What kind of flooring is this?

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We’re first time buyers and going to see a flat tomorrow. In the pics, I can see the flooring is not carpet, laminate or floorboards but a kind of smooth, hard marble-but-not-marble flooring. Does anyone know what it is? It’s throughout the flat and just wondering what we could do if we bought the flat.

Travertine?

Just a guess without seeing it.

It's impossible to guess without a picture. Hard. Marble but not marble. Ceramic tiles?

Tiles?
Lino?
LVT?

Sorry, so vague 🤦🏻‍♀️ I pic would be good, wouldn’t it!

It’s deffo no lino or tiles. It’s completely smooth like lino. But much harder. I’ve seen it before in other flats but never known what it was. It’s a really hard cold surface.

What age of a building is it?

If it’s older than, 90s probably they could be Marley tiles with low quantities of asbestos/stuck down by bitumen with asbestos.

Not dangerous as long as not broken/disturbed and you can pay to have them removed.

If not that they look more like commercial vinyl flooring tiles?

Ooh I vaguely remember that kind of flooring in our post war council house that I grew up in 🤔 how old is the flat?

I’m not sure how old the building is - how can I find out?

Sorry, I’m clueless!

They look like they might be commercial vinyl flooring like this? So you might be into something! www.factory-direct-flooring.co.uk/contract-safe-vinyl-flooring-beige-190l-2mtr-wide

It’s definitely ex-council.

Yeah the council houses I've had have often had this laid in the kitchens and bathrooms.

If it’s not something that can be changed relatively simply and cheaply I.e will it cost a lot more than simply putting new carpets down, I want to research before putting an offer in.

This is what was in my council house bathroom and kitchen floors when we bought the house. Infact it's still under the flooring we put down in the bathroom. They are like sticky tiles I think. Hard to remove.

@drogosnextwife can you just put another kind of flooring over them like underlay and carpet? I’m not too bothered about the bathroom but it’s throughout the flat - bedrooms and front room and it’s so cold and hard. But if it’s a massive pain and expense to have removed, we need to think about the flat in terms of choice.

Ours they are glued and heat sealed out something and they won't be going anywhere

I'm sure we just laid flooring over ours.

I'd say that was actual linoleum. The word Lino now gets used for all sorts of vinyl & plastic floor covering but was originally a specific product. It's still made and is a natural product unlike vinyl. Still regret not going for it in the kitchen instead of tiles with their bloody grout that needs scrubbed.

**Iirc not ours

Just lay the flooring you want over it.

It looks like original linoleum! It goes rock hard with age. On the positive side it's eco friendly, super hard wearing and rock solid. You could quite possibly just lay another floor on top (ask a trade). I'd buy the flat if I like it otherwise :)

Thank you so much everyone - that’s really helpful! I’m so green about everything re house buying. I’ve no clue what I’m doing!

No it isn't linoleum IMO it's what we used to call Marley tiles (other makes also available) ie hard pvc with mineral filler. Yes does sometimes contain asbestos. I used to put them down years ago because they are cheap and very hard wearing. Up to you if you want them removed, it won't be cheap, but there are miles and miles of these under vinyl, carpets and other tiles doing nobody any harm.

I'm pretty sure we laid our wood flooring over ours,it was in the house somewhere.

From the picture I think vinyl tiles (used to work for a huge flooring manufacturer)

I think as long as its a fairly even surface you could put carpet on top.

If you want to pull them up or drill into them/otherwise break them do get them tested for asbestos.

Post war council properties and prime for it.

Like I say, not a massive issue but do check.

Thats the bomb proof vinyl council flooring of my childhood. They were all through my late Mums house, over the years they were carpet tiled, carpeted an, vinyl floored, laminate and eventually tiled over.

Brilliant advice from everyone, thank you.

Should I ask a surveyor about them or is it not that big of an issue? I don’t want to be stuck with something I can’t sell and have to sort it out before we sell on.