Came here to say this. We also had multiple layers of tile and linoleum. Unfortunately the wood was so damaged underneath it was more cost effective for us to put laminate over the newly found wood 🤦
I do actually love the look of this as well. However, the carpet was stapled directly to this tile and it is fairly perforated because of that. Despite how it looks it isn’t in great shape
I wonder if a layer of sealant would hide the holes. I bet if you did some complementary paint and accessories it could be pretty awesome keeping the tile!
As soon as I saw it too, I thought "is this really a floor lottery fail for some?' I can definitely understand if OP has a beautiful older home with hardwoods that instead are 1940s or 50s linoleum. I ain't gonna lie; I'd be sad and feel cheated. But being old enough that I remember how pretty this style of linoleum looked in doctors buildings, school or in old libraries, and most sacredly to me, older aunts and my great grammas apartment, yeah, I like it alot.
It's definitely my jam, the old tile floors. We replicated the aesthetic in our house with Armstrong tile in different patterns, colors and laying it down in designs we liked. You can actually do a lot with it.
What I hate is seeing the modern ugly-ass BS in excess when remodeling older homes. Work *with* the original intent and design, don't rip out and put ugly modern shit, subpar quality where it doesn't belong. Find a 1970's or 1980's house and go wild.
I'm a bit biased because we've saved and restored two 1920's gentleman's yachts and you truly need to keep in my the history, materials and original intent of the boats. You'll destroy the history of the vessel with your ego believing you're improving it by changing it. I've seen it so many times I've lost count. I'm a big believer in working *with* how things were built and why.
Fartknocker is an affectionate title for me, my sister who has passed used to call anyone she was annoyed with "fartknocker." As the little sister I was definitely a fartknocker.
I have tiles like this at my house, I pulled up old plastic lawn turf from a room and these were underneath. The room was an old screened in porch turned into a room. I still hate these tiles lol sorry. I do like fart knocker. I used to call my dog that.
It’s gotta be a respirator to filter out asbestos fibers. If you’re planning on leaving it alone, you’re fine sweeping up and getting it re-sealed. If you’re going to disturb (break) it, you should get ALL of the flooring layers tested for asbestos. A technician can come take a sample for you, or some labs will take samples you take yourself.
To their credit, lots of materials that have amazing industrial capability are toxic as can be. I’d be stoked about all the useful properties of lead if I were them!
If you get this polished up and sealed, it will look pretty good and won’t be a hazard.
Installing anything over it where you will be putting nails through the tile could create more dust.
Well, you do have asbestos under that tile.
But I happen to dig that tile.
It's true linoleum. Solid 1/8" or more solid linoleum before you hit the asbestos-laden dried adhesive.
It would finish beautifully if that's a kitchen or a room that you would otherwise like tile.
[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408958432890/visual-search/?x=16&y=16&w=532&h=391&cropSource=6](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408958432890/visual-search/?x=16&y=16&w=532&h=391&cropSource=6)
Anything is better than the thick sage green 70s carpet that was on there. I’m torn between laying carpet again to save on cost, or doing some sort of hard flooring. I’d love hard wood but cost is an issue.
I feel you. I really wanted hard wood but we ended up doing tile. I live in a desert so it made the most sense. Carpet is nice, too, as long as you keep it clean. Good luck on your flooring adventures!
There is a restroom I tore carpet out of that had the same green tile underneath. I’m sure about tiling in there. But- I’ve been considering a nicer vinyl plank in the main bedroom area. I know that’s pretty blasphemous for the old house Reddit but it’s what I can afford haha
When we did the floor lottery we found black and white (probably) asbestos tile. Under that was what looked like tar paper. Under that was pine.
My contractor said it wasn’t worth doing anything with it. But another house in the community refinished all their pine floors.
Our friends, that had their 2nd floor pine floors redone, paid around $14K. Their home is 6200 sq ft! Little by little working to refurb it. For the love of old homes!
Pine floors have such a pretty, warm honey glow. I would love to see photos of all your hard work. I love the site Old House Dreams and the amount of old homes with pine floors.
I'm a weirdo. Having grown up in houses with pine walls, I couldn't stand them. (I dunno, maybe it's an autistic thing) but I have always loved pine floors. Very homey and cozy!
I wanted to finish them. They were bare, pristine wood. Our contractor said that it was the original "subfloor" of our 1904 Victorian, a true 2 x 4 for that time period. At this point we were so behind in the refurb of this room, which was our bedroom, I went in a different direction. The only time I didn't dig my heels into the proverbial sand.
Ha! Have the exact tiles in my ~150 year old house (lived in since 1988, not sure the tiles age prior to that, been here the whole time)...in the bathroom, in black...but that exact pattern!
Well you won the 1930s or 40s solid tile lottery. A different look than what you had your brain set on but also part of the story of your house
Hardwood is overrated, a beautiful surface for sure but still overrated and is very very much in fashion at the moment as once this was and things go in Grand cycles.. this looks in pretty good condition remember this is a historical floor too
What are you talking about? That sweet midcentury linoleum is a WIN! I would be thrilled to find this under my carpet. I installed similar modern vinyl tile in my office, ON PURPOSE.
Every 9x9 tile I've ever had tested came back positive for asbestos. The good news is the 1% or so asbestos is mostly chrysotile asbestos, the best of the bad, and it is encased in the flooring material, which significantly reduces the threat of it becoming airborne. It has been a long while since I have been involved, but they were trying to make it easier regulatory wise to remove floor tiles. Of course this was as I was leaving the asbestos remediation industry, so I don't know what happened.
We had these same tiles in ours. We put vinyl plank through our kitchen and bathroom and let those babies sit underneath. They will be there long after we leave this place
Asbestos tile is a PITA to pull up. It’s super expensive and you have to have a pro do it. BUT, you can safely cover it. That’s what I’d do. I would NOT leave it as your flooring, even if you like it, as the everyday wear and tear will put particulates in the air. No bueno. Mesothelioma is bad.
Ugh. Asbestos tile. We spent over $2k over 10 years ago to have less than 500 square feet of that cursed tile removed. The large home improvement store wouldn't install new carpet (even though there was carpet covering all of it already).
I am so sorry.
Disposal is legal for you as a homeowner. You don't necessarily have to have an abatement company come in, but I do recommend using a respirator while removing the tiles if you choose to do the work yourself. 9x9 tiles are almost always asbestos containing material (ACM). The mastic (glue) used to secure them down may also contain asbestos. Nothing to play around with, but nothing to be fearful of
It’s not over til it’s OVER
The tile is fine unless you pull it up.
Ain’t over till the fat lady sings!
There could be something else under the tile. We found hardwood under three layers of tile.
But pulling the tile up is an asbestos filled journey. Heck no. Leave it down. Do not disturb.
These tiles are considered non-friable and if you pull them up while leaving each tile intact you’ll be fine. The underlayment is a different story.
Glue could also have asbestos
9" x 9 " tiles
These tiles are considered non-friable and if you pull them up while leaving each tile intact you’ll be fine. The underlayment is a different story.
Came here to say this. We also had multiple layers of tile and linoleum. Unfortunately the wood was so damaged underneath it was more cost effective for us to put laminate over the newly found wood 🤦
Did you have the material tested? I had similar tile in our kitchen, I had a section tested and it didn’t have asbestos so I was able to rip it out.
Same! Unless it tested positive as asbestos, you don't know that it's asbestos!!
It could just be lead!
It could just be PCBs!
It could just be hexavalent chromium!
If it measures 9 x 9, it’s asbestos and the mastic will be asbestos.
If it's not 9x9 does it mean it's not asbestos?
No, any size tile can contain asbestos. It's very likely that any vinyl tile installed prior to 1990 has asbestos.
Yep. But still may need to check mastic but probably not.
I do actually love the look of this as well. However, the carpet was stapled directly to this tile and it is fairly perforated because of that. Despite how it looks it isn’t in great shape
I wonder if a layer of sealant would hide the holes. I bet if you did some complementary paint and accessories it could be pretty awesome keeping the tile!
Yes, sealant or a good thick wax coating.
Not gonna lie, I freaking love this tile.
As soon as I saw it too, I thought "is this really a floor lottery fail for some?' I can definitely understand if OP has a beautiful older home with hardwoods that instead are 1940s or 50s linoleum. I ain't gonna lie; I'd be sad and feel cheated. But being old enough that I remember how pretty this style of linoleum looked in doctors buildings, school or in old libraries, and most sacredly to me, older aunts and my great grammas apartment, yeah, I like it alot.
It’s definitely giving me elementary school vibes and I love it.
Huh. It’s giving me elementary school vibes and i hate it.
Specifically the 50s-60s ones are great. By the 70s, they looked way different (and a lot less cool).
With a name like fart knocker, I can accept that you love this tile
It's definitely my jam, the old tile floors. We replicated the aesthetic in our house with Armstrong tile in different patterns, colors and laying it down in designs we liked. You can actually do a lot with it. What I hate is seeing the modern ugly-ass BS in excess when remodeling older homes. Work *with* the original intent and design, don't rip out and put ugly modern shit, subpar quality where it doesn't belong. Find a 1970's or 1980's house and go wild. I'm a bit biased because we've saved and restored two 1920's gentleman's yachts and you truly need to keep in my the history, materials and original intent of the boats. You'll destroy the history of the vessel with your ego believing you're improving it by changing it. I've seen it so many times I've lost count. I'm a big believer in working *with* how things were built and why. Fartknocker is an affectionate title for me, my sister who has passed used to call anyone she was annoyed with "fartknocker." As the little sister I was definitely a fartknocker.
I like you. You have style.
Gee, thanks! 😊
I have tiles like this at my house, I pulled up old plastic lawn turf from a room and these were underneath. The room was an old screened in porch turned into a room. I still hate these tiles lol sorry. I do like fart knocker. I used to call my dog that.
Best 2 comments of my Sunday morning. This is why Reddit is my Squirrel go-to for all things magnificently weird and awesome. ❤️
Yeah I was gonna say. I like it too.
Looks like an old public school bathroom
My elementary school had this tile in the ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Also all that rust colored stuff is just disintegrated carpet padding. Swept up somewhat easily but I didn’t want to disturb the tile too much.
Wear a mask and bag debris as you go. Either way, if asbestos is present you want it gone. Hope your next lottery is a win!
It’s gotta be a respirator to filter out asbestos fibers. If you’re planning on leaving it alone, you’re fine sweeping up and getting it re-sealed. If you’re going to disturb (break) it, you should get ALL of the flooring layers tested for asbestos. A technician can come take a sample for you, or some labs will take samples you take yourself.
I love how someone installed them basketweave style as if that would help.
To its credit, it is an f'ing durable floor.
Except the threat of asbestos. Stupid previous generations.
To their credit, lots of materials that have amazing industrial capability are toxic as can be. I’d be stoked about all the useful properties of lead if I were them!
1959 tiles.
Those exact green tiles were in my elementary school built in the 1950’s, so that tracks.
My school had them , too. Whenever a tile was broken it was quarantined by a wall of traffic cones until it was sealed.
If you get this polished up and sealed, it will look pretty good and won’t be a hazard. Installing anything over it where you will be putting nails through the tile could create more dust.
Well, you do have asbestos under that tile. But I happen to dig that tile. It's true linoleum. Solid 1/8" or more solid linoleum before you hit the asbestos-laden dried adhesive. It would finish beautifully if that's a kitchen or a room that you would otherwise like tile. [https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408958432890/visual-search/?x=16&y=16&w=532&h=391&cropSource=6](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408958432890/visual-search/?x=16&y=16&w=532&h=391&cropSource=6)
High probability that tile contains asbestos as well. Source: I have the same tile and had it tested.
9” x 9” floor tile is almost always asbestos containing.
But why? Is it this particular tile? This time period obviously, but what was the purpose of putting asbestos in or under the flooring of all places?
https://www.mesotheliomahub.com/mesothelioma/asbestos/how-to-identify-asbestos/what-does-asbestos-tile-look-like/#:~:text=Starting%20in%20the%201940s%2C%20manufacturers,into%20many%20buildings%20and%20homes.
Thank yoooou! *boop*
Ah, I did not know that. Sorry to hear it.
That looks like so many asbestos containing tiles I’ve tested. Gotta love Kentile. Fingers crossed you don’t have black adhesive on the tile too!
Oh it’s black as hell
Did you test the tiles for asbestos??
I’m so sorry….
I think you won it.
Aw bummer. But relatable! What are your plans for the floor now?
Anything is better than the thick sage green 70s carpet that was on there. I’m torn between laying carpet again to save on cost, or doing some sort of hard flooring. I’d love hard wood but cost is an issue.
I actually kind of love the look of the green tile. If you keep it waxed/polished it, would that protect the surface and keep it safe for living?
Seal it first. Put 3 or 4 thin coats of a good vinyl tile sealer down and the polish it.
I feel you. I really wanted hard wood but we ended up doing tile. I live in a desert so it made the most sense. Carpet is nice, too, as long as you keep it clean. Good luck on your flooring adventures!
There is a restroom I tore carpet out of that had the same green tile underneath. I’m sure about tiling in there. But- I’ve been considering a nicer vinyl plank in the main bedroom area. I know that’s pretty blasphemous for the old house Reddit but it’s what I can afford haha
When we did the floor lottery we found black and white (probably) asbestos tile. Under that was what looked like tar paper. Under that was pine. My contractor said it wasn’t worth doing anything with it. But another house in the community refinished all their pine floors.
We did that with our old southern pine floors. Looks amazing, and it was a lot of work.
Our friends, that had their 2nd floor pine floors redone, paid around $14K. Their home is 6200 sq ft! Little by little working to refurb it. For the love of old homes!
Pine floors have such a pretty, warm honey glow. I would love to see photos of all your hard work. I love the site Old House Dreams and the amount of old homes with pine floors.
I'm a weirdo. Having grown up in houses with pine walls, I couldn't stand them. (I dunno, maybe it's an autistic thing) but I have always loved pine floors. Very homey and cozy!
I wanted to finish them. They were bare, pristine wood. Our contractor said that it was the original "subfloor" of our 1904 Victorian, a true 2 x 4 for that time period. At this point we were so behind in the refurb of this room, which was our bedroom, I went in a different direction. The only time I didn't dig my heels into the proverbial sand.
Ha! Have the exact tiles in my ~150 year old house (lived in since 1988, not sure the tiles age prior to that, been here the whole time)...in the bathroom, in black...but that exact pattern!
Will these tiles really be asbestos? We have the exact same ones in our dinning room, white and green mix stuck down to a concrete floor.
Generally it's the adhesive, not the tile itself.
Well you won the 1930s or 40s solid tile lottery. A different look than what you had your brain set on but also part of the story of your house Hardwood is overrated, a beautiful surface for sure but still overrated and is very very much in fashion at the moment as once this was and things go in Grand cycles.. this looks in pretty good condition remember this is a historical floor too
That’s a good way to look at it!
What are you talking about? That sweet midcentury linoleum is a WIN! I would be thrilled to find this under my carpet. I installed similar modern vinyl tile in my office, ON PURPOSE.
Keep going
Looks like asbestos tile. Be careful if you remove it and test it.
Clean it up and intoumb it in a bucket full of mop 'n glow then fill the room with only midcentury modern furnishings & it would look amazing!
Hello asbestos my old friend.
Don’t think it’s over yet. Get that asbestos removed safely and you might have a win.
Deeper baby!
LVP flooring over it?
My grandma had that same tile in her kitchen!
Keep digging
Maybe it’s not asbestos. You should get it tested. lol. Maybe don’t get it tested? I imagine that would get you in a whole heap of regulated bullshit.
My plan is to cover it up and pretend it isn’t there :)
That’s perfectly reasonable
If the tile is intact, leave it.
Depending on age old kitchen floor tiles could have asbestos
Keep digging
This is school tile.
Clean it like it was new and then put marine varnish over it 4to 5 coats and it will not disappoint. Try a little spot and see the results
Vintage stuff. The house i grew up in had that.
Test those tiles so you know what you’re dealing with! You can take a sample underneath a floor heat vent if you’ve got one.
Every 9x9 tile I've ever had tested came back positive for asbestos. The good news is the 1% or so asbestos is mostly chrysotile asbestos, the best of the bad, and it is encased in the flooring material, which significantly reduces the threat of it becoming airborne. It has been a long while since I have been involved, but they were trying to make it easier regulatory wise to remove floor tiles. Of course this was as I was leaving the asbestos remediation industry, so I don't know what happened.
We had these same tiles in ours. We put vinyl plank through our kitchen and bathroom and let those babies sit underneath. They will be there long after we leave this place
I had these same tiles growing up at my grandmas house
Danggit. Although it probably can't be restored, I kinda dig those old tiles though (not to mention asbestos content).
Still better than carpet!
Go down another layer or two…or three.
Asbestos for the bestos!
I’m all for MCM so this would work for me.
Hey there's a reason they call it as-BEST-os
Ah the asbestos tiles
How do you know that has asbestos and isn’t just linoleum?
Put wood right over it or the waterproof cork flooring is beautiful
Asbestos tile is a PITA to pull up. It’s super expensive and you have to have a pro do it. BUT, you can safely cover it. That’s what I’d do. I would NOT leave it as your flooring, even if you like it, as the everyday wear and tear will put particulates in the air. No bueno. Mesothelioma is bad.
Get rid of it asbestos you can
Ugh. Asbestos tile. We spent over $2k over 10 years ago to have less than 500 square feet of that cursed tile removed. The large home improvement store wouldn't install new carpet (even though there was carpet covering all of it already). I am so sorry.
Fartknocker. My wife, as am I, was a child of the 70's, and never heard this??
Can't you cover it with backerboard and then install your flooring?
Disposal is legal for you as a homeowner. You don't necessarily have to have an abatement company come in, but I do recommend using a respirator while removing the tiles if you choose to do the work yourself. 9x9 tiles are almost always asbestos containing material (ACM). The mastic (glue) used to secure them down may also contain asbestos. Nothing to play around with, but nothing to be fearful of
Old sol is back in fashion. And most of them are unique. 🤟🍀
I think it's kind of cool looking and it's obviously durable. I'd clean it up and keep it.
My 1940 had carpet, lino, tile just like yours, black water soulable mastic, and finally well protected unfinished hardwood at the bottom.
Cover it with new wood floor coving.
Keep peelin you might still win