ABOUT US

History Timeline

See how a small cork-cutting company, begun in 1860 in Pittsburgh, PA, grew to become one of the largest flooring manufacturers in the U.S.A.

1900	1910	1920	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000	2010	2012

1900s		1900 Armstrong Cork Company begins recycling cork waste for use in the production of corkboard insulation. Later, cork waste is used to produce cork flooring tile.
		1907 Armstrong builds a linoleum factory in Lancaster, PA.
1910s		1917 Armstrong national consumer advertising featuring linoleum appears for the first time in The Saturday Evening Post.
1920s		1925 Armstrong applies for patents covering the manufacture of embossed molded inlaids.
1930s		1937 Asphalt tile volume is booming. Armstrong builds a plant in South Gate, CA.
1940s		1946 Post-war expansion is under way with new asphalt tile plants in Kankakee, IL; Jackson, MS.; Team Valley, UK; and Montreal, Canada. A new fiberboard plant is built in Macon, GA. The company expands plants in South Gate, CA; Fulton, NY; Lancaster, PA; Beaver Falls, PA.; Camden, NJ; Gloucester, NJ; Pittsburgh, PA; Keyport, NJ; and Pensacola, FL.
1950s		1952 Armstrong opens a new Research & Development Center, the first of its kind in the industry.
1960s		1962 Montina Corlon vinyl launches to commercial and residential markets, followed by Coronelle Corlon. Both are huge successes.
1970s		1970 Armstrong introduces the world's first no-maintenance floor. Its surface, called Mirabond, is a urethane composition that eliminates the need for waxing.
1980s		1986 Armstrong purchases the W.W. Henry Company, manufacturer of adhesives for all types of flooring installations.
1990s		1993 Armstrong becomes a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council.
2000s		2000 Armstrong adds a polyurethane coating to all homogeneous sheet products, including MEDINTONE™ and MEDLEY™ lines. This addition addresses a recognized need in target markets for a floor that is easier to maintain.
		2007 Armstrong introduces BioBased Tile® with BioStride® polymer. This new composition tile is made with rapidly renewable materials, aiding in the conservation of precious resources.
		2008 Armstrong plants 500,000 trees in the United States -- more trees than used in the production of floors.
		2008 140,600 square meters of Armstrong product cover the floors and ceilings of the Beijing Olympic buildings. That’s equivalent to 112 Olympic-size swimming pools.
2010s		2010 Armstrong reaches a milestone: 150 years in business.
		2011 Armstrong operates 31 plants in 7 countries and offers products domestically and internationally.
		2011 All linoleum, luxury vinyl tile, and sheet products such as MEDINTONE™ and MEDLEY™ have PUR for low maintenance.
2012		2012 STRIATIONS BBT® joins MIGRATIONS® in the Armstrong BioBased Tile® line.