Exhibit 99.1


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information:

Howard N. Feist
Chief Financial Officer
(609) 584-3586


           CONGOLEUM CORPORATION REQUEST FOR NEW HEARING DATE APPROVED


MERCERVILLE, NJ, July 26, 2004 - Congoleum Corporation (AMEX: CGM) announced
today that the bankruptcy court approved Congoleum's request to reschedule its
confirmation hearing from September 9, 2004 to October 5, 2004.
Roger S. Marcus, Chairman of the Board, commented "As we prepare for the
confirmation hearing, there is some concern about certain aspects of the
reorganization plan. As a consequence, there have been opportunities identified
to improve upon the plan. We asked the court for a little additional time in
order to respond to these concerns prior to the hearing and we appreciate the
court's granting of our request. We believe this slight delay in what has been a
very long process is more than worthwhile, as it should serve to both increase
the likelihood of confirmation and reduce the risk of delays to our plan taking
effect."

Congoleum Corporation is a leading manufacturer of resilient flooring, serving
both residential and commercial markets. Its sheet, tile and plank products are
available in a wide variety of designs and colors, and are used in remodeling,
manufactured housing, new construction and commercial applications. The
Congoleum brand name is recognized and trusted by consumers as representing a
company that has been supplying attractive and durable flooring products for
over a century. Congoleum is a 55% owned subsidiary of American Biltrite Inc.
(AMEX: ABL).

The above news release contains certain forward-looking statements, within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve
risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are based
on Congoleum's expectations, as of the date of this release, of future events,
and Congoleum undertakes no obligation to update any of these forward looking
statements. Although Congoleum believes that these expectations are based on
reasonable assumptions, within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and
experience, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ
materially from its expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ from expectations include: (i) the future cost and timing of
estimated asbestos liabilities and payments and availability of insurance
coverage and reimbursement from insurance companies that underwrote the
applicable insurance policies for asbestos-related claims and other costs
relating to the execution and implementation of any plan of reorganization
pursued by Congoleum, (ii) timely reaching agreement with other creditors, or
classes of creditors, that exist or may emerge, (iii) satisfaction of the
conditions and obligations under Congoleum's outstanding debt instruments, (iv)
the response from time-to-time of Congoleum's and its controlling shareholder's,



American Biltrite Inc.'s, lenders, customers, suppliers and other constituencies
to the ongoing process arising from Congoleum's strategy to settle its asbestos
liability, (v) Congoleum's ability to maintain debtor-in-possession financing
sufficient to provide it with funding that may be needed during the pendency of
its Chapter 11 case and exit financing sufficient to provide it with funding for
its operations after emerging from the bankruptcy process, in each case, on
reasonable terms, (vi) timely obtaining sufficient creditor and court approval
of any reorganization plan pursued by Congoleum, (vii) compliance with the
United States Bankruptcy Code, including Section 524(g), (viii) developments in,
and the outcome of, insurance litigation pending in New Jersey state court, (ix)
developments in, and the outcome of, proposed federal legislation that, if
adopted, would establish a national trust to provide compensation to victims of
asbestos-related injuries that would be funded by assessments against companies
with asbestos-related liabilities such as Congoleum, (x) increases in raw
material prices, (xi) increased competitive activity from companies in the
flooring industry, some of which have greater resources and broader distribution
channels than Congoleum, (xii) increases in the costs of environmental
compliance and remediation or the exhaustion of insurance coverage for such
expenses, (xiii) unfavorable developments in the national economy or in the
housing industry in general, including developments arising from the war in
Iraq, (xiv) shipment delays, depletion of inventory and increased production
costs resulting from unforeseen disruptions of operations at any of Congoleum's
facilities or distributors, (xv) product warranty costs, and (xvi) changes in
distributors of Congoleum's products. In any event, if Congoleum is not
successful in obtaining sufficient creditor and court approval of its plan of
reorganization, such failure would have a material adverse effect upon its
business, results of operations and financial condition. Actual results could
differ significantly as a result of these and other factors discussed in
Congoleum's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and
its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.