Photo guide to yellow or mostly-yellow or gold or similarly-colored asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles, 1900 -1986 using dominant floor tile color to identify the probable asbestos-containing floor tile brand, pattern, and age.

Here is an asbestos floor tile identification key sorted by primary flooring color: yellow or principally-yellow-gold colored flooring that may contain asbestos.

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

These flooring products typically contain chrysotile asbestos, and possibly other asbestos forms.

Examples of Yellow or Gold Floor Tiles Containing Asbestos

Here are examples of popular yellow, yellowish, gold, or mostly yellow floor tiles that contained asbestos. Click the pattern names to see images not already shown, or

[Click to enlarge any image]

• CONCORD YELLOW 742 shown above, from Armstrong's 1956 floor tile catalog

• EXCELON CUSTOM GLENMORE GOLD 57132 - shown above
  
  Excelon designer series floor tiles were provided in Colors: Sand Beige 762, Maur tiles for 1958, (tile size not given, presumed 9 x 9)

  available in 1/16" & 1/8" in these colors: Mint Green 760, Silver Gray 761, Mauve Taupe 764, Rose Taupe 765, Sienna Copper 765,

  EXCELON IVORY TAN 766 - new in 1958, shown above

• GOLD 54523 floor tile from 1973 - above
• MAPLEWOOD 863 [click to see]

• MING YELLOW 759, shown above, from 1954
• SEMINOLE YELLOW 774 [click to see]

• SHATTERED STONE GOLD 51172 - from 1973 - above

• SPATTER style (Stratford ivory 729) - from 1964 - shown above

• STANDARD straight grain (CATAWABA YELLOW 712) shown above is an example of Armstrong 1964 floor tiles.

• STYLETONE floor tiles in Mossstone 827, PEACHTONE 837 (1964) illustrates that some floor tiles you might think will be yellow-ish are more tan or brown.
• Plain Yellow 793 Excelon feature strips

• COUNTRY BRICK 12" x 12" regular brick pattern Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tiles sold in a range of colors in 1978; ALMOND 57403 is shown above
• Also see ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION BEIGE BROWN TAN or WOOD TONE

Armstrong and other floor tile or sheet flooring manufacturers often offered several patterns with a particular dominant color that can help quickly identify the flooring brand and style. We include some examples here.

Above is the color key to Armstrong Feature solid color floor tiles & accent strips 12" x 12" x 1/8" solid color floor tiles and 1" x 24" solid color vinyl-asbestos flooring accent strips in the colors shown. These tiles were intended for accent spots, not for tiling an entire floor, because the solid color flooring would show scratches.

Abestos-containing floor tile pattern number key

Kentile, Congoleum and other manufacturers used various names and numbers for their flooring series and styles.

For Armstrong floor tiles, the three digit color or pattern numbers originated in the 1950's or 1960's while the five-digit color or pattern numbers date typically from the 1970's or 1980's.

 

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

12x12" Tiles, Yellowish adhesive. Is this non-toxic linoleum?

House built 1920. 3 season porch flooring date unknown.

12x12 in. tiles. Daily soft, flexible yet brittle.

Yellowish adhesive with slight tack (in this heat). Is it possible this is linoleum, or non-toxic? On 2021-06-06 by Bryan

Answer - by (mod) - 12x12 tiles are not linoleum.

@Bryan,

Thank you for the photo and question.

That looks like a floor tile, at least the square in your photos.

Linoleum, though occasionally cut into squares or strips, is in essence a sheet flooring.

See

LINOLEUM & OTHER SHEET FLOORING - includes additional Images of Congoleum linoleum sheet flooring products

From a photo one can’t answer your "toxic" question with certainty. (Better would be to say "hazardous asbestos")

Popular flooring patterns were continued, without asbestos, after 1986. Have a sample of the flooring tested, or you can make a reasonable *guess* at whether or not the floor contains asbestos by answering the few easy questions found at

DOES THIS FLOORING CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy steps that can help you make a reasonable guess at whether or not the floor you ask about contains 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. - US EPA
The safest and least costly approach is to leave the flooring alone, in place, and to cover it with new material.

If the floor is in poor condition or must be removed then see the asbestos floor removal and asbestos hazard reduction articles found in the ARTICLE INDEX at the end of any of these pages.

So I'm not sure I'd use the word "toxic".

Is this 1988 Armstrong Vernay pattern an asbestos risk?

Hello — I just discovered this under carpet in my basement.

It looks like the Armstrong Vernay pattern on this site, which you say didn’t contain asbestos. Is that right?

What’s odd is that it says it was stopped manufacturing in 1982,

but records from the previous homeowner show this wasn’t installed until 1988?!

Am I safe to remove this?

From the previous On 2021-04-08 by Katie

by (mod) - 1980s Armstrong Vernay floor tile patterns - Asbestos?

@Katie,

Interesting; flooring made after 1986 in the U.S. will not be likely to contain asbestos; it's possible that flooring made up to 1982 was stored somewhere and installed as "new old stock" at some later time.

So nobody would bet your life that the floor in your photo is asbestos free.

But when you can remove a flooring material by simply picking it up or rolling it up, without making a dusty mess by sanding, grinding, chopping, etc., then there isn't likely to be a detectable asbestos hazard - it's not a friable material.

Best option is leave in place and cover-over.

 

How old is this yellow Arabesque pattern floor in my kitchen and is it an asbestos worry?

What do you think? My house was built in 1956, I’m not sure if this is the original kitchen floor or not. On 2021-03-31 by Lauren

Asbestos risk in Moroccan Mosaic Arabesque / clover / lantern pattern sheet flooring?

@Lauren, probably that flooring is from 1960s or later.

On 2021-03-31 - by (mod) -

I'd treat the floor as presumed to contain asbestos. DF.

Is this 12x12" 1970's yellowish floor remodeling tile recognizable as an asbestos product?

House is 95 years old. By style I’d guess remodeled in 1970’s. Is this a recognized asbestos-containing tile? On 2020-05-01 by Dawn W.

12x12 no idea of manufacturer
Photo enclosed
House built in 1970 we believe
Asbestos?

Reply by (mod) -

I don't know that exact pattern but warn that popular patterns were often made and thus sold both with asbestos and later without.

See

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

Yes it would make sense to either test a sample or treat the floor as presumed to contain asbestos, Dawn.

Does this brown/yellow floor tile pattern contain asbestos?

Does this tile have abestos? On 2020-02-06 by Stephanie

by (mod) - Does this tile have abestos?

It might, Steph but since the pattern alone isn't sufficient to determine if a flooring has asbestos see

DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS

where the simple questions can help make a reasonable guess

 

Asbestos risk in painted over floor tiles in a 1950s home

My house was built in 1950 and has these painted over 9x9 tiles on the basement. Can you help me identify if they are asbestos?

They are yellow in color and the color seems to go all the way through so they don't look dyed or painted.

The back is a medium grayish color. The top is yellow with what looks like glitter in it. Fortunately these were not glued down.

Whoever did this laid down 2 additional inches of cement and installed these in the wet cement. Strange. Also, the tiles are hard and do not flex, but break and shatter. They feel like clay or ceramic. I've attached a pic for you to look at. Thanks! On 2020-09-05 by Brian

by (mod) - asbestos in yellow 9x9 1950s floor tiles?

Sorry Brian;

I can't tell from your photo and note if this is original 1950's flooring (it doesn't look like it).

When answering this asbestos in flooring question, all we have really to go on in this case is the age of the material - or you can make a more-confident guess about the asbestos question at

DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if your FLOOR probably contains asbestos - found at the end of this page.

If the tiles are from the 1950s or early 60s they're likely to contain asbestos.

 

1970s 12x12 inch floor tile: is there asbestos content in the yellow stuff?

House was built in 1977. Tile is 12x12 and is 1/16 thick. Adhesive appears to be yellow. Thoughts on if it potentially contains asbestos? Accidentally pulled a piece up while doing some rehab work. 2019/10/12

Jeff Thompson

Reply:

Jeff

At least *some* 12x12 vinyl floor tiles from the late 1970's contains asbestos; Pulling up one tile intact isn't likely to produce a detectable hazard however, unless you ground, chopped, sawed the material;

See DOES THIS FLOOR CONTAIN ASBESTOS?

for 5 easy questions that help you either make a reasonable guess about your floor's asbestos (or not) content, or to decide to have a sample tested.

If you do go ahead with a test, do send us the result as well as a photo of the tile pattern so that we can include that in our library for other readers.

Thanks

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Continue reading   at DOES THIS MATERIAL CONTAIN ASBESTOS? - 5 easy questions to tell if a BUILDING MATERIAL probably contains asbestos, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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