinyl-asbestos floor patterns, and colors for asbestos-containing floor tile products - flooring materials that are reported to or have been confirmed to contain asbestos in asbestos fiber or asbestos powder-filler form.

We report on both asbestos-containing Kentile flooring and later Kentiles tested and found asbestos-free.

Kentile Floors: KenFlex Asphalt-asbestos & Vinyl-Asbestos Floor Tiles - 1950's - 1986 Photo & Asbestos Guide

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]

Asbestos-containing floor tiles were produced by Kentile Floors, a Brooklyn NY company that filed bankruptcy in 1992. (founder Arthur Kennedy 1898) (at least) as 9" x 9" resilient flooring in a variety of patterns (left) and shades as we illustrate in photographs in this article.

Article Series Contents

• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1900 -1950s
• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1949-1959
• ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
• DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - easy questions help make an educated guess
• FLOOR TILE HISTORY & INGREDIENTS for a discussion of the ingredients and production of asbestos-containing flooring.
• KENTILE KenFlex Floor Tiles - home
• KENTILE COMPANY HISTORY
• KENTILE FLOOR TILE DIMENSIONS
• KENTILE PRODUCT NAMES / BRANDS
• KENTILE FLOOR TILE PACKAGING & LABELS
• KENTILE FLOOR COLORS & PATTERNS KEY
• KENTILE FLOOR PHOTOGRAPHS & MARKINGS
• KENTILE FLOOR DAMAGE WARNINGS
• KENTILE LAB REPORT of No Asbestos?

Kentile produced both Asphalt floor tiles using an asbestos filler (see Rosato comment below), and Vinyl-Asbestos floor tiles. The dark floor tiles shown at left may have been asphalt-asbestos. Later light-colored tiles were often vinyl based;

History of the Kentile Corporation

The Kentile corporation, founded in 1989 in Brooklyn, New York by Arthur Kennedy, produced asbestos-containing floor tiles, some with a high percentage (estimated by some sources as 25%) of asbestos.

As with virtually all of the older asphalt and then vinyl-based floor tile manufacturers, Kentitle's early floor tiles were an asphalt-based product in which asbestos was used in both fiber form (for reinforcement) and in fine powder form (as a filler) in the floor tile composition.

The Kentile company advertised flooring products both for residential and for business or commercial installations.

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.

Watch out: as we read in InspectApedia reports on wood-fiber sheathing products and some ceiling tile products, even products that did not themselves deliberately contain asbestos were on occasionally contaminated by asbestos that was present at the same manufacturing facility or site where other asbestos-containing products were produced.

Watch out: Unless you have an asbestos content test from a certified asbestos test-lab who used approved asbestos detection procedures and that demonstrates that your flooring does not contain asbestos, it would be prudent to treat the flooring as presumed to contain asbestos.

This does not mean that panic nor great expense are necessarily appropriate. 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.

See ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION

Or for cases in which demolition and flooring removal are necessary,

see ASBESTOS FLOORING REMOVAL GUIDE

When did Kentile Floor Tile & Sheet Flooring Production Shift from Asphalt-Based to Vinyl or Cork

Our photo (left) illustrates Kentile flooring from a New Jersey home built in 1941, thanks to reader J.S. who noticed Kentile markings on the back of this flooring.

We discuss his floor and include more photographs in the FAQs section at the end of this article.

• In 1949 Kentile was producing asphalt-based floor tiles.
• In the early 1950's, Kentile produced mostly asphalt-based floor tiles but also some cork-based floor tiles.
• In 1951 a 8' x 9' room floor cost $10.95 when it was consumer-installed.
• In 1969 Kentile was producing vinyl sheet flooring.

Some of Kentile's 26 colors/patterns included Breccia, Carnival (multi-color), Dog Tooth, Fleecy Cerulean, Gaiety, Genoa Green, Greek Skyros, Lamartine, Ovation, Toledo Red, Verde Antique, regular pattern, Marbelized, and die-cut theme tiles and solid color feature strips.

At above left our illustration shows green and beige Kentile floor patterns from 1958.

Kentile's sign, along the Gowanus Canal (Brooklyn New York, ca 1949) has been considered an important landmark in its own right. In Canada Kentile flooring was distributed by T. Eaton Co., Ltd.

The company filed bankruptcy in 1992, ceasing operations in 1995.

When did Kentile Stop Making Asbestos-containing Floor Tiles?

Opinion: from literature review and citations throughout this article series it appears that the company continued to produce asphalt-containing flooring at least through 1986 and possibly later.

Unless supported by an asbestos-free lab test from a certified asbestos testing lab it would be prudent to treat all asphalt and vinyl flooring products from Kentile as asbestos-containing material.

See ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST

Depending on its location and condition it may of course be safest to leave such flooring in place.

See ASBESTOS FLOORING LEFT IN PLACE.

Standard Dimensions of Kentile Flooring Products

[Click to enlarge any image] Above, Kentile 9x9" commercial floor tiles.

Kentile floor tiles contained asbestos and were produced in

• 9" x 9" (standard size),
• 12" x 12", and even
• 18" x 18" as well as in 18" and
• 24" border strips and
• 1" x 24" feature strips as well as
• 1" x 18" edging (with one edge tapered).
• For Kentile flooring the standard thicknesses are 1/8" and 3/16" (some sources cite unconfirmed thicknesses of 1/16", 3/32", and also in 0.08 gauge).

If the floor tile is thicker than 1/16", particularly, 1/8" or more, we suspect you're looking at an asphalt based tile, rather than a later vinyl-asbestos floor tile.

The Kentile flooring identification photos and pattern examples shown here are culled from magazine advertisements and Kentile flooring catalogs from the 1950's. Below we also include actual Kentile floor tile photographs and images of Kentile packaging contributed by our readers.

Kentile Flooring Product Lines, Brand Names, Identification Labels

Kentile produced the following flooring lines:

• KenFlex
  
  [Images needed]
• Kenlite (asphalt floor tiles)
  
  [Images needed]
• Kentile (asphalt floor tiles or vinyl-asbestos floor tiles)- Residential flooring line. Some Kentile asphalt-asbestos flooring was also advertised as "styrene reinforced"

• Kentile (asphalt floor tiles or vinyl-asbestos floor tiles) - Commercial flooring line shown below

 

• Kentile Vinyl Composition tile, such as the ROMAN BEIGE item number 1607-2T173C shown below, courtesy of InspectApedia.com reader Jennfier, 2021/10/04.

Above: Kentile Roman Beige vinyl composition floor tile, age unknown. If from the 1980s this 12-inch tile might not contain asbestos, but most but not all Kentile vinyl composition floor tiles do contain asbestos - as we explain in this article series.

• Kencork (cork floor tiles)
  
  [Images needed]
  
  Watch out: in addition to true cork flooring (that may not contain asbestos) Kentile and other flooring companies produced vinyl-asbestos floor tiles in a cork pattern that did contain asbestos. Don't confuse true cork flooring (CORK FLOORING) with cork pattern floor tiles made of vinyl and containing asbestos.

Photo above: Kentile Rubber Tile from a home built in 1961, courtesy of InspectApedia.com reader Richard who wrote: Our 1961 house has original floors intact with spare tiles, in the box, in the basement. I saw that you didn't have an image of kentile rubber tile. Is this that? - 2021/07/29.

• Kenrubber (rubber floor tiles) (at least) as 9" x 9" resilient flooring including patterns and in 23 bold colors (1949) and in 26 colors (1952).
  
  Our best guess is that Kenrubber flooring would not be expected to contain asbestos, though if it is glued down the mastic adhesive, also not normally friable, may nevertheless contain asbestos.

• Specialty Kentile Flooring products including decorative accent tiles, theme tiles, insets using asphalt-asbestos or vinyl-asbestos Kentile die-cut flooring products (shown below inset into a cork-pattern vinyl-asbestos floor tile installation) (Mixed Kentile die-cut flooring photo courtesy of InspectApedia.com reader Jennell 2022/02/18)

• Kentile slate tile patterns: The company's tile patterns also included a slate look-alike asphalt-asbestos flooring product.

and below, Kentile solid vinyl Quincy Slate floor tile reverse side markings:

In addition to the known Kentile-brand vinyl asbestos floor tiles shown here, some of which are shown

at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1949-1959 - asbestos may be in Kentile products produced through 1986.

Kentile Flooring Packaging & Boxes

Photos here illustrate Kentile floor tile packaging label data. Click any image to see an enlarged, detailed version.

Above, Kentile commercial 9x9" floor tiles

So don't assume that only "vinyl asbestos floor tiles" include asbestos. According to Rosato, asbestos filler (powder) and fibers were used in asphalt based products too.

Above, Kentile solid vinyl "terresque" flooring reported by one reader whose (possibly-questionable) lab test did not detect asbestos.

See KENTILE LAB REPORT of No Asbestos?

'

Above & below, Kentile packaging for # 551 Buckskin Marbleized 1H122C flooring installed in a South Dakota home and dating from 1978 or 1979.

Here is all the info & pics of the box along with a pics of the tile. They also show the tiles in place along with a new tile.

I would like to know if these tiles contain asbestos, you would think with all the info we have that there would be on a list if some kind.

Above: Kentile 9x9" styrene reinforced asphalt floor tile

also

Below, Kentile "Factory-Waxed" floor tile packaging.

and

Here is the Kentile D-225 Cerulean Blue 9x9" floor tile in the box above:

 

Kentile Flooring Color & Pattern Example Keys from Catalogs & Advertisements

We moved this discussion and these keys to KENTILE FLOOR COLORS & PATTERNS KEY

Photo Examples of Kentile Flooring Patterns & Markings on Tiles

We recently bought a home with Kentile asphalt tiles in the basement and bathrooms (grey and pink orchid). The basement is in good condition and is rather special as it has large, decorative die cut squares (a clown, a hand of cards, a magician's hat, etc) and also an inlaid shuffle board court.

The bathroom is not in good condition and we're going to do doing a 2-part epoxy encapsulation soon. We also have an original box of extra tiles. Would you be interested in pictures of any of these for your website? - Sarah, Oshkosh WI 6/19/2014

Here is the original Kentile "asphalt" tile flooring packaging box [shown below].

The product is labeled as Kentile Asphalt Tile, Styrene Reinforced, Factory Waxed, 9x9" Kentile Floors. The tile pattern (shown below) in these boxes was Kentile's Terazzo Beige and Kentile's Cork pattern (below).

[Click to enlarge any image]

Kentile Theme Tiles

The following Kentile theme tiles are nice examples of die-cut Kentiles.

Here are Kentile die cut accent tiles installed in the basement.

And two more popular die cut Kentile patterns from the same building's basement showing the playing card "Aces" pattern below.

and a Kentile flooring Shuffleboard pattern at below right. - Sarah, Oshkosh WI 6/19/2014

Other Kentile Patterns

Here are the grey tiles in one bathroom that are in poor condition

. The toilet never seemed to sit square on the this floor and so we were going to pull up the flooring because we thought the subfloor might be soggy. We pulled up a layer of sheet vinyl on top of a layer of MDF and these tiles were underneath.

There was an extra layer of MDF around the base of the toilet where the original grey tiles were missing. This had gotten wet and squishy.

The layers were only stapled together so it was very easy to pull them apart. We're going to level the floor and then encapsulate these tiles in place with 2part epoxy. - Sarah, Oshkosh WI 6/19/2014

and

 

Reader Question: 1970s - 1980s Kentile Flooring < 1% Asbestos

My husband and I are renovating our home built in 1980. We began demolition on our kitchen which had a ceramic tile floor.

After a good amount of demolition was done, we noticed there was vinyl flooring underneath the ceramic floors. We stopped demo completely and had the vinyl flooring tested as it was starting to crumble. You can see by the photo that we covered up the exposed flooring with a plastic tarp.

[Note: this is most likely an Armstrong vinyl-asbestos floor sample, not Kentile - Ed.]

The tiles are made by Kentile--labeled on the back with company name only--and I'm assuming they were made anytime from the late seventies through 1980.

We did some research before finding a lab and your website was extremely helpful. We found out that Kentile made vinyl asbestos flooring through 1986 and it was very likely our flooring contained some amount.

After testing, it was determined that our tile contained a trace amount of asbestos and a trace amount of chrysotile.

This lab considers a trace amount as less than 1%. My husband and I are going to complete the demo ourselves but we will use the proper equipment, protective gear and proper disposal.

Thank you for all the wonderful information your website provides. It really helped us decide a plan of action for our demolition.

Please use our story and our photo to help others determine what flooring they might have. - J.S. 5/10/13

Reply:

J.S. the flooring in your photo is as you state, marked on its back as Kentile.

Other manufacturers also produced very similar flooring products like the Armstrong flooring shown below.

More examples of this pattern are at

HEXAGON & OCTAGON FLOORING PATTERN ID

You can also see similar patterns at

ARMSTRONG FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION 1974-1979

I agree that it makes perfect sense to treat the material as if it contained asbestos, using recommended procedures (we provide those at INspectAPedia) - I would not assume that the lab result was comprehensive; for example, tile mastic can also contain asbestos, and I'm also a little uncertain about the lab result.

In asbestos containing flooring in my experience there is either a significant amount of asbestos in fiber or powder filler form or both, or there is none detected. I'm not sure how the lab came up with "trace amount".

This does NOT mean panic, just be careful.

Asbestos-Free Kentile Flooring, 1986-1992: Solid Vinyl Terresque

Reader Question:

Can you help to identify if this Kentile flooring tile has asbestos or what year it was made? Thanks! - J.G. 4 January 2015

Reply:

John,
All or most Kentile asphalt and vinyl flooring products contained asbestos. I'll take a closer look at your photos - please me images of both sides of an example tile. Some Kentile flooring such as true cork (not cork-pattern vinyl) may not have contained asbestos. - DF

Really? Not so. See the Kentile Flooring testing results provided by this reader just below. - DF

Reader follow-up: Asbestos test lab reports no asbestos in Certain Kentiles Produced Between 1986-1992

Hi Daniel,

I went and got the tiles and the adhesive tested in a lab and found out that this particular version of Kentile has no trace of asbestos. Apparently about 5% of 9x9 tiles were made without it. It must have been made between 1986 and 1992 when Kentile stopped using asbestos. I am attaching some photos to this email in the hope they can be of help to others for future reference.

Thanks again for your help. - J.G.

Reply:

Thanks so much for this follow-up John. It is very important, particularly since my research had not previously been able to confirm the non-asbestos claim. I will be sure to add this data to our library. If you want to be identified I'll be glad to cite you as a contributor, or you can remain anonymous - which is our default mode for readers.

It would be most helpful if you could email me PDF copies of the asbestos test lab reports. I want to be able to defend this assertion. I will of course also in that data keep your information private.

Moderator follow-up: the lab used to perform the flooring tests submitted by this reader was not a listed, approved asbestos testing laboratory.

See ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST to find federal, state or provincially-certified asbestos testing laboratories. Still the flooring tested might be asbestos-free.

Watch out: Unless you have an asbestos content test from a certified asbestos test-lab who used approved asbestos detection procedures and that demonstrates that your flooring does not contain asbestos, it would be prudent to treat the flooring as presumed to contain asbestos.

This does not mean that panic nor great expense are necessarily appropriate. 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.

 

Reader Q&A - also see the FAQs series linked-to below

On 2023-04-23 by InspectApedia Editor

@Anonymous,

Thank you, this is helpful Kentile flooring asbestos test result information that we'll keep with the article to help other readers.

Can you give the building age and location?

On 2023-04-23 by Anonymous

Box showing Kentile name. Here are the tiles that Schneider Labs tested. Tried to get all the relevant numbers but boxes are in an awkward spot.

...

On 2023-04-19 by InspectApedia Editor - Kentile 9x9 White Galaxy floor tile test results show no asbestos

@Anonymous,

Thank you for the Kentile floor photo and asbestos test report (asbestos not detected) -

You're confirming that some Kentile flooring did not contain asbestos. (Others did).

It would be helpful to know the country and city of location of the building where this floor was installed, and the building's age, and if you know it, the floor age too.

That is interesting. If there are photos of the boxes and they're labeling that would be helpful. It's always useful to identify both the specific tile product name and manufacturing date and lot number if we can.

On 2023-04-19 by Anonymous

Kentile pattern

Here is the associated lab test from Schneider Labs

Re test result from Schneider Labs #512606 ... gold and silver flecked white 9x9 Kentile ... unused boxes came from a home built around 1953. Interestingly the tile wasn't ever used in that home. House is in suburban Chicago.

On 2022-04-05 by Andrew DiMauro

Do you think these are asbestos containing? Nafco 9x9

[Note: This reader's questions, photos, and our full response is now found at

NAFCO VINYL FLOOR TILES IDENTIFICATION]

On 2022-02-19 by Inspectapedia Com Moderator (mod) - Kentile Die-Cut floor tiles in basement

@Jennell,

Thanks, great photo of die-cut floor tiles. We'll be sure to keep it with this article series.

If you can tell us the country and city of location of the house and the house age, that would be most helpful too.
If you want to be identified as a content contributor to InspectApedia just contact us by using the page top or bottom CONTACT link.

Your photos and house information are now found

at KENTILE DIE CUT & THEME FLOOR TILES

On 2022-02-19 by Jennell

Here is a floor in a basement of a house I viewed with the die cut tiles.

On 2021-10-05 by inspectapedia.com.moderator (mod) - test for asbestos before donating old floor tiles

@Jennifer,

It’s a nice idea to donate unused flooring to Habitat for Humanity. And it’s smart to first be sure that the product would be safe for use by others.

If you knew the age of the flooring (prior to early 80's) it would be reasonable (and safe) to treat the flooring as presumed asbestos-containing floor tile (PACM).

If you recognized a specific tile pattern in our online photo guide to asbestos tile you would know more certainly just what's probably there (some look like others). I do not find an exact match however so you are best off treating it as PACM.

Or you'd need to send a sample to a certified asbestos test lab. Since there are 15 boxes in question, a small sample tested may be of benefit IF that is something that your workplace chooses to do.

Asbestos Testing Labs information can be found here:

https://inspectapedia.com/hazmat/Asbestos_Test_Lab_Lists.php

On 2021-10-05 by Jennifer

We found 15 of these boxes at work and would like to donate them to Habitat for Humanity. First we would like to know if they contain asbestos. No one at work knows when they were purchased.

The color is ROMAN BEIGE item number looks like 1607-2T173C. Thank you for your assistance.

On 2021-07-30 by inspectapedia.com.moderator (mod) - Kentile rubber floor tiles

@Richard,

Thank you, that's quite helpful; we'll do more research on the specific Kentile Rubber Tile product series.

Kentile produced a great many floor tile patterns and tiles in more than one size, but the company's products fell into these basic groups.

Kentile asphalt-asbestos floor tiles - it was difficult to include light-colored features and moreso to make light colored tiles;

Kentile vinyl-asbestos floor tiles. Using vinyl as a tile base permitted production of white and light-colored floor tiles in, again many popular patterns as well as in darker colors such as Kentile's brick-pattern flooring.

KenFlex floor tiles

Kentile vinyl sheet flooring using an asbestos-based backer covered with a color pattern and a clear top plastic layer.

Asbestos used in these flooring products and also in Kentile's sheet flooring was included in the form of long fibers used to add strength, and in the form of very short fibers or fines as a filler.

Kencork floor tiles - using actual cork, not an asbestos product, but note that vinyl-asbestos floor tiles were produced in cork patterns by Kentile as well as by other larger flooring manufacturers like Armstrong.

Kenrubber rubber-based floor tiles.

By the way, after a long history beginning with Kentile's founding by Arthur Kennedy in New York in 1898, Kentile was succeeded by Metex in 1998 who themselves filed for bankruptcy in 2014.

It would be very helpful to see photos of

- an individual tile - face
- the tile back
- any stamps or marks on the tile back
- the tile edge; -

and to have the tile dimensions including thickness

On 2021-07-29 by Richard

Our 1961 house has original floors intact with spare tiles, in the box, in the basement. I saw that you didn't have an image of kentile rubber tile. Is this that?

On 2021-07-30 by mak.church (mod)

@Anonymous,
Try adding an image in order for us to help you identify your tile and answer your question.

On 2021-04-21 by Anonymous

Does this kentile composite vinyl tile have asbestos?

On 2020-12-25 by (mod) - some Kentile floors tested as free of asbestos

Henry

Thanks for the Kentile packaging photo. It looks like older Kentile product; I'd treat it as presumed to contain asbestos - follow the advice given earlier or see also

ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION

Here is an example of a FLOOR TILE TEST LAB REPORT on later KENTILE flooring that DID NOT CONTAIN ASBESTOS.

On 2020-12-25 by HENRY MOORE - Kentile Earth Brown Rustic Stone No. 1071 - 1H259A Asbestos?

After reading more I took another look at the box. [Photo above]

On 2020-12-25 by (mod) - possible asbestos in 1980 with Kentile 00139 12" tile ?

Henry

I don't know for certain if that particular Kentile flooring contains asbestos. While most Kentile flooring does contain asbestos, once we got into the 1980s, especially after the mid 1980s (a bit after the date of your house) we've had a few cases of Kentile asbestos tests that were negative: some of the last Kentiles don't contain asbestos.

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. [

For your flooring, if it is intact, in good shape, well-adhered, the measurable airborne asbestos hazard is typically below the limits of detection as long as you don't abrade, sand, chop, saw or otherwise demolish the flooring.

EPA recommends leaving such flooring in place and covering it over with a new layer of material, or you can improve its safety using a clear top coat.

On 2020-12-25 by HENRY MOORE

I have a home built in 1980 with Kentile 00139 12" tile in the basement. Do you know if this tile contains asbestos? [Photo above]

On 2020-12-13 - by (mod) -

Aaron

Regrettably I cannot say with confidence that those floor tiles are asbestos free, though certainly the date (well after 1986) would mean the chances of asbestos-use in that flooring are low.

On 2020-12-13 by Aaron

We have kentile 12x12 tiles in my firehouses meeting room. The building was built in 1991 the box i found says Kentile vinyl composition tile off white Architectural criterion. with numbers on the side of the box of 1460 and 1h107c. any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated

On 2020-08-05 by Deborah

We have tiles in our house that were placed in the 1950s or 1960s. They are adhered to a 1/4" board that is nailed to the original pine flooring. The tile looks beige with marbling/speckled. I could not find any of these on your very extensive info site. They measure around 4x10 (haven't looked lately, question size,but they are definitely rectangular and not square. They are also brittle. What might we have here?

On 2020-07-04 by (mod) - Kentile 39.1B049 AA 12x12 floor tiles from 1980 - asbestos?

Re-Posting from private email:

39.1B049 AA I have eight boxes of this tile each box has 45 pieces measurements are 12×12×1/8 I was thinking about using it and I started researching it and started getting worried about being dangerous and it having Asbestos.

The paperwork inside was dated 1980 can you please give me some information on it if you have any I will also apply photos I haven’t actually started installing it yet I had just laid it on the floor to see what it would look like. - S.M. 20 Jun 2018 - from archives

Mod replied:
If nevertheless you want to use it, the article ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST gives you access to a certified asbestos test lab.

It's worth the $40. to have a sample tested.

If you go that route let me know what you find as that will help others.

On 2020-05-25 by Pobo

Kentile 12x12 about 1/16 thick. House built in '77

There you will find more photographs of Kentile flooring patterns and packaging.

On 2020-05-25 - by (mod) - asbestos likely in these 1977 Kentile Floor tiles

Pobo,

Thank you for the Kentile photo [above] and question.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Although we have received just a very few reports of tests of Kentiles that did not contain asbestos (those are questionable), the vast majority of Kentile flooring has been confirmed as containing asbestos.

I would just treat that floor tile is presumed to contain asbestos.

On 2020-05-25 by Pobo

Kentile 12x12 about 1/16 thick. House built in '77

On 2020-02-09 - by (mod) - Not sure if my Kentile cork flooring has asbestos

I would just treat that cork pattern floor tile is presumed to contain asbestos (it is a vinyl-asbestos product not true cork), or have a sample tested. Of course if we knew more about the building such as the city Location and the age that would be useful.

On 2020-02-09 2 by loven

Not sure if my Kentile cork flooring has asbestos or not ? Any help appreciated

On 2020-01-17 by Tony

What style and what color is this tile, I only know it is a Kentile product. It was installed in my basement around 1992.

On 2019-07-01 - by (mod) - asbestos in Kentile Colonial Brick, Copley 3 Brick

Peter, with apologies for being unable to give a simple yes-or no to the question of do 1986 Kentiles contain asbestos? I must explain that while virtually all Kentile flooring contained asbestos, the key word is "virtual" - we have had two reports of lab tests for late 1980's Kentiles that did not contain asbestos, while other readers tested the identical floor tile pattern and DID find asbestos.

So we might speculate that at the very end of the company's existence as a flooring manufacturer, there may have been some floor tile production runs that omitted asbestos in the tile makeup.

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.

So you can best leave the flooring alone and cover it over with new flooring. If you must disturb the floor and can't simply lift it away without making a dusty mess you should either treat the floor as PACM - Presumed Asbestos-Containing-Material - or have a sample tested (about $50. U.S.).

The cost of such a test is low and worthwhile if you can by confirming no-asbestos avoid a costly asbestos demolition job.

If you decide to test your floor tile you'll find ASBESTOS TEST LABS in the INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES found at the end of this article - and in that case please let me know the result. What you learn will help other readers who have 1980's Kentile flooring.

On 2019-06-30 by peter

Kentile 9x9 squares installed 1986. Order says "Kentile Colonial Brick, Copley 3 Brick." Sample shown is left over. Flexible about 1/16" thick. Is it asbestos?

On 2019-04-07 - by (mod) -

It would be prudent to have assumed that the floor contains asbestos. The potential hazard such as if the floor is chopped, ground, sawn, is easily managed as you'll see in the ARTICLE INDEX

On 2019-03-12 by KayBee

Looking at leasing a business property and noticed That they have Kentile floors. I have other photos of the flooring…

It’s a little different in the back than it is in the front and some of the back tiles are broken, so I guess they would be of most concern. Is there somewhere I could maybe send the other photographs to help identify before making a decision on whether or not I should lease the space?

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 2018-09-28 by Michele

Where can I find some 9x9 vinyl floor tiles, circa custom high end house built in 1962? beautiful pattern floor in dining room but some tiles are warp and cracked near french doors to outside patio.

Would like to replace and then seal entire design and floor with epoxy, Large hexagon pattern in room with border lines in solid semi-matte black and mail hexagons in 3 ft by 3 ft striated off white tiles.

Would really like to save this floor for its vintage appeal,

On 2018-05-06 - by (mod) -

I would treat this Kentile flooring as presumed to contain asbestos, or otherwise have a sample tested using a certified lab:

see ASBESTOS TESTING LAB LIST

On 2018-05-04 by vdesapio1

See 3 of 3
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.

Reader question: Identify these floor tiles in boxes? - Warnings about Damaged Kentile Flooring

I purchased a home that was built in the 1970's and recently had water damage and the insurance adjuster asked me to remove the tile so that the flooring underneath could dry.

I removed the flooring myself and now I have learned it may have asbestos. How do I tell and am I or my children in any danger because of this? - L.W. 6/22/13

Reply: warnings about asbestos hazard in damaged Kentile flooring

Your photo shows a bunch of what looks like vinyl tiles in boxes outdoors; from the photo I'm doubtful anyone could or even should try to identify exactly what tile this is, nor assert whether the tile in the photo (or other unseen flooring in your house) has asbestos or not.

If you knew the age of the flooring in the home (prior to early 80's) it would be reasonable (and safe) to treat the flooring as presumed asbestos-containing floor tile (PACM). If you recognized a specific tile pattern in our online photo guide to asbestos tile you would know more certainly just what's probably there (some look like others);

Or you'd need to send a sample to a certified asbestos test lab (we list those contacts too at InspectApedia);

For a floor that is in place, intact, and is not being ground up or smashed about by demolition the level of risk is probably below the limits of detection. If you search InspectApedia.com for "asbestos floor tile hazard reduction" you'll see expert advice on what to do to minimize the hazard from asbestos containing floor tiles or PACM.

If your flood-damaged flooring is loose or damaged and has to be removed and you want to minimize risk of possible asbestos content, also see

• ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD LEVEL ASSESSMENT
  

...

Continue reading  at KENTILE FLOOR COLORS & PATTERNS KEY or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see KENTILE FLOOR ID REQUESTS & FAQs - identification requests, photographs, packaging information and lot numbers for Kentile Flooring

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1900 -1950s
• ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION PHOTOS 1949-1959
• ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
• DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - easy questions help make an educated guess
• FLOOR TILE HISTORY & INGREDIENTS - ingredients and production of asbestos-containing flooring.
• KENTILE KenFlex Floor Tiles - home
• KENTILE COMPANY HISTORY
• KENTILE FLOOR TILE DIMENSIONS
• KENTILE PRODUCT NAMES / BRANDS
• KENTILE FLOOR TILE PACKAGING & LABELS
• KENTILE FLOOR COLORS & PATTERNS KEY
• KENTILE FLOOR PHOTOGRAPHS & MARKINGS
• KENTILE FLOOR DAMAGE WARNINGS
• KENTILE LAB REPORT of No Asbestos?

Suggested citation for this web page

KENTILE KENFLEX ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE GUIDE 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

---