Armstrong Sheet Vinyl Flooring Asbestos

Asbestos vinyl sheet flooring poses a significantly greater asbestos exposure risk than floor tiles or wallpaper.

Armstrong sheet vinyl flooring asbestos.

Resilient sheet flooring containing asbestos was also produced finding wide use as early as 1968. Armstrong sheet flooring that matches the armstrong excelon swirl chip vinyl asbestos floor tile pattern released in 1968 and shown as a small tile image above. Please note these dates reflect armstrong s last manufacture not the products sale or installation. Asbestos backed sheet vinyl flooring was commonly installed in many ways including over hardwood softwood and concrete floors.

The removal procedures described in this publication address the removal of asbestos backed sheet vinyl only if. Armstrong world industries products containing asbestos. The through pattern chip construction throughout the entire thickness provides superior gouge abrasion and indentation resistance. Manufacturers often made this type of flooring with a friable asbestos backing which means asbestos fibres are easily released into the air if the sheet flooring is disturbed or damaged.

The information provided below represents the last date for each floor product category that armstrong produced containing asbestos. Vinyl sheet flooring comes in large pieces and is usually cut to the size of the room and laid down in one piece. It also was installed over tongue and groove wood floors particleboard and plywood. Armstrong produced the excelon tile series beginning with a plastic asbestos floor tile series in 1954 referring to the product as vinyl plastic asbestos floor tiles beginning in 1955 and vinyl asbestos tiles from 1957 to 1980.

Asbestos was added to these building materials to improve resistance to chemicals fire and heat. Colorart armstrong homogeneous vinyl sheet flooring is the industry standard for aseptic healthcare applications like operating rooms and surgical suites as well as other medical environments. Asbestos containing products produced by armstrong world industries included resilient floor tile lining felt and backing for sheet vinyl and acoustic cement among others. Such products some sold under the brand name solarian were installed as recently as 1980 long after governmental restrictions on asbestos were initiated.

Intact un disturbed by sanding grinding sawing chopping etc asbestos containing asphalt or vinyl tile or sheet flooring is not friable it does not readily release detectable levels of harmful asbestos into the air of the building where it is installed. No longer manufacturers resilient floors or adhesives that contain asbestos. Click to enlarge any image we think that the sheet flooring in these photos is probably of similar age.