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 Asphalt Asbestos & Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tiles & Sheet Identification Photos
1951-1959 & Through the 1980's Start Here
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
Photo guide to asphalt asbestos and vinyl asbestos floor tiles, 1900 -1986: this article 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.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
How to Identify Asphalt & Vinyl Asbestos based Floor Coverings & Floor Tiles 1900 - 1986 begins here
Asphalt resilient floor tiles Manufacturers, Brands, Styles, Photo Guide
How to Find Your Floor Tile or Sheet Flooring in this Flooring Reference Photo Guide
  
Asphalt asbestos and vinyl-asbestos floor tiles were produced in 9" x 9", 12" x 12", and even 18" x 18" as well as in decorative strips, and in thicknesses of 1/16", 3/32", and 1/8", also in 0.08 gauge. Some sheet flooring or resilient flooring also contained asbestos, as did floor tile mastics.
This photo guide to asphalt asbestos & vinyl asbestos floor tiles for each year shows at least one color photo of each floor tile style or pattern in an example color. A list below each group of photos includes the names of and links to additional photos for other colors of these styles.
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.
To identify a particular asphalt-asbestos or vinyl-asbestos floor tile pattern & color, start in the image group most likely to be the same age as your building.
If you don't find your floor tile or sheet flooring by looking forward from that that year, you should also look backwards in the earlier years as your specific flooring pattern & color may have first appeared in an earlier year. For other tile brands than Armstrong, see the brand name floor tile links included in this list.
If you can identify your floor tile collection name or model number, or if you recognize it in the extensive library of flooring color and pattern photographs provided in these pages, laboratory testing of the sample to screen the flooring for asbestos may be unnecessary. Our home page for asbestos-containing floor tiles is at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID GUIDE To send us photographs of possible asbestos-containing flooring that you are trying to identify, use the email address found at CONTACT. |
We have split this guide to Armstrong Asphalt Asbestos or Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tiles into the individual year range pages (dates of production) below in order to cut web page load time. If you prefer to see all of the reference photos in a single scrollable file, contact us and we can provide the full list in a single big and slow-loading file.
Many of the colors and patterns of asphalt-asbestos or vinyl-asbestos floor tiles were manufactured over many years and may appear in more than one of the floor tile photo collections listed by date range here.
For each year we list the names of the tile patterns sold during that year, we include representative color images of the floor tiles, and throughout the entire floor tile pattern & color history series we include each floor tile color & pattern of the floor tile in the first year that it appeared , and we include representative colors and patterns in other years.
Examples of floor tile packaging, labeling, and other information can be found throughout the flooring photo collections listed here.
Armstrong Asphalt Floor Tiles - 1950's to 1980's Compared to Contemporary Vinyl Flooring Products
 Armstrong produced asphalt-based floor tiles, possibly including asbestos in their formulation, before 1952 and in later years as we indicate with examples and photographs in the detailed photo guide that is found below.
For more information about these older flooring types, see Asphalt & Vinyl Floor Tile History - history, dates, and description of the production process and ingredients in asphalt floor tiles, asphalt-asbestos floor tiles, & vinyl-asbestos floor tiles 1900 to present. Kentile flooring produced through 1986 may contain asbestos.
Also 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. "The first publicized installation of asphalt tile was in the Western Union office in New York City (1920). By the end of 1930, 3 million square yards of tile was being produced annually.
Below in this document we provide detailed year-by-year photos of Armstrong asphalt or vinyl-asbestos flooring products from 1952 to 1982. Records show that many but not all flooring products produced during these years, including 9" floor tiles, 12" floor tiles, peel-and-stick floor tiles, and sheet flooring indeed contain asbestos.
Later Armstrong flooring products, for example Armstrong's Accoflex 2005 series semi-flexible vinyl tile sold (at least) in the U.K. were produced from " ground limestone bound with polymers, plasticizers, and stabilizers, and colored by pigments" not including asbestos.
At FLOOR, RESILIENT VINYL or CORK we discuss the choices, selection and installation details for contemporary vinyl and other resilient flooring products.
Armstrong Vinyl-Asbestos Floor Tile Photo ID Catalog - 1951 - 1986
 Our reproduction of vinyl-asbestos floor tile patterns and colors below selected representative images of each style or floor tile identification pattern in which tiles were produced. Within each pattern there were various colors available as well. By minimizing repetition of patterns and colors, across the set of years we show at least one example of nearly every pattern and color produced for these floor tiles.
Our photo (left) from Rosato, shows an Armstrong asphalt floor tile installation.
On occasion, the original flooring packaging or installation literature may be available for a given home: often an extra box of floor tiles was kept for future repairs.
The vinyl-asbestos floor tile package label information, combined with a simple comparison of tiles in the package with tiles installed in the building may be sound confirmation of asbestos-containing materials. See Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile Packaging.
Historical information about the dates of flooring installation may also be sufficient to rule in or out the possibility that flooring in a building contains asbestos.
 Where the same floor style pattern was produced for multiple years, in subsequent years we show other colors in which the tile pattern was made. Just scroll through this vinyl asbestos floor tile photo guide to find the first occurrence of each floor tile style, pattern, name, dimensions, and colors. Or if you know the approximate year that your floor was installed you can scroll down to that very year in our photo library.
It is instructive to take a close look at our tile photos from 1973 and 1974. Some floor tile colors and patterns, especially among the "standard" tiles, include both asphalt-based tiles and vinyl-asbestos tiles that look quite alike. But the combination of color, pattern, and size can help distinguish among these.
For example, "Standard Pattern" floor tiles were produced in both vinyl-asbestos form and in an asphalt tile without asbestos in 1973. But asphalt-based tiles that did not contain asbestos were produced in 1973 only in 9"x9". So flooring made for that year and particular pattern, the tile size provides important information.
Watch out: Because flooring products may have been produced in years earlier than the year of installation, don't assume that a floor installed in a building built shortly after 1980 could not possibly contain vinyl-asbestos product.
As we warned just above, don't assume that only "vinyl asbestos floor tiles" include asbestos.
Armstrong Floor Tile Photo Identification Guide 1950 - 1959
Armstrong Accoflex, [Estimated 1950's] - Contain Asbestos?
At left is an excerpt from a 1950's era Armstrong Accoflex "easy-lay" floor tiles advertising poster. These tiles may contain asbestos. [Research in process]. |
1951 Armstrong Asphalt Asbestos Floor Tiles Patterns & Color Guide, 9"x9"x1/8"
According to Armstrong vinyl-asbestos floor tiles such as those shown here were produced by the company from 1951 through 1973. These examples illustrate two shades of Palimino Beige 9"x9"x1/8"-thick asphalt-asbestos tile (AAT) whose asbestos content has been confirmed by asbestos test lab results generoudsly provided along with these photographs by reader L.R. (October 2012).[25] Our own field work has found that this tile pattern, in a range of colors illustrated below, was enormously popular and can still be found installed in thousands of homes built betweeen 1951 and the early 1970's. The most common colors we have found include the beige shades shown below along with green, white, black, and Apache red illustrated further below.
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The Armstrong Pecan Beige asphalt asbestos floor tile illustrated at above left (pattern C-913) has been confirmed by independent testing to contain about 10% asbestos while the Armstrong Palimino Beige asphalt floor tile (above right, pattern C-926) was confirmed at 6.4% asbestos.
 Our photo at left, courtesy of reader L.N. illustrates the original packaging usef for Armstrong asphalt floor tiles - Armstrong Asphalt Floor Tile, produced by Armstrong’s Cork division.
The tile pattern identified as C-926 Palimon Beige corresponds to the tile photograph at above right, a 1/8" gauge asphalt asbestos floor tile.
These tiles are mostly asphalt with the percentages of asbestos given above, as tested by the reader's asbestos lab. Armstrong has indicated that that these tiles almost certainly contained asbestos but they said that as long as the tiles are not ground or sanded there should not be a detectable asbestos hazard in residential use.
See ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION for recommendations useful for leaving this flooring in place, or see ASBESTOS REMOVAL, Wetting Guidelines if your asbestos-suspect or presumed-asbestos-containing flooring is in very poor condition or has to be removed. |
1952 - 1953 - Armstrong Excelon Plastic Asbestos Floor Tiles, Patterns & Color Guide
Definition & Composition o fAsphalt based asbestos resilient floor tiles
Asphalt asbestos floor tiles (AAT) refers to resilient flooring that was asphalt based. While thicknesses vary, most often if the floor tiles are 1/8" thick and are of this vintage you will find that they have an asphalt and asbestos base.
Definition & Composition of Vinyl based asbestos resilient floor tiles
Vinyl asbestos floor tiles (VAT) refers to resilient flooring whose basic binding material was a vinyl plastic, replacing asphalt as the primary ingredient.
The 1954 catalog refers to the existence of at least a 1952 version of this vinyl-asbestos resilient floor tile product:
"Federal Specfications - Interim Federal Specifications No. L T 751 (GSA-FSS) dated March 18, 1952, defines Armstrong's Excelon Tile and other similar plastic asbstos tiles as Type I Semi Flexible Vinyl Plastic Floor Tile. ...
... the thermoplastic binder of a viny plastic floor tile shall consist of only a limited group of certain specific types of polyvinyl chloride resins despite the fact that a wide range of vinyl resins could be used. ...
... note that while Excelon Tile does not the exact material composition of Interim Specifications No. L T 751, it does meet all the physical tests listed."
1954 - Armstrong Excelon Plastic Asbestos Floor Tiles, Patterns & Color Guide
- One pattern of softly merged colors that Armstrong described as "swirl graining" in 10 colors, these 1954 floor tiles were sold only in 9" x 9" 1/8" gauge
1954 Floor Tile Color List: Chalk White 750, Slate Gray 751, Charcoal Black 752, Gypsy Red 753, Gretna Green 754, Formosa coral 755 show at left, Manila Tan 756, Sirocco taupe 757, Brittany Blue 758, Ming Yellow 759,)
Library of vinyl asbestos floor tile and flooring strip images from 1954 - 1980, Armstrong and others. |
1955 - Armstrong Excelon Vinyl Plastic Asbestos Floor Tiles, Patterns & Color Guide
- Seneca white (above left), shown was a popular color. 1955 vinyl asbestos floor tiles were sold only in 9" x 9" 1/16" or 1/8" gauge sizes, in one pattern (above) in seventeen colors. The new 1955 pattern was a change from the swirl graining pattern used in 1954. 1/16" was referred to as service gauge.
1955 Floor Tile Color List: Senaca White 770 above left, Mohawk Gray 771, Commanche Black 772, Shawnee Blue 773, Seminole yellow 774, Aztec Gray 775, Cherokee white 776, Apache Red 777 - first year for this long-running favorite color, Pawnee Beige 778, Mohican Cedar 779, Osage Green 780, Navaho Gray 781 (above right), Sioux Pink 782, Iroquois Tan 783).
- Apache red (above-center shown as an installed vinyl asbestos floor)
- Navajo Gray No. 781 (above right) vinyl asbestos flooring images from 1955
- No solid color feature strips were sold in 1955.
1956 - Armstrong Excelon Vinyl Plastic Asbestos 9 x 9 Floor Floor Tiles, Patterns & Color Guide
For colors for which a link is not provided below, see the earlier occurrence of that tile color in a previous year.
- Corkstyle Excelon vinyl asbestos flooring images from 1956
1956 Floor Tile Colors: (Light 798 - first year for this floor tile pattern. also sold as Medium 797 shown at above left, and Dark 799.) These colors remained unchanged into future product years. (See 1957, 1958)
- Designer Series (sold only in 9" x 9", either service gauge (1/16") or 1/8" gauge)
Colors: (Mint green 760 above 2nd from left, Silver Gray 761, Sand Beige 762, Rose Taupe 763, Mauve Taupe 764, Sienna Copper 765
- Regular Excelon (sold only in 9" x 9", either service gauge (1/16") or 1/8" gauge),
Colors: (New floor tile colors for 1965 are included here. For colors continued from 1955 see links at 1955 above. ) Seneca White 770, Mohawk Gray 771, Commanche black 772, Seminole Yellow 774, Aztec Gray 775, Cherokee White 776, Apache Red 777, Mohican Cedar 779, Osage Green 780, Navajao Gray 781, Sioux Pink 782, Iroquois Tan 783, Choctaw Green 784 (3rd from left above), Zuni Brown 785, Mojave Charcoal 786, Powhatan Turquoise 787, Light Woodtone 788, Dark Woodtone 789,
- Spatter Excelon 9 (sold only in 9" x 9", either service gauge (1/16") or 1/8" gauge
Colors: Andover White 735, Bedford Gray 736, Cape Cod Beige 737, Lexington Green 738, Providence Charcoal 739, Arlington Cedar 740, Exeter red 741 (above 4th from left), Concord yellow 742, Norwich turquoise 743 (example of installed floor), Bangor Copper 744, Plymouth Pink 745,
- Excelon Feature Strips (above right) 1" wide x 24" long x 1/8" thick solid color vinyl asbestos flooring strips). See a better image of these solid color feature strips at 1957 below.
Colors: Plain Red 792, Plain White 791, Plain Brown 795, Plain Yellow 793, Plain Black 790, Plain Green 794
Also see this installed solid floor tile and feature strip example from 1971.
1957 - Armstrong Excelon Vinyl Asbestos Floor Floor Tiles, Patterns & Color Guide
For colors for which a link is not provided below, see the earlier occurrence of that tile color in a previous year.
- Excelon Corkstyle 9 x 9 x 1/16" only
Colors:
(Medium Corkstyle 797, Light Corkstyle 798 shown above left, Dark Corkstyle 799) (see 1956, 1958)
- Excelon Designers Series 9 x 9 x 1/16" & 1/8"
Colors:
(Mint Green 760, Silver Gray 761, Sand Beige 762, Rose taupe 763 2nd from left, Mauve Taupe 764, Sienna Copper 765) (See color samples from 1956).
- Excelon Straight-grained 9 x 9 x 1/16" & 1/8"
Colors:
(Seneca white 770, Mohawk gray 771 3rd from left, Commanche Black 772, Seminole Yellow 774, Aztec Gray 775, Cherokee White 776, Apache red 777, Pawnee beige No. 778 4th from left, Mohican Cedar 779, Osage Green 780, Navajo Gray 781, Sioux Pink 782, Iroquois Tan 783, Choctaw green 784, Zuni Brown 785, Mojave Charcoal 786, Powhatan Turquoise 787 )
- Excelon Spatter
Colors: (Andover white No. 735 5th from left, Bedford Gray 736, Cape Cod Beige 737, Lexington Green 738, Providence Charcoal 739, Arlington Cedar 740, Exeter Red 741, Concord Yellow 742, Norwich Turquoise 743, Bangor Copper 744, Plymouth Pink 745, )
- Excelon Woodtone 9 x 9 x 1/16" & 1/8" Floor Tiles
Colors: (Light Woodtone 788 (See 1956), Dark woodtone No. 789, above right)
- Excelon Beveled Edging (not shown, photo needed) 1/16" plain black only;
- Asphalt-based Beveled Edging (not shown, photo needed) 1/8"
- Excelon Feature Strips, Also see this installed solid tile and feature strip floor example from 1971.
1958 - Armstrong Excelon Vinyl Asbestos Floor Floor Tiles, Patterns & Color Guide
For colors for which a link is not provided below, see the earlier occurrence of that tile color in a previous year.
- Excelon Corkstyle 9 x 9 x 1/16" not recommended for heavy traffic areas
Colors:
(Medium 797, Light 798, Dark 799 above at left) (Medium & Light example colors from 1956, 1957).
- Excelon Designer series floor tiles
Colors:
(Sand Beige 762, Maur tiles for 1958, (tile size not given, presumed 9 x 9) available in 1/16" & 1/8" (Mint Green 760, Silver Gray 761, ve Taupe 764, Rose Taupe 765, Sienna Copper 765, Ivory Tan 766 - new above 2nd from left, Ecru 767 - new 3rd from left) (See other color examples from 1957) Also see this Designer Series installed floor example.
- Excelon Spatter 9 x 9 x 1/16" only,
Colors:
(Andover White 735, Bedford Gray 736, Cape Cod Beige 737, Lexington Green 738, Providence Charcoal 739, Arlington Cedar 740, Exeter red 741, Concord Yellow 742, Norwich Turquoise 743, Bangor Copper 744, Plymouth Pink 745) (See other color examples from 1957).
- Excelon Straight-grained 9 x 9 x 1/16" & 1/8"
Colors:
(Powhatan turquoise No. 787) (See color examples from 1957).
- Excelon Woodtone 9 x 9 x 1/16" or 1/8"
Colors:
(Light Woodtone 788, Dark Woodtone 789, Redwoodtone 796 - new 4th from left) (See other color examples from 1957).
1959 - Armstrong Excelon Floor Vinyl Plastic Asbestos Floor Tiles, 9" x 9"
For colors for which a link is not provided below, see the earlier occurrence of that tile color in a previous year.
- Excelon Corkstyle Floor Tiles
vinyl asbestos flooring 9 x 9 x 1/16" light duty use
Colors:
(See corkstyle vinyl-asbestos floor color images from 1956, 1957, 1958)
- Designers Series Excelon Floor (see the 1957-58 examples)
- Excelon Imperial Floor Tiles
Colors:
(above left, 1959 Arbor green No. 862, above left) Tiles vinyl asbestos flooring images from 1959 - 1960
- Excelon Metallic Series Floor Tiles New in 1959-60, see the 1960 information below
Colors: (Photos needed - uncertain if this tile was produced in 1959)
- Metallic Series Excelon 9x9x 1/16" or 3/32" thickness gauge floor tiles were sold in one pattern, four colors
Colors:
(Taupe bronze 355, Black gold 351 shown above 3rd from left, Gray silvergold 354, and Redwood gold 353).
- Excelon Spatter Floor Tiles
Colors:
(Dorset Black 732 - new, Cornwall blue No. 733 4th from left above, Andover White 735, Bedford Gray 736, Cape Cod Beige 737, Rutland Beige 746, Worcester Gray 749 )
- Excelon Straight Grained Floor Tiles (See tile pattern & color photos from prior years + the examples below)
Colors:
(1959 Chippewa gray No. 703 5th from left above, 1960 Mohave charcoal No. 786)
- Excelon Styletone Floor Tiles (New in 1959)
Colors:
(Sandtone 830, Mintone 831, Ivorytone 833, Rosetone 834, Cedartone No. 835 shown at above right)
- Woodtone Excelon Floor Tiles (see 1957-58 photos)
Key to Thicknesses or Gauges of Vinyl-Asbestos Floor Tiles & Floor Tile Application or Usage by Thickness
Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile Thickness & Usage Guide
Shown at left is a vinyl-asbestos floor specification summary and usage guide from 1959 - Armstrong. |
More Reading
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the brands & types of vinyl & vinyl-asbestos floor tiles & sheet flooring & about the asbestos content of these products
Question: Armstrong 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 Leave in Place Strategy: how to clean, restore & seal vinyl-asbestos flooring, 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.
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 (article link at Related Topics ) 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
Reply:
x
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: Test Results for Armstrong Sheet Flooring - 70% Asbestos
 In one of the asbestos pages of your site ( this page - Ed.), your second photo is of a sheet layment. The text about the photo clarifies that the person who sent the photo was confused about Armstrong and Congoleum.
I wanted to let you know that I have that exact same sheet layment and had it tested. It's 70% asbestos. Thought you may want to let readers know so they can save the cost of testing and just deal with the issue accordingly.
I appreciate your site. Thank you for taking the time to put together all the information. - D.H. 10/11/2012
Reply:
Thank you so much D.H. for the floor covering test result confirming asbestos content in this material. We a welcome critique, questions, or content suggestions for our web articles, and as your feedback illustrates, working together and exchanging information makes us better informed than any individual can be working alone.
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
Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Questions & answers about how to identify brands & types of vinyl & vinyl-asbestos floor tiles & sheet flooring & about the asbestos content of these products.
Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below.
Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- [1] Armstrong ® Residential Flooring - Website 05/15/2010 http://www.armstrong.com/ lists current flooring products provided by the Armstrong Corporation, including Armstrong's current vinyl floor tile products at http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/products/vinyl-floors
- [2] Armstrong Corporation, Corporate History - http://www.armstrong.com/corporate/corporate-history.html - Web Search 05/19/2010
- [3] Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tiles: photos of asbestos-vinyl floor tiles as catalog pages (PDF form) are at www.asbestosresource.com/asbestos/tile.html
- [4] Accoflex 2005 series semi-flexible vinyl tile Wonder flooring product description; Armstrong's Accoflex is a vinyl composition floor tile. WonderFlooring, Private Bag X02, Fordsburg 2033, Telephone: 011 298 8100, Fax: 011 836 4450, National Call Centere: 0860-29-80-80, Email: info@wonderflooring.com & marketing@wonfloor.com/ [2nd is a defective email address]
Web search 01/29/2011, original source: http://www.wonderflooring.com/accoflex/accoflextech2.pdf
Reference: Armstrong Flooring: Accotile, Accoflex & Coke Tile. Publication 333, Armstrong Flooring.
Note on use of the "Accoflex" name:
In addition to Accoflex flooring produced by Armstrong, Accoflex® is also a U.S. registered trademark used for Insulation Jackets For Industrial Pipes, Tanks and Conduits Including Flexible and Rigid Insulation In the Form of Foamed Synthetic Material Sheeting, owned by Armacell Enterprise Gmbh, Armstrong World Industries, Inc, also distributed in the U.K., Australia, & New Zealand, also in Indonesia. Armacell Australia Pty Ltd, a producer of engineered foams, (http://www.armacell.com/) was founded officially in August 2000 when the then Armstrong Insulation Products (Australia) became a separate legal entity from Armstrong World Industries group.
- [5] "Asbestos in your home or at work," Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Department, Winston-Salem NC
12/08
- [6] "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
- [7] Copy on file as - /hazmat/Asbestos_in_Your_Home_US_EPA.pdf - Asbestos in Your Home - 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
- [8] Resilient Floor Covering Institute, 1030 15th St. NW, suite 350, Washington D.C.
- [9] Inspiring Interiors from Armstrong 1950s from Armstrong, [Paperback], Schiffer Publishing (March 1998), ISBN-10: 0764304585, ISBN-13: 978-0764304583 (Available from Amazon)
- [1] Interior Solutions from Armstrong the 1960s from Armstrong, [Paperback], Schiffer Publishing (March 1999), ISBN-10: 0764307002, ISBN-13: 978-0764307003 (Available from Amazon)
- [10] Mechanix Illustrated How-to-do-it Encyclopedia Vol 2. -1961
- [11] 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, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print).
- [12] Congoleum Corporation, "Company History", Congoleum Corporation, Department C, P.O. Box 3127, Mercerville, NJ 08619-0127 1-609-584-3601, web-search 03/14/2011, original source: http://www.congoleum.com/history.html
- [13] David Grudzinski,
Advantage Home Inspections,
is a professional home inspector in Cranston, RI. 02910. He can be reached at 401-935-6547,
fax- 401-490-0607 or by email to contact/us@advantagehomeinspections.us 04/26/2009
- [14] 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
- [15] EPA Asbestos Materials Bans: Clarification 1999
- [16] EVER WEAR TILE CO is currently (2009) in the Terrazzo, Tile, Marble, and Mosaic Work industry in Fallon, NV. 775) 423-6221. [We do not know the company history nor whether there is an association with EverWear vinyl asbestos floor tiles discussed in this article.]
- [17] Kentile KenFlex flooring photographs: Flickr web search 5/15/2010 - see original material and other asbestos product photos
- [18] "Plastic Flooring Spreads Through the House", Jackson Hand, Guide to Home-Improvement Materials, Popular Science, April 1969, p. 154-158
- [19] Thomas Hauswirth, Managing Member of Beacon Fine Home Inspections, LLC and (in 2007) Vice President, Connecticut Association of Home Inspectors
Ph. 860-526-3355 Fax 860-526-2942 beaconinspections@sbcglobal.net 06/07: thanks for photographs of transite asbestos heating ducts
- [20] Gary Randolph, Ounce of Prevention Home Inspection, LLC Buffalo, NY, for attentive reading and editing suggestions. Mr. Randolph can be reached in Buffalo, NY, at (716) 636-3865
or email: gary@ouncehome.com
3/07
- [21] Thanks to reader Matt Abel, Design Services Department, Strongwood Log Home Company,
711 Shadow Road, Waupaca WI 54981, Office (715) 258-4818, Toll Free (866) 258-4818, www.gostrongwood.com
"Begin your journey home.." for vinyl asbestos floor photos, October 2010.
- [22] Thanks to reader Meryl Silvers for hexagonal floor tile photos showing a possilbe Kentile product that contained asbestos. October 2010.
- [23] Thanks to reader N.H. for providing a photo of 1970's era vinyl asbestos floor tile that we identify as most likely Armstrong Solarian Devonport white.
- [24] M.B. provided photographs of Congoleum linoleum flooring from a 1960's Tampa Florida home.
- [25] L.R. provided photographs of Armstrong Palimino Beige and Pecan Beige asphalt asbestos floor tiles, floor tile packaging and identification details, along with asbestos test lab results. Personal correspondence with DF, 10/22/2012
- [26] Window Putty - OSHA case cites contractor for asbestos exposure during removal of window putty http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=1091 June 1997 -
- Asbestos Identification and Testing References
- [27] Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed
the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
- [28] Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
- [20] Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone
- [30] Asbestos in Your Home 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
- 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, 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).
- [31] "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
- [32] 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
- ...
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
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