Kentile Vinyl Asbestos Tile

Product Description

Kentile Floors, Inc. was one of the most prominent American manufacturers of resilient floor tile throughout the mid-twentieth century. Founded in Brooklyn, New York, the company operated for decades as a major supplier of commercial and residential flooring products, distributing its tiles nationwide to contractors, builders, and industrial facilities. Kentile’s vinyl asbestos tile became a ubiquitous flooring material in hospitals, schools, factories, office buildings, and residential homes constructed or renovated during the postwar building boom.

The company’s tiles were marketed under several product lines and were known for their durability, affordability, and ease of installation. Kentile vinyl asbestos tile competed directly with other resilient flooring manufacturers of the era and was widely specified in commercial construction projects due to its resistance to heavy foot traffic, moisture, and chemical exposure. The product’s broad distribution through flooring wholesalers, hardware retailers, and construction supply chains meant that it was installed in virtually every type of American building during its period of production.

Kentile Floors, Inc. eventually filed for bankruptcy, in part due to mounting asbestos-related litigation. The company’s legal and financial history reflects a pattern common among asbestos product manufacturers of the same era. The Kentile Floors Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust was established through the bankruptcy proceedings to compensate individuals harmed by exposure to Kentile’s asbestos-containing products, including its vinyl asbestos tile.

Asbestos Content

Kentile vinyl asbestos tile, like competing resilient floor tiles of its era, was manufactured with chrysotile asbestos as a primary ingredient in its composition. Asbestos was incorporated into resilient floor tiles during this period because the mineral’s fibrous structure enhanced the structural integrity of the finished tile, improved its resistance to heat and fire, and helped bind other raw materials — including vinyl resins, plasticizers, and mineral fillers — into a cohesive, durable product.

The asbestos content in vinyl asbestos tile of this type was typically substantial by weight, as the mineral served an essential functional role in the tile’s composition rather than appearing merely as a trace contaminant. Regulatory frameworks that emerged in later decades, including standards developed under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) and OSHA’s asbestos regulations, would come to classify materials with asbestos content above one percent as asbestos-containing materials subject to specific handling and abatement requirements. Kentile vinyl asbestos tile falls within this regulatory classification.

The chrysotile fibers incorporated into the tile matrix remain bound within the finished product under normal conditions. However, the tile’s asbestos content becomes hazardous when the material is disturbed, cut, abraded, drilled, sanded, or otherwise mechanically disrupted — activities that were routine in the installation and removal of floor tile throughout the construction and renovation trades.

How Workers Were Exposed

Occupational exposure to asbestos fibers from Kentile vinyl asbestos tile occurred primarily during installation and removal operations. Industrial workers generally, along with flooring installers, maintenance workers, and building tradespeople, were among those who encountered this product in the course of their work.

Installation activities posed significant exposure risk. Cutting tiles to fit along walls, doorways, and irregular floor surfaces was standard practice during installation. Workers used hand saws, scoring tools, and other cutting implements that generated tile dust and debris. Dry-cutting in particular — a common field technique — released asbestos-containing particulate directly into the breathing zone of the worker performing the cut and others working nearby in enclosed spaces.

Removal and demolition work created some of the most hazardous exposure conditions associated with vinyl asbestos tile. When existing tile was torn up during renovation or demolition projects, the mechanical disruption of the tile matrix released embedded asbestos fibers. Workers who scraped adhesive residue from subfloors, a task that inevitably disturbed any tile fragments or adhesive containing asbestos, faced repeated and potentially heavy fiber exposure. Industrial facilities undergoing renovation or repurposing often required the removal of large floor areas covered with Kentile tile, exposing workers to sustained fiber release over extended periods.

Maintenance and repair activities in facilities where Kentile vinyl asbestos tile had been installed also created exposure opportunities. Grinding, buffing, or sanding worn tile surfaces — operations performed by janitorial and maintenance staff in industrial and commercial buildings — could abrade the tile surface and release fibers if the material had degraded or was aggressively worked.

The confined, often poorly ventilated spaces typical of industrial and commercial building construction compounded exposure risk. Workers in these environments had limited ability to escape airborne fibers generated by their own work or by the work of adjacent tradespeople, resulting in repeated inhalation exposures over the course of a career.

Asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer, are associated with repeated occupational inhalation of asbestos fibers. These diseases typically have long latency periods, often measured in decades, meaning that workers exposed to Kentile vinyl asbestos tile during the mid-twentieth century may only now be receiving diagnoses.

The Kentile Floors Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust was established following Kentile Floors, Inc.’s bankruptcy proceedings to provide compensation to individuals harmed by exposure to the company’s asbestos-containing products. The trust operates as the primary legal remedy for eligible claimants and represents the structured mechanism through which Kentile’s asbestos liability has been resolved.

Filing eligibility for the Kentile Floors Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust is generally available to individuals who can document:

  • A diagnosed asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or other qualifying conditions recognized by the trust
  • Occupational or other exposure to Kentile vinyl asbestos tile or other Kentile asbestos-containing products
  • A sufficient exposure history establishing the connection between the claimant’s condition and Kentile products

Claim categories recognized by asbestos settlement trusts of this type typically correspond to the severity of the claimant’s diagnosis. Mesothelioma claims generally receive the highest payment levels, reflecting the severity and documented causal relationship between asbestos exposure and that disease. Lung cancer claims, asbestosis claims, and other nonmalignant disease claims are typically assigned to lower payment tiers, with compensation amounts determined by trust payment percentages and individual claim review.

Individuals who were employed in industrial settings, maintenance roles, or construction trades and who worked with or around Kentile vinyl asbestos tile should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos trust fund claims. Documentation supporting a claim typically includes employment records, medical records confirming an asbestos-related diagnosis, product identification evidence, and witness or co-worker affidavits establishing exposure history.

The Kentile Floors Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust is one of numerous such trusts established to compensate victims of asbestos exposure. Claimants may be eligible to file with multiple trusts if exposure to products from more than one manufacturer can be documented. An asbestos claims attorney can assist in identifying all applicable trusts and preparing the documentation required for submission.