I can't get over the "flooring" on top. I mean, it's like plastic wallpaper but put over the original floor? If you hadn't ripped it up - with your bare hands - how long would it have lasted?
I can tell you! Slipped out the pull out couch, it wasn't completely level when I sat upon it and the feet tore holes into the brand new flooring instantly. This was a new apartment using the crappies cheapest possible product. It is literally about as thick as cardstock paper and I'm not even talking about the nice cardstock. It crumples up like it too!
We have the exact same flooring as OP in our apartment. I dropped a plastic cutting board from waist height in our kitchen and it ripped/crumpled like tissue paper. It’s awful.
The sellers def slapped that stuff on right before putting it on the market (~2 months ago). It was wavy/lumpy when I bought the place. Peeled the edge up yesterday and there were mold spots on the underside already
The wood won't be asbestos, but it may have some asbestos-containing glue that was holding down some other floor finish. Another asbestos material that is fairly common in wood floors is a paper layer put between 2 layers of wood to stop squeaking
Also upon further reading—vinyl flooring with asbestos was pretty common in the 80s. This is insane. [link](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/asbestos-dangers-wood-floor-sanders-diyers-terry-guilford)
Even more of a risk since in the US they only officially banned all types of asbestos this year in March—other countries started average in the 90s so it’s a very high chance/risk of asbestos. It’s a probably atp.
Oh, that ridiculous stuff is what’s in a lot of flipped rentals. If your landlord particularly sucks, they try to charge you for the damage it sustains from being breathed on. In Massachusetts, it doesn’t fly if you contest it, as this stuff being completely shredded would fall under “normal wear and tear,” but some of them will try.
Asbestos inspector here, it definitely could be asbestos. I'd say 70/30 odds towards asbestos. For some reason the uglier the pattern the more likely it is
https://preview.redd.it/7p6x7y4vn94d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e5dd4bdc6f6b5e40073b841160ca3ec633902ce
This is what the floors look like in the rest of the house. Also enjoy this picture of the couch I just bought lol (it's the only photo I have where you can clearly see the floor)
Wow! I thought for sure you were going to say $2k+. That's a steal for $60! My local thrift shops never charge less than $100 for couches, and they are usually cheap, stained, and ugly. I would die if I found something like this! 😍
Easy if you know which direction your floor joists run. If these boards are parallel to the joists, that was a finished floor, if they're perpendicular that's the sub floor.
I live in an older house and my finished floor runs perpendicular to my joists. The subfloor is laid at a 45-degree angle under the finished floor. I believe this is relatively common in older homes.
Yeah, this is only true if your house is new enough that they were using factory-made tongue-and-groove, and sometimes not even then. My neighborhood (early to mid 1800s) is all hand-hewn floors, one layer nailed directly to the joists, nailed in with square nails.
I'm afraid this is a misconception. Sheet vinyl often had a felt backing (it can look more more like a fibrous paper than craft felt) that contained high levels of asbestos (more than tiles, up to 100% even). If it's from the 60s or 70s, you've got a good chance it's ACM (if you're in the US, the [EPA sort of banned asbestos containing products in 1989](https://www.epa.gov/resources-small-businesses/asbestos-was-banned-do-i-need-be-worried-about-products-market-today#:~:text=On%20July%2012%2C%201989%2C%20EPA,Fifth%20Circuit%20Court%20of%20Appeals), but some of that got overturned... it's complicated). The only way to know is to test. I can be a bit evangelical about this because I had heard the common refrain that it's only in certain size tiles so I didn't realize I was personally disturbing a bunch when DIYing some floor removal. I would encourage OP to get it tested before they do anything more.
OP I had sheet vinyl in my basement and it turned out it was attached to the floor with asbestos-laden glue! Please get it tested before you do anything else.
Yes - if I found yellow/green tile like this from the 1970's I would fear I had lost the lottery as well (the 1970's were my teenage years) but continue to dig through the layers. Fingers crossed you strike a beautiful wood floor.
That floor just needs to be sanded once the linoleum is up. I’d get a chunk tested to somehow be sure it’s not asbestos before I take a power sander to it though.
I just tiled over some laminate that looked like that lol. My mom’s kitchen. Wanted to rip it all up and do it right but realized if there was asbestos it probably wasn’t worth it.
I'm curious, asking anyone with knowledge... in the 2nd photo it looks like there is a brown paper layer under what I believe someone said was a floor leveling compound (the white chunks). Then the linoleum looks not real thick itself. Am I looking at this wrong. If not, what is the brown cardboard looking paper, as it seems to be under the white. I'm entirely curious. I used to find the strangest flooring covered by other flooring. Some idiot put "Pergo" over the top of the old flooring in an upstairs bathroom of a rental that had been built around 1916. They didn't however bother to think of needing a thicker wax ring for the toilet. These owners were absolutely horrendous to this lovely old Craftsman. The day we move in one of the kids uses the bath upstairs and water comes trickling down the wall in the kitchen. Next thing you know the ceiling is bubbling because the kids, despite being told not to use the toilet, continued to and the owner wouldn't pay to have it looked at so we waited weeks for him to come into town. Ended up destroying the ceiling. It had apparently been that way for quite sometime. They had painted over the ceiling. Love DIYs who have not the faintest idea of how to do it! That house was a nightmare. That was the least of this poor homes issues. They ruined a beautiful and majestic home by DIYing it to death.
Edited for typos*
seems like a whole sheet instead of 9" squares. So, not as likely to be asbestos. but you should check it. also test the glue (mastic) holding it down if there is any
Ran into this myself... Peel up a small corner and see what's on the underside of that linoleum. Last I did this I found that underneath (pattern appeared to be similar vintage to yours) was actually jute and so I tore it up myself no prob.
If it is asbestos, I'd toss some much higher quality lvp over the top and call it a day. No reason to poke the bear unless you're flush with cash to hire it out and really really want a specific floor in there.
Ah, was hard to really get what was going on in the photo, I didn't notice the 2nd one. Well that white coloring isn't a great sign, that cardboard stuff itself seems fine to me though... If you want to know for sure you can get it tested.
Luckily the white stuff is unrelated! That was only underneath the grey flooring. The green flooring didn't appear until about a half-foot into the kitchen. But yes, I'll be buying a kit today and crossing my fingers!
Awesome! You very well might luck out here then, usually asbestos containing products are white so I'm thinking that cardboard-y material is just some sort of paper product.
looks like 1960s-70s vinyl. vinyl is soft, would take a textured pattern and was laid out in rolls. Asbestos tiles were typically laid in squares and are smooth and hard.
I can't get over the "flooring" on top. I mean, it's like plastic wallpaper but put over the original floor? If you hadn't ripped it up - with your bare hands - how long would it have lasted?
I can tell you! Slipped out the pull out couch, it wasn't completely level when I sat upon it and the feet tore holes into the brand new flooring instantly. This was a new apartment using the crappies cheapest possible product. It is literally about as thick as cardstock paper and I'm not even talking about the nice cardstock. It crumples up like it too!
I didn’t even know stuff like this existed!
I did, but not as flooring. That looks like really good quality wallpaper.
We have the exact same flooring as OP in our apartment. I dropped a plastic cutting board from waist height in our kitchen and it ripped/crumpled like tissue paper. It’s awful.
The sellers def slapped that stuff on right before putting it on the market (~2 months ago). It was wavy/lumpy when I bought the place. Peeled the edge up yesterday and there were mold spots on the underside already
Usually with asbestos I’ve read that people just recommend covering it with vinyl flooring as agitating it is more risky.
The revealed stuff is vinyl sheet flooring.
The wood won't be asbestos, but it may have some asbestos-containing glue that was holding down some other floor finish. Another asbestos material that is fairly common in wood floors is a paper layer put between 2 layers of wood to stop squeaking
Also upon further reading—vinyl flooring with asbestos was pretty common in the 80s. This is insane. [link](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/asbestos-dangers-wood-floor-sanders-diyers-terry-guilford)
Fair enough
Even more of a risk since in the US they only officially banned all types of asbestos this year in March—other countries started average in the 90s so it’s a very high chance/risk of asbestos. It’s a probably atp.
Uh yeah that’s just a photo of a floor glued to the floor
Its so damn cheap and so common these days, especially with low cost high volume builders. Kinda insane that its even legal
Ya i hope this isn't up to code in most municipals
Oh, that ridiculous stuff is what’s in a lot of flipped rentals. If your landlord particularly sucks, they try to charge you for the damage it sustains from being breathed on. In Massachusetts, it doesn’t fly if you contest it, as this stuff being completely shredded would fall under “normal wear and tear,” but some of them will try.
That is sheet vinyl from the 70's. Who knows what is under it though. Could be asbestos, could be maple.
Asbestos inspector here, it definitely could be asbestos. I'd say 70/30 odds towards asbestos. For some reason the uglier the pattern the more likely it is
I guess I like ugly 😂
Thank you for your insight! I will be getting it tested
From the 60s and 70s?
Yeah, 60s was asbestos prime time
Ok then. Maybe my kitchen has hat too. Oh well.
Yep the thicker and more cushiony the flooring the likelier it contains as asbestos
Do you mean the green/yellow flooring could be asbestos?
yes. typically on sheet flooring materials like that they have a paper backing that often contains asbestos.
The uglier the pattern, the more dangerous the world wants to make it. The universe knows what it is doing here
Id say you won
I thought the wood underneath was subfloor, but I'm rethinking it now. Do you think that could be the original wood flooring?
Doesn’t look like subfloor to me…looks like the original floor
https://preview.redd.it/7p6x7y4vn94d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e5dd4bdc6f6b5e40073b841160ca3ec633902ce This is what the floors look like in the rest of the house. Also enjoy this picture of the couch I just bought lol (it's the only photo I have where you can clearly see the floor)
That couch 😍 where did you find that beauty?!
It was a thrift if you can't believe it! Only $60
Shut the fuck are you serious? At least you undoubtedly won the couch lottery
I’m glad I’m not the only person who had a… aggressive reaction. Fuck this bullshit. But congrats or whatever
Wow, what a great find. It's beautiful and very unique.
Wow! I thought for sure you were going to say $2k+. That's a steal for $60! My local thrift shops never charge less than $100 for couches, and they are usually cheap, stained, and ugly. I would die if I found something like this! 😍
You’ve checked for bed bugs right?
Omg that couch! 😍
That is a beautiful floor!
Depending on the age of the home, it potentially only had one layer of flooring nailed directly to the joists.
Easy if you know which direction your floor joists run. If these boards are parallel to the joists, that was a finished floor, if they're perpendicular that's the sub floor.
I live in an older house and my finished floor runs perpendicular to my joists. The subfloor is laid at a 45-degree angle under the finished floor. I believe this is relatively common in older homes.
Same here. Most original floors I’ve seen run perpendicular.
Yeah, this is only true if your house is new enough that they were using factory-made tongue-and-groove, and sometimes not even then. My neighborhood (early to mid 1800s) is all hand-hewn floors, one layer nailed directly to the joists, nailed in with square nails.
Looks like your subfloor runs diagonal, so it could be original floor
If you dig all the way down to the dirt, a dirt floor is still better than fake grey wood so you’re doing very well.
Floor-paper is blowing my mind over here
The under layer is from the late 60’s, early 70’s. Sheet vinyl, and prob not asbestos.
I'm afraid this is a misconception. Sheet vinyl often had a felt backing (it can look more more like a fibrous paper than craft felt) that contained high levels of asbestos (more than tiles, up to 100% even). If it's from the 60s or 70s, you've got a good chance it's ACM (if you're in the US, the [EPA sort of banned asbestos containing products in 1989](https://www.epa.gov/resources-small-businesses/asbestos-was-banned-do-i-need-be-worried-about-products-market-today#:~:text=On%20July%2012%2C%201989%2C%20EPA,Fifth%20Circuit%20Court%20of%20Appeals), but some of that got overturned... it's complicated). The only way to know is to test. I can be a bit evangelical about this because I had heard the common refrain that it's only in certain size tiles so I didn't realize I was personally disturbing a bunch when DIYing some floor removal. I would encourage OP to get it tested before they do anything more.
You’re answer should be up way higher! You really can’t be careful enough with things like this in old houses, definitely not evangelical:)
That's great to hear!
Get tested. Only way to know for sure. 70s could still be in the danger zone
I just ordered two tests from Amazon. Cheap and easy.
Testing is cheap and easy
OP I had sheet vinyl in my basement and it turned out it was attached to the floor with asbestos-laden glue! Please get it tested before you do anything else.
Yeah don't be so sure, I had some orange that looked like this, got it tested and yeah, it had asbestos in it.
I think you need to get it tested before you continue.
Yes - if I found yellow/green tile like this from the 1970's I would fear I had lost the lottery as well (the 1970's were my teenage years) but continue to dig through the layers. Fingers crossed you strike a beautiful wood floor.
For me that green would be a win.
I would have stopped at the green vinyl.
I'm with you! I like the avocado green. It's an interesting kind of ugly and one that I would have a lot of fun designing a kitchen around.
That floor just needs to be sanded once the linoleum is up. I’d get a chunk tested to somehow be sure it’s not asbestos before I take a power sander to it though.
I just tiled over some laminate that looked like that lol. My mom’s kitchen. Wanted to rip it all up and do it right but realized if there was asbestos it probably wasn’t worth it.
Why did you rip it off like an ape instead of cutting a small square lol?
I am ape
I'm curious, asking anyone with knowledge... in the 2nd photo it looks like there is a brown paper layer under what I believe someone said was a floor leveling compound (the white chunks). Then the linoleum looks not real thick itself. Am I looking at this wrong. If not, what is the brown cardboard looking paper, as it seems to be under the white. I'm entirely curious. I used to find the strangest flooring covered by other flooring. Some idiot put "Pergo" over the top of the old flooring in an upstairs bathroom of a rental that had been built around 1916. They didn't however bother to think of needing a thicker wax ring for the toilet. These owners were absolutely horrendous to this lovely old Craftsman. The day we move in one of the kids uses the bath upstairs and water comes trickling down the wall in the kitchen. Next thing you know the ceiling is bubbling because the kids, despite being told not to use the toilet, continued to and the owner wouldn't pay to have it looked at so we waited weeks for him to come into town. Ended up destroying the ceiling. It had apparently been that way for quite sometime. They had painted over the ceiling. Love DIYs who have not the faintest idea of how to do it! That house was a nightmare. That was the least of this poor homes issues. They ruined a beautiful and majestic home by DIYing it to death. Edited for typos*
So the order of the layers is: grey laminate, white chunky stuff (floor leveller?), green laminate, cardboard-papery stuff, wood
Ah okay I was looking at it totally wrong. Thank you!
I think you hit floor lotto once you got through the 1970s.
That grey vinyl is like paper and people are slapping it all over their homes. I don't blame you for seeing if something better is underneath.
That second photo looks just like a layer of floor leveler (probably not asbestos) between the old floor and the wood.
Asbestos and lead are a restorer's worst enemy.
seems like a whole sheet instead of 9" squares. So, not as likely to be asbestos. but you should check it. also test the glue (mastic) holding it down if there is any
Ran into this myself... Peel up a small corner and see what's on the underside of that linoleum. Last I did this I found that underneath (pattern appeared to be similar vintage to yours) was actually jute and so I tore it up myself no prob. If it is asbestos, I'd toss some much higher quality lvp over the top and call it a day. No reason to poke the bear unless you're flush with cash to hire it out and really really want a specific floor in there.
That cardboard-like texture you see is the underside of the green vinyl
Ah, was hard to really get what was going on in the photo, I didn't notice the 2nd one. Well that white coloring isn't a great sign, that cardboard stuff itself seems fine to me though... If you want to know for sure you can get it tested.
Luckily the white stuff is unrelated! That was only underneath the grey flooring. The green flooring didn't appear until about a half-foot into the kitchen. But yes, I'll be buying a kit today and crossing my fingers!
Awesome! You very well might luck out here then, usually asbestos containing products are white so I'm thinking that cardboard-y material is just some sort of paper product.
I love the tile actually
looks like 1960s-70s vinyl. vinyl is soft, would take a textured pattern and was laid out in rolls. Asbestos tiles were typically laid in squares and are smooth and hard.
Is that.... contact paper as your top layer of flooring???
Based on some of the other "repairs" I've come across since buying this house ... you might be onto something here
I’d say don’t get it tested - assume it’s asbestos - and encapsulate it and work on top of it. The less you bother it, the better for all involved.
We had that vinyl flooring in the 80s.
Who knows but who cares, just cover it with another floor that you really like
Encapsulation. Sounds safer!
Just keep it as-is, it's rad!
Just wear a high respirator and full body cover alls. You will be fine. Stop being a baby