ᐅ What kind of flooring is this? Any experiences?

Hello everyone,

I have a floor covering here that was installed in a hallway on the ground floor. The flooring was laid in the 1980s. Unfortunately, I don’t have any further information.

This flooring has a tile look and is about 5mm (0.2 inches) thick. The floor is flexible and does not break when bent upwards. On the underside, there is no texture resembling paper or cardboard, and it is not gray.

Apart from the top layer with the tile pattern, the floor is almost entirely made of a white, flexible material. The floor is fully glued down with a yellowish adhesive.

In particular, I want to rule out the possibility that it contains asbestos. I understand that absolute certainty can only be provided by laboratory analysis, but maybe someone recognizes this type of flooring or can give a warning or reassurance based on their expertise.

I appreciate any information!

I would classify the covering as linoleum and think it’s a shame that many newcomers simply ask their questions without looking around first. Otherwise, you would have noticed that when seeking expert advice on flooring topics, it’s wise to involve @KlaRa in the thread.

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https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
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11ant schrieb:

I would classify the floor covering as linoleum and find it unfortunate that many newcomers simply ask their questions without doing some initial research. Otherwise, you would have noticed that when seeking expertise on flooring topics, it’s smart to tag @KlaRa in your thread.

Thank you for your assessment. I will continue to investigate and try to find out if it really is linoleum.

Regarding your accusation: I, in turn, find it unfortunate to make assumptions without at least asking. I just checked: I have accessed the forum dozens of times since the end of August. Even in my specific case, I have read many threads on asbestos and flooring but unfortunately haven’t found an answer for my situation yet. If you want, I can send you a screenshot of my browser history for this.

I did notice that @KlaRa often provides well-founded help on this topic. However, it would never have occurred to me to directly address someone in a new thread—I would find that quite intrusive. My thinking is: I’m happy if someone can help, but I don’t want to take up someone’s time unnecessarily. Especially since, as you noted, this is my first question of my own.

First of all, thank you for the kind words!
Now, it is clearly and unmistakably an elastic floor covering, as it can bend back over the walking surface without breaking.
This effectively rules out any asbestos content. Asbestos was used many decades ago as an inexpensive filler in floor coverings; it had the additional benefit of improving fire resistance but was hard and brittle.
The backing also clearly shows that this is definitely not a linoleum floor. Linoleum either had a jute backing or a cork backing, neither of which is present here.
What remains, also considering the decorative pattern, is a PVC or polyolefin covering. Both are non-problematic materials.
At the time, it was poorly adhered with an obvious dispersion adhesive (also non-problematic).
If you consider the adhesive grooves compressed during the rolling process (which is technically necessary) and the unfortunately minimal adhesive residues on the backing, the most probable conclusion is that the elastic covering is a polyolefin material. After its market introduction, it was very difficult to secure this type of floor covering properly with the adhesive systems available back then...
So at this point: no cause for concern!
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Best regards, KlaRa

KlaRa schrieb:

First of all, thank you for the kind words!
Now, it is clearly and unmistakably an elastic floor covering because it can bend or fold back over the walking surface without breaking.
This practically rules out the presence of asbestos. Asbestos was used many decades ago as an inexpensive filler in floor covering production. It also had the fortunate side effect of improving fire resistance, but it was hard and brittle.
The backing also clearly shows that it is definitely not a linoleum covering. That would either have a jute backing or a cork backing—neither of which is present here.
What remains, also based on the decorative pattern, is a PVC or polyolefin covering. Both are uncritical types of flooring.
It was poorly adhered at the time with an obvious dispersion adhesive (also uncritical).
Considering the adhesive grooves that were crushed in during installation (which is technically necessary) and the unfortunately missing minimal adhesive residues on the backing, the most likely conclusion is that the elastic covering is a polyolefin floor covering. After its market introduction, it was only with great effort that it could be held on the floor as well as possible with the adhesives available at the time…
So, at this point: all clear!
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Best regards, KlaRa

Wow – thank you very much for this analysis! It all sounds very convincing. I already had a “gut feeling” which I tried to research in a layman’s way—but this is, of course, thoroughly well-founded!
Now that our “house project” is truly getting underway, I will try to give back a little by responding where I can help (I already started this this morning with another user 🙂)

Once again, many, many thanks!

AdscheToennsen schrieb:

Since the end of August, I have visited the forum dozens of times. Even regarding my specific case, I have read many threads about asbestos and flooring, [...] In doing so, I did notice that @KlaRa often provides knowledgeable help on this topic. However, it never occurred to me to directly address someone in a new thread—I would find that quite intrusive. My thinking is: I’m happy when someone can help, but I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. Especially since, as you have recognized, this is my very first question here.

The regular users behave very differently here as well: a few, like me, check the forum between appointments or while checking emails (smoke break); others would rather see that as wasting time, but they still respond “immediately” in the threads where they are called upon, like the expert mentioned. And as I suspected, not only do they provide their usual helpful input—they also offer a well-founded and constructive correction to my occasional speculation here, before it gets more widely discussed ;-)

P.S.: Almost every first-time question asker here steps forward on behalf of several silent readers.

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/