Kentile Floors: Asbestos-Containing Floor Tile and Occupational Exposure History

Kentile Floors was once one of the most recognized names in American resilient floor tile manufacturing. For decades, Kentile products were installed in homes, schools, hospitals, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities across the country. According to asbestos litigation records, many of the company’s floor tile products manufactured and sold during the mid-twentieth century contained asbestos as a primary binding and strengthening agent — a fact that has placed Kentile at the center of numerous occupational exposure claims filed by flooring workers, building tradespeople, and their families.

Company History

Kentile Floors operated as a Brooklyn, New York–based manufacturer of resilient floor tile products throughout much of the twentieth century. The company built its reputation on durable, cost-effective floor coverings that competed directly with other major manufacturers in the growing postwar construction market. Kentile products were widely distributed through flooring supply chains and were specified by contractors and architects for both residential and commercial projects.

Kentile continued manufacturing floor tile through decades of significant industry growth, eventually ceasing operations in the early 1990s after filing for bankruptcy. The company’s long production history — spanning the peak years of asbestos use in construction materials — means its products were present on American jobsites during precisely the period when asbestos-containing building materials were most heavily used.

The company no longer exists as an operating entity. It did not establish an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund prior to dissolution, which has significant implications for workers and families seeking compensation related to Kentile product exposure (discussed further below).

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Kentile manufactured floor tile products that contained chrysotile asbestos, the most commonly used form of asbestos in American building materials. Asbestos was incorporated into resilient floor tile during this era because it provided tensile strength, dimensional stability, resistance to heat and moisture, and improved the tile’s ability to withstand the physical demands of high-traffic environments.

Court filings document that Kentile floor tiles sold under various product lines during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s contained asbestos in concentrations that varied by product type and formulation. Plaintiffs alleged that asbestos content in some Kentile tile products fell within ranges typical of the industry — commonly cited in litigation as between nine and thirty percent asbestos by weight, depending on the specific tile composition.

Kentile tile was manufactured in standard formats familiar to the flooring trade, including nine-inch-by-nine-inch and twelve-inch-by-twelve-inch squares, in both vinyl-asbestos tile (VAT) and asphalt-asbestos tile formulations. Vinyl-asbestos tile represented the more widely distributed product category during the later portion of the company’s production history. Asphalt-based tile, an earlier formulation, was more commonly produced and installed in the 1940s through the early 1960s.

Court filings document that the adhesive mastics used to install floor tile during this period — though not always manufactured by Kentile itself — also frequently contained asbestos, compounding the potential for exposure during installation activities.

Kentile is reported to have ceased incorporating asbestos into its tile formulations in approximately the early 1980s, consistent with broader industry trends following increasing regulatory pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Occupational Exposure

Workers who installed, removed, repaired, or worked in proximity to Kentile floor tile have been identified in asbestos litigation as potentially at risk for asbestos-related disease. Plaintiffs alleged that during installation and — particularly — during removal and demolition activities, Kentile tile released respirable asbestos fibers into the work environment.

The trades most commonly associated with Kentile floor tile exposure in court filings include:

  • Floor tile installers and helpers, who cut tile to fit using scribes, hand tools, or power saws, generating fine dust during the cutting process
  • Flooring contractors and tile mechanics, who worked with Kentile products over extended careers in residential, commercial, and institutional settings
  • Maintenance workers and janitors, who sanded, buffed, stripped, or repaired damaged floor tile in schools, hospitals, and office buildings
  • Demolition and renovation workers, who broke up, chipped, or removed existing Kentile tile during remodeling projects — an activity considered to generate significantly higher fiber concentrations than original installation
  • Carpenters and general laborers, who worked on jobsites where Kentile tile was being cut or removed in adjacent areas

According to asbestos litigation records, dry-cutting tile with abrasive tools or power equipment produced dust with substantially higher asbestos fiber counts than wet-cutting methods. Workers who performed this work in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces — as was common in residential and institutional settings — faced repeated, concentrated exposures over the course of their working lives.

Plaintiffs alleged that Kentile was aware of the hazards associated with asbestos-containing products during the period when relevant health and safety information was circulating within the industry, and that the company failed to provide adequate warnings to workers and consumers about the risks associated with cutting, sanding, or disturbing its tile products.

Bystander exposure has also been documented in court filings, including cases involving family members of flooring workers who were exposed to asbestos fibers carried home on work clothing, tools, and equipment — a pathway commonly referred to as take-home or para-occupational exposure.

Asbestos-related diseases with documented associations to floor tile exposure in litigation include mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease. These conditions typically develop after a latency period of ten to fifty years following initial asbestos exposure, meaning workers exposed to Kentile tile in the 1960s and 1970s may only now be receiving diagnoses.

Kentile Floors filed for bankruptcy and ultimately ceased operations in the early 1990s. Unlike many asbestos defendants that reorganized under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and established Section 524(g) asbestos trust funds to compensate future claimants, Kentile did not create a dedicated asbestos trust fund before or during its bankruptcy proceedings.

This is a critical distinction for anyone researching potential legal options related to Kentile exposure. There is no Kentile asbestos trust fund from which claims can be submitted.

Workers and families who believe they were exposed to asbestos through Kentile floor tile are not necessarily without legal recourse, however. According to asbestos litigation records, claims involving Kentile exposure have historically been pursued through several alternative pathways:

Litigation against surviving defendants. In many asbestos cases, Kentile was one of multiple defendants named alongside manufacturers of related products — including asbestos-containing adhesives, mastics, and other building materials present on the same jobsites. Those other manufacturers may have established trust funds or may remain solvent defendants in civil litigation.

Premises liability claims. Workers exposed to Kentile tile in institutional or industrial settings may have claims against building owners or employers who maintained unsafe work environments.

Claims against distributors and suppliers. In some jurisdictions and case histories, asbestos litigation has extended to distributors and wholesalers who supplied Kentile tile to contractors and jobsites.

Claims against other asbestos trust funds. Many flooring workers who handled Kentile tile also encountered products from other manufacturers during their careers. Compensation may be available through trusts established by those other companies, even if no Kentile-specific trust exists. As of the time of this writing, dozens of asbestos bankruptcy trusts remain active and accept claims from qualified workers and survivors.

Summary: What Workers and Families Should Know

If you or a family member worked as a floor tile installer, flooring contractor, maintenance worker, or demolition laborer and handled Kentile floor tile during the 1950s through early 1980s, you may have experienced occupational asbestos exposure. Kentile floor tile has been identified in asbestos litigation as a product that plaintiffs allege contained asbestos during this period.

Because Kentile no longer exists and did not establish a bankruptcy trust fund, direct claims against Kentile are not available. However, compensation may still be accessible through claims against other asbestos trusts, through civil litigation against surviving defendants, or through other legal avenues depending on the specific facts of your exposure history.

Anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or related disease with a history of floor tile work should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation to identify all potential sources of compensation. Detailed records of employer history, jobsite locations, and the specific products encountered — including the name Kentile — can be important in building an exposure history for legal purposes.