Properties, brands, history of poured-in-place seam less flooring or floors.

This article series describes sheet flooring products known to contain significant levels of asbestos. We also include photographs for identification of known asbestos-containing resilient sheet flooring as well as unknown flooring submitted for identification.

Page top photo: Durex™ poured in place seamless flooring cited in below in this article. Durex™ proprietary resin floors are not an asbestos-containing product.

Seamless, Poured-in-Place Flooring Identification & Asbestos Content

Some poured in place seamless flooring products contained asbestos while others, typically the urethane or epoxy approaches, generally did and do not. Here we describe both older and current poured-in-place floor products.

Asbestos in poured liquid resilient flooring 1965 - Hubbellite & others

Can I tile over this poured floor?

This flooring was installed in 1965. It's poured in, covering the kitchen and dining room.

I want to know if it's advisable to tile over it.

Is there an asbestos issue? 2018-08-27 by Todd Slenning

This question and reply were posted originally

at RESILIENT SHEET FLOORING ID GUIDE - be sure to see that article.

Moderator reply:

I'm not sure which poured-in floor you're asking about - perhaps polished concrete? Poured resilient? Poured urethane? In any event, if it's a slab construction you ought to be able to tile over it.

Reader follow up:

It's on the second floor, it was poured in as a liquid substance that hardened, no seams, not tile.

Mod Reply: identify the type of poured-in-place floor if not the brand

If you could find the product name I would be happy to research specifics on the use of asbestos in pour-able resilient floor coverings.

Certainly for poured floor covering from the mid 1960s, it would be prudent to treat the flooring as presumed to contain asbestos, probably as a filler and as a binder or fibre reinforcer, until you have a sample tested.

Watch out: Our research identifies at least some older seamless flooring products such as Hubbellite as containing about 10% chrysotile asbestos. (Olah 2005).

The best approach is to leave such a floor in place and install new flooring atop it.

Watch out: you can install resilient sheet flooring, resilient floor tile, linoleum, even carpeting.

What you should not do is install ceramic tile - at least not until an expert has examined the floor construction and its stiffness, since a too-thin subfloor or inadequate floor framing (for a tile floor) cause a tile cracking problem unless added stiffness, perhaps by cross-bracing, is provided.

Modern poured resilient seamless floors such as those from Stonhard, are typically a poured-in-place urethane or polymer flooring product. These floors are a bit harder than traditional resilient sheet flooring, and are widely used in areas where cleaning and avoiding seams is particularly valuable such as in hospitals and medical offices, schools, and even rooftop bars and decks.

Older Seamless Flooring Products: Hubbellite, Torginol, Marbelized cement

• Concrete floor coatings, seamless, poured-on, as described in:
  
  Americus. "Some new proprietary products Part 2." Pigment & Resin Technology 3, no. 6 (1974): 12-17. (contains asbestos)
  
  Excerpts: A self‐priming floor coating which may be applied by squeegee has been described recently. It is intended primarily for concrete to which it provides long life and attractive appearance.
  
  A seamless flooring which may be used to resurface eroded floors overnight comprises black granite and a … The coating comprises asbestos fibres mixed with polymers and reinforced with minute flakes of …

• Hubbellite poured seamless flooring (1940s) contained asbestos. Modern contemporary Hubbellite floors do not contain asbestos. Hubbellite America, Inc, 219 Maxwell Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15236-2056 USA Website? http://www.hubbellite.com
  
  Watch out: this website is not functional and displays a chinese language page.
  
  Modern Hubbellite flooring is installed by applying a bonding agent or paste to the existing floor, a second pass of troweling while kneeling on pegged kneeboards.
  
  The following is excerpted from CPEO, Center for Public Environmental Oversight and describes an older Hubbellite floor product that contains asbestos.
  
  From: Lenny Siegel Date: 6 May 2005 04:10:27 -0000 Reply: cpeo-military
  
  Subject: [CPEO-MEF] Asbestos in anti-static flooring
  
  Submitted by Laura Olah
  
  Hubbellite is the brand name for a poured seamless floor that entered the market in the 1940s. Older Hubbellite flooring, which is present in buildings at Badger Army Ammunition Plant, contains approximately 10 percent chrysotile.
  
  Chrysotile is the most common type of asbestos found in buildings. Also known as "white asbestos," Chrysotile makes up approximately 90%-95% of all asbestos contained in buildings in the United States.
  
  Hubbellite is composed of a mixture of cement, limestone, copper and magnesium compounds, and proprietary additives. According to the manufacturer, Hubbellite flooring is fire resistant, chemical resistant (including solvents), non-sparking, and static-disseminating.
  
  The steps for installing Hubbellite include cleaning the building slab or existing floor, applying a latex bond coat, troweling on the Hubbellite and topping the cured floor with a dressing coat.
  
  Newer forms of Hubbellite are not expected to contain asbestos.
  
  -- Laura Olah, Executive Director Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger E12629 Weigands Bay S Merrimac, WI 53561 phone: (608)643-3124 fax: (608)643-0005 email: info@cswab.org website: www.cswab.org
  - retrieved 2018/11/19, original source: http://www.cpeo.org/lists/military/2005/msg00424.html
• Studies of the effectiveness of Hubbellite floors to reduce disease
  • Mallmann, W. L. "A BACTERIOLOGIC STUDY OF A NEW SANIGENIC FLOORING." Journal of the American Medical Association 117, no. 10 (1941): 844-847.
  • MEYER, ARL A., Hans Popper, and Frederick Steigmann. "SIGNIFICANCE OF RISE OF NONPROTEIN NITROGEN: IN MEDICAL AND SURGICAL JAUNDICE." Journal of the American Medical Association 117, no. 10 (1941): 847-850.
  • STEIGMANN, FREDERICK. "floors would entirely eliminate epidermophytosis or." Studies (1932).
• Hubbellite at US Military bases:
  
  Hubbellite is the brand name for a poured seamless floor that entered the market in the 1940s and is an example of applied flooring may contain asbestos. Hubbellite applied to concrete floors at Wisconsin’s Badger Army Ammunition Plant contains approximately 10 percent chrysotile or “white asbestos”.
  
  Hubbellite is composed of a mixture of cement, limestone, copper and magnesium compounds, and proprietary additives. According to the manufacturer, Hubbellite flooring is fire resistant, chemical resistant (including solvents), non-sparking, and static-disseminating. - retrieved 2018/11/19, original source: https://cswab.org/asbestos-in-concrete-at-u-s-military-bases/https://cswab.org/asbestos-in-concrete-at-u-s-military-bases/
• Torginol flooring (Urethane poured coating, does not contain asbestos), and substitutes therefore (that do contain asbestos)
  as described in
  
  Lau, Stanley K., and Robert T. Maruyama. "Apparatus for making striated plastic chips." U.S. Patent 3,486,189, issued December 30, 1969. Assigned to Torginol of America, Inc.,
  
  Excerpts:
  Seamless floors may be produced by the basic steps of coating a substrate or floor with an organic resin, applying a layer or layers of colored chips to the organic resin, removing the excess chips after the organic resin has solidified, and applying a coat or coats of an organic resin over the floor-covering chips to seal the surface and provide a clear smooth walking surface.
  
  This process for forming seamless surface coverings may be applied to horizontal or vertical surfaces and may be applied to various types of substrates. The chip is the primary decorative element of the seamless surface covering.
  
  As the chips are opaque and colored, they provide a decorative layer over the substrate.
  
  An object of this invention is to provide a decorative chip having color striations therein.
  
  Another object of this invention is to provide a decorative chip of one shade or color and having striations of another shade or color formed therein.
  
  Another object of this invention is to provide a chip having a thin integral body about .005 inch thick, the body having a pigment forming color striations therein, each of the striations extending substantially completely throughout the entire thickness of the chip.
  
  and
  
  Evans, Richard J., and Joseph M. Judge. "Monolithic flooring." U.S. Patent 3,560,315, issued February 2, 1971. Assigned to Armstrong World Industries, Inc.,
  Excerpts:
  
  In an attempt to secure a seamless flooring, a poured-on flooring was developed. A typical flooring, sold under the trade name Torginol, is typical of this type of poured-on flooring.
  
  Torginol flooring is produced by pouring a urethane coating onto a flooring, then sprinkling a chip structure over top of the urethane coating, and finally placing a plurality of covering layers of urethane over top of the chips. This particular flooring does give a seamless appearance, but is limited in design.
  
  A seamless-flooring and a method for laying the seamless flooring. a backing material containing a plurality of chips fastened thereto is fastened to a subfloor.
  
  Grouting is placed over the backing in the area between the chips so that the grouting and upper surface of the chips form the upper surface layer of the flooring.
  
  A urethane wear resistant layer is placed over top of the grouting and upper surface of the chips. the placing of the grouting over the backing on the job site eliminates the appearance of a seam in the composite floor structure.
  
  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention involves the use of a beater saturated, asbestos-fiber felt upon which is adhesively secured tesserae which will be irregularly spaced apart and formed from a thermoplastic vinyl resin.
  
  ... The backing is a beater saturated, asbestos-fiber felt such as disclosed in the Feigley Patent No. 2,759,813, issued Aug. 21, 1956.
  
  and
  
  Proctor, Fred S., Francis F. Smarr, Jr Paul W. Brakeley, and George R. Mountain. "Process for making floor or wall covering." U.S. Patent 3,133,848, issued May 19, 1964. Assigned to Johns Manville Corporation.
  
  Excerpt describing use of asbestos:
  In an illustrative example of the process described, a basic mixture can be dumped into a mixer 1 of the Baker- Perkins type and heated and mixed therein.
  
  Themix phthalate Asbestos fiber (grade 7R, Quebec Asbestos Mining Association) Filler (limestone) Coloring pigment or dye (red oxide) 4
  
  Excerpt describing asphalt floor tile production:
  For manufacturing asphalt tile, coal tar resins or styrenated coal tar resins or pitches, usually of a tall oil base, are added to the mixer in conjunction with the proper percentages of reinforcing fibers, usually asbestos fibers, limestone aggregate filler, plasticizing oil, and coloring pigments or dyes.
  
  In the event a vinyl tile or a vinyl asbestos tile is being manufactured, a resin, such as for example, polyvinyl chloride acetate copolymer or other vinyl resin, is admixed with stabilizing and primary plasticizers, reinforcing fibers, filler, and a coloring pigment or dye.
  
• Marbelized cementious flooring described in Williams (1942) includes the use of asbestos:
  
  Williams, Alfred L. "Production of marbled cementious floors." U.S. Patent 2,280,333, issued April 21, 1942.
  
  Excerpt: Over this is spread; the top or invention is concerned. Such a finish coat consists of various filler aggregates (such as wood flour or saw dust, asbestos fibre, rock dust; talc) mixed dry' with the magnesite, and then thor oughly mixed, by hoeing or a like operation ...
• Poured acoustical flooring, as described in
  
  Jorgenson, Ronald M. "Acoustical floor preparation and method." U.S. Patent 4,159,912, issued July 3, 1979. (No mention of use of asbestos in this patent disclosure)
  
  Excerpt: A fluid, self-leveling, sand-containing flooring preparation, and a method for its production and use.
  
  The flooring preparation includes 10 parts by weight of a calcium sulfate hemihydrate-rich composition, from 13 to about 30 parts by weight of sand, and sufficient water in the range of about 5 to about 8.5 parts by weight to provide the slurry, when mixed violently, with a runny, fluid, self-leveling consistency.
  
  When poured onto an appropriate substrate, the slurry hardens or cures with minimum expansion into a hard flooring layer having a smooth level upper surface and having sand distributed substantially uniformly through its thickness.
• Poured Terrazzo, granolithic and similar floors, as described in
  
  Pasquale, Galassi. "Strip for terrazzo and similar floors." U.S. Patent 1,891,530, issued December 20, 1932. (No mention of use of asbestos in this patent disclosure)
  
  Excerpt: Terrazzo, granolithic and Similar 'floors --usually comprise a foundation "bed, or' layer of concrete, cement,- mortar or other suitable material, and a superposed layer usually composed of small pieces of marble; mixed-with a suitable bonding agent, such as cement.
  
  After the foundation layer has been allowed to harden to a sufficient degree of consistency, it becomes possible to place in position the upper layer which is generally divided into geometrical or ornamental units in the form of panels or blocks which are obtained by outlining the desired design by means of strips placed on or inserted through the under bed or attached thereto.
  
  

Poured flooring in 1920s Michigan home

I am trying to identify the flooring material that is throughout my 1920s Michigan home, including stairs. It was poured over a wire lattice. 2025-03-16 by G71

This question and reply were posted originally at TYPES OF FLOORING

Moderator reply: flooring seems to be too old to be Hubellite

@G71,

Thank you for a great photo and an interesting question. I haven't seen that exact flooring product before but it certainly looks like an example of

POURED IN PLACE FLOORING (you are now on this page)

And possibly that material is Hubbelite for which you will find our discussion above.

Reader follow up:

@InspectApedia Publisher, Thank you for the reply. It was installed around the 20s, so I do not think it is Hubellite. It has confounded several local contractors already.

Mod reply:

@G71,

Thank you for the added notes. If you'd like to post some more photos it would be great to document your floor on our poured in place flooring page. You can post here and we'll move them or you can post at the link that I gave you earlier.

 

Modern Seamless Flooring Products

These modern polymer or urethane floors don't contain asbestos.

• Dur-a-Flex seamless flooring, Accelera LEED V4 compliant flooring, Website: http://www.dur-a-flex.com/ - Watch out: on 2018/11/19 this website was not functioning.
• Durex seamless resilient flooring (shown here), Durex Coverings, Inc. – PA Office 53 Industrial Road Brownstown, PA 17508 717-626-8566 USA Website: http://durexcoverings.com
  
  Durex flooring includes a proprietary resin, rubber aggregate, decorative flecks, and a clear chemical resistant sealant top coat. The flooring substrate may require preparation with a polymer-modified acrylic cement.
• Poured epoxy resin flooring is produced by a number of companies.
• Senso resin flooring, seamless flooring, produced from "biopolymers" using castor bean oil, (not polyurehtane), Website: https://www.senso.com/
• Stonhard poured-in seamless flooring, Website: https://www.stonhard.com Tel: 800.257.7953. The company's website does not provide an address - at least not one easy to find.
  
  Stonhard also produces Liquid Elements, a poured epoxy floor covering that can be solid, colored, or can contain crushed elements to provide a colored chip pattern.
  

...

Continue reading at RESILIENT SHEET FLOORING ID GUIDE - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ASBESTOS ENCAPSULANTS & SEALERS
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• DOES THIS FLOORING CONTAIN ASBESTOS?


• IDENTIFY SHEET FLOORING TYPE
• POURED-IN-PLACE FLOORING, RESILIENT
• RESILIENT FLOORING VINYL or CORK
• RESILIENT SHEET FLOORING ID GUIDE - home
• SHEET FLOORING INSPECT / TEST
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• SHEET FLOORING POSSIBLE ASBESTOS - 1960-1987
• SHEET FLOORING TYPE IDENTIFICATION

If you are facing a large cost or have other reasons to be concerned about asbestos contamination in the building it would not be costly to have a small sample of the floor tested. The advice at these articles should be helpful.

• ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
• ASBESTOS FLOORING REMOVAL GUIDE

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POURED-IN-PLACE FLOORING, RESILIENT 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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