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Kentile KenFlex Vinyl-Asbestos Floor Tiles Identification Photo Guide
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
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. Kentile floor tiles that containd asbestos 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.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Kentile Floors: KenFlex Asphalt-asbestos & Vinyl-Asbestos Floor Tiles - 1950's - 1980's Photo 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.
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 For a detailed photo guide to all brands of vinyl-asbestos floor tile patterns, sizes, and years of manufacture, see ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID GUIDE. Readers should see ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION and also see FLOOR TILE HISTORY & INGREDIENTS for a discussion of the ingredients and production of asbestos-containing flooring. And see ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION for detailed advice on handling and identifying vinyl-asbestos floor tiles or flooring products that probably do or don't contain asbestos.
KenFlex 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 (below).
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. 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.
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. "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.
For a detailed photo guide to individual vinyl-asbestos floor tile patterns, brands, sizes, and years of manufacture, see ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID GUIDE.
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 Kentile Floors, Founded by Arthur Kennedy in 1898, had its primary location at 58 Second Ave., Brooklyn 15 NY. Kentile produced Kentile (asphalt floor tiles of vinyl-asbestos floor tiles), Kencork (cork floor tiles), and 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), some of which are shown at ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE PHOTO ID GUIDE - asbestos may be in Kentile products produced through 1986.
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When did Floor Tile & Sheet Flooring Production Shift from Asphalt-Based to Vinyl or Cork
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 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.
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 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 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.
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As illustrated by thie 1954 Kentile Floor Advertisement (Popular Science Magazine) Kentile floors were considered easy for a homeowner to install. Unlike some earlier sheet flooring products, the coloring in the components of Kentile and Kenflex floor tiles "goes right through each tile" leading the manufacturer to guarantee its durability.
[Click any image for an elnarged, detailed version.] |
- Kentile KenFlex Crystalite Asphalt-asbestos & Vinyl-Asbestos floor tiles very popular, 1950's - 1960's
- Kentile Marbelized - a straight grain shown in a gray installed floor, above left (similar to Armstrong Straight Grain - below)
- Kentile ThemeTiles 9" x 9" x 1/8" & 3'16" thick were also produced in a variety of designs such as those shown above in groups of four shown in 3 examples beginning 2nd from left, above.
- Kentile Kenserts 18" x 18" x 1/8" & 3'16" thick (2nd from right, above)
- Kentile Carnival KenFlex Ovation - 9" x 9" vinyl asbestos a smaller round/ovate spatter pattern (similar to Armstrong Centennial 1961 & later (above right), but with smaller spots) e.g. Ovation 942, from August 1956 - floor tile samples were also manufactured and distributed in 3" x 3" size.
- Corktones - (not shown).
 The brick-red solid border Kentile shown at left was observed in a Virginia home built in 1963. 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,
- Veined Carnelian
- Verde Antique,
- regular pattern,
- Marbelized, and die-cut theme tiles and s
- olid color feature strips.
Kentile colors/patterns below include: Veined Carnelian with Theme Tile & Feature Strip (below left), Greek Skyros & Breccia, Green with white feature strips, and four kentile samples. These colors and patterns are from 1949 - 1952 and appeared in Kentile advertisements in Life magazine, Popular Science, in various newspapers and other publications.
(Additional Kentile vinyl asbestos tile floor covering photos wanted - CONTACT US)
Possible Solid Color Hexagonal Kentile Vinyl Asbestos Flooring
 The floor tile photo shown here was provided by Meryl Silvers as a possible example of Kentile flooring that is being investigated.
CONTACT us if you have additional information about or examples of this product. Testing for asbestos content is in process and will be reported here. Ms. Silvers describes the flooring as follows:
There is no writing at all on the back. Each of the 6 tile sides measures 4 inches. The tile is 8 inches wide and 7 inches long.
The tile is about 1/8th of an inch. From the edge view it appears it has three thin layers. The top camel colored layer has a white colored edge.
The middle layer extends a bit past the top one to create a look of "grout". I believe this grout part also measures 1/8th of an inch. The backing is a light beige color, with a slight pattern(as opposed to being matte)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Identifying KenTile or KenFlex Flooring & associated asbestos hazards
Question: Can you identify this floor tile and tell me if it contains asbestos?
Thank you for providing a useful site about asbestos tile.
Can you identify the tile I have and if it has asbestos in it?
I did not see the exact picture on your site. Any assistance is
greatly appreciated.
The house was built in 1963.
The tiles are 12"x12" and are approximately 1.6 mm in thickness.
The last picture shows the back of the tile.
Regards, G.K., Cleveland OH
Reply: It's reasonable to presume that vinyl or asphalt floor tiles from the 1960's contain asbestos; only a certified lab can accurately state the actual asbestos content however.
We are not certain of the manufacturer of the tiles shown above, and we publish them here to invite feedback from other readers. And of course only a certified asbestos test lab can say with certainty the tile asbestos composition.
But based on the floor tile age and pattern, it's reasonable to presume that these tiles contain asbestos fibers and filler.
The particle shape or pattern in your floor tiles is similar to the Armstrong floor tile Imperial pattern from 1963 (see Armstrong Floor Tiles and scroll down to 1963). But the colors in your floor tiles (above left) resemble some hues found in Kentiles. And while 9x9 floor tiles were common in the 50's and 60's there were indeed 12x12 floor tiles being produced and installed when your home was built.
We think that the hues in your tiles, even though the pattern is different, point in that direction. I can't make out much from the photo of the back surface of a floor tile (above right) though on some tiles we may find text or numbers that help trace the floor's origin.
Also compare your tile pattern to those shown at our article on Wards floor tiles at Montgomery Ward Floor Tiles as the color pattern is similar to some Wards flooring.
Question: 8" x 8" Kentile FLoor in Satillo Natural
I've been told we have Kentile vinyl tile in our kitchen 8 x 8 squares, "Satillio Natural" color (terra cotta color). I was told they are commercial grade, would have been installed when the home was built in 1985, and will still be in great shape 30 years from now. (Just need periodic waxing).
What are the chances they contain some asbestos?
There's no way they can be taken up from the concrete slab. Should they be covered over with porcelain tile to seal the asbestos away from people? - Sarah 7/10/11
Reply:
Sarah asbestos may be in Kentile flooring including yours. If you come across an extra tile or a broken fragment it's inexpensive to have a certified asbestos lab test it for you but in this case it is reasonable to assume the tiles contain asbestos.
In residential application you can
- install new flooring over the existing material: ceramic, vinyl, other.
- paint the surface with an expoxy floor paint; we did this to a 1970's floor, using a dark coating; no view of the tiles below meant the asbestos-containing surface was not being exposed to wear; after ten years of wear on the epoxy-painted floor surface we cleaned the floor and applied a floor rejuvenator sealant - the floor looks great;
Watch out: Don't run power tools, grinders, saws, or steel wool buffers; don't let an idiot try demolition, creating a dusty contaminated mess.
See detailed advice in the article linked to at page top and titled
ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
Also see the article titled ASBESTOS FLOORING REMOVAL GUIDE where we discuss using a floor rejuvenator product on vinyl asbestos flooring
Question: These Kentile Floor Tiles Identified by Stamping on Back are Cracking & Crumbling - how do I minimize the risk to our kids?
I am writing this email because we are renting a house in Cresskill, NJ. The home was built in 1941 and has tiles in the basement that are cracking and crumbling. We have a 1 month old baby, a 3 year old, and a 5 year old, and want to see if these tiles pose an immediate risk to us and them. I was able to lift up one of the tiles and found the insignia "Kentile" stamped on the back. I've included some pictures for your review.
I know the best way to determine if they are Asbestos based, would be to have them tested. We don't have the money for that right now, but hope the photos will provide adequate information for positive identification. Please see attached images. I look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your very informational website! - J.S. 13/01/01
/P> Reply:
A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem such as other hazards that might be a particular concern for folks with a baby. That said, here are some things to consider:
In my OPINION there is not a reason on earth to spend on testing Kentile floor tiles - it is entirely reasonable, given the identity of the flooring and its age to treat the floor as PACM (Presumed Asbestos Containing Material).
While more often my OPINION is that floor tiles should be left in place and covered or sealed, I agree that from your photo these Kentile vinyl-asbestos floor tiles are in bad shape, breaking up, and should be cleaned up.
The actual hazards to you from airborne asbestos from this source are typically not great as long as you are not creating a dusty mess by demolition or using power tools or sanders, grinders etc. to attack the flooring. But as you say that the flooring is loose, doubtless some wetting and cleanup and re-covering of the floor would be appropriate.
Watch out: do not do something stupid like running a household vacuum cleaner in this area to try to clean up the dust and mess from the broken flooring. Unless the vacuum is a HEPA rated and non-leaky unit, you may simply increase the level of airborne dust and asbestos. Instead, take a look at these articles to minimize the hazards to you and your family
Certainly don't create a dusty mess, but also don't panic - the result would be getting gouged by someone.
Question: can we identify this old asbestos-suspect floor tile?
I just found your website while researching how to restore my old kitchen floor tiles. I love the pattern but it never occurred to me that it might be asbestos and therefor poisonous. A few of the tiles at thresholds are breaking apart so now I'm concerned. Your help will be most appreciated. The first part of my house was built in 1900, the kitchen was added sometime after that but remodeled as we have seen older tile beneath the cabinets. So I really have no way to know but I thing I may have seen a similar pattern in the 1973 Armstrong section of your website. - N.C. 3/1/2013
Reply:
N.C. this is not a flooring pattern I've seen before - which reminds us of the enormous variety of flooring designs that have been manufactured over the last 100 years or so. You didn't say if this was sheet flooring or individual tiles.
I have posted the image here because the solid color inset design is characteristic of many Kentile floor products and because perchance another InspectApedia reader will recognize this pattern and help us out with its identification.
Short of having a sample tested, it would be reasonable to treat the floor as PACM - presumed asbestos containing material. You used the word "poisonous" which is not quite how I'd put it, and you don't want to panic lest you become victimized by an aggressive contractor. Take a look at ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION.
Reader follow-up: how can I best preserve this old vinyl floor?
My floor is individual 9" tiles that have been cut diagonally and paired dark mottled grey with light mottled grey. A center triangle is cut out so when pieced together to form a 9" square there is a 3" solid red or solid grey square pieced in the middle of the two diagonally cut 9" tiles. I think it must have been a custom tile job at the time made with individually cut tiles. I don't want to take it out, I love the floor. I was originally trying to figure out how best to preserve and restore it. I couldn't hope to duplicate this very original floor. If, based on my new description, your able to identify the year and manufacturer of my tiles, I would be interested to know. I am fine with our conversation being used to help others and only ask that my email etc. be kept private as you stated.
Comment:
I think it should be easy to preserve the floor as long as it remains well glued down. Non- abrasive cleaning followed by a clear non- yellowing sealant should work.
See Leave in Place Strategy: how to clean, restore & seal vinyl-asbestos flooring for a floor rejuvenator and sealant that we have used with very good success.
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- 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
- Armstrong Corporation, Corporate History - http://www.armstrong.com/corporate/corporate-history.html - Web Search 05/19/2010
- Armstrong vinyl asbestos floor tiles: photos of asbestos-vinyl floor tiles as catalog pages (PDF form) are at www.asbestosresource.com/asbestos/tile.html
- "Asbestos in your home or at work," Forsyth County Environmental Affairs Department, Winston-Salem NC
12/08
- "Asbestos Floor Tile Removal", the University of Minnesota's advice on removing VAT (vinyl asbestos or asphalt asbestos floor tile) can be read in detail at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/asbestos/floortile/index.html
- 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
- Resilient Floor Covering Institute, 1030 15th St. NW, suite 350, Washington D.C.
- Book Recommendations for Asphalt & Vinyl-Asbestos Floor Tile Identification:
- 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).
- 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
- 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
- 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.]
- Kentile KenFlex flooring photographs: Flickr web search 5/15/2010 - see original material and other asbestos product photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/asbestos_pix/tags/floortile/
- "Plastic Flooring Spreads Through the House", Jackson Hand, Guide to Home-Improvement Materials, Popular Science, April 1969, p. 154-158
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- Thanks to reader Meryl Silvers for hexagonal floor tile photos showing a possilbe Kentile product that contained asbestos. October 2010.
- Asbestos Identification and Testing References
- 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.
- Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
- Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone
- 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
- Asbestos NESHAP Adequately Wet Guidance, EPA340/1-90-019, December 1990, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Stationary Source Compliance Division, Washington, DC 20460,original web source: http://www.epa.gov/region04/air/asbestos/awet.htm
- 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).
- Asbestos Information Links: Asbestos Detection, Testing, Recognition, Hazards, Field Photos, and Information Sources, including
health-related links such as legal services and information about mesothelioma and other cancers.
- "Handling Asbestos-Containing roofing material - an update", Carl Good, NRCA Associate Executive Director, Professional Roofing, February 1992, p. 38-43
- 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
- Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile Composition Description - websearch 01/21/2011, various.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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