# Identifying Flooring Underlayment (asbestos?)



## nealb (May 9, 2015)

We are working on a 1910 home and while removing the kitchen subfloor found this (attached image) underlayment. Does anyone know exactly what this material is?
Thanks,
Neal


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

probabaly linoleum.



should ask this in the flooring section.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

What are we looking at? The grooved area or the small broken chunk? A sideish view would be easier


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## nealb (May 9, 2015)

This is a square we cut out of the subfloor. you can see the plywood (subfloor) on the sides of the zoomed out picture. The other picture is just a zoomed in view of the top left hand corner. We removed a layer of linoleum. Under was the plywood subfloor, next a layer of particle board, finally this underlayment next to the original hardwood floors. I can post a side view after I stop over this morning. 

Thanks.


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## nealb (May 9, 2015)

Also, the underlayment is just one sheet... the grooved area on top is part of the same piece that you see on the torn edge.


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## nealb (May 9, 2015)

*Identifying Flooring Underlayment*

We are working on a 1910 home and while removing the kitchen subfloor found this (attached image) underlayment. Does anyone know exactly what this material is? The pictures are of a square we cut out of the subfloor. You can see the plywood (subfloor) on the sides of the zoomed out picture. The other picture is just a zoomed in view of the top left hand corner. We removed a layer of linoleum. Under, was the plywood subfloor, next a layer of particle board, finally this underlayment next to the original hardwood floors. The underlayment is just one sheet... the grooved area on top is part of the same piece that you see on the torn edge.

Thanks,
Neal


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## rusty baker (Jun 14, 2008)

Celotex?


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## ccoffer (Jan 30, 2005)

It used to be linoleum. Now it's a fossil fuel. Pretty cool time capsule. That stuff was pretty much all vegetable material before the advent of mass petroleum production.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

ccoffer said:


> It used to be linoleum. Now it's a fossil fuel. Pretty cool time capsule. That stuff was pretty much all vegetable material before the advent of mass petroleum production.


I agree, it just looks like old linoleum to me - burlap and sawdust soaked in linseed oil and run under some hot rollers.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

CarpenterSFO said:


> old linoleum to me - burlap and sawdust soaked in linseed oil and run under some hot rollers.


Wow, that's how they made it? Times certainly were tuffer back in the good ol days.


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