Lifestyle – linoleum

Everyone who has at least once in his life faced a renovation knows firsthand: everything starts with the ceiling, then the walls come, and only before their last painting, you can take the floor. There is a wide range of floor coverings on the building materials market; some prefer parquet, which is understandable, natural wood is always in price, and those who want to save money, but at the same time get a floor covering that is quite attractive and unpretentious in operation, choose linoleum.

As you know, linoleum consists of different layers. The top, or wear-resistant, layer has a strong structure and its thickness can change over time. The thicker the wear layer, the harder the floor. The second layer is color. Western companies use modern paints and technologies in the production of linoleum, thanks to which the coating does not threaten rapid discoloration from exposure to ultraviolet rays. Linoleum must be protected from direct sunlight, this material is not designed for “tanning”. Hypothermia is also harmful for him, the material becomes brittle and breaks at the fold. The third layer is foamed PVC. It creates a natural look for linoleum on the floor. The fiberglass layer resists deformation and is responsible for dimensional stability. The total thickness of linoleum is the sum of all layers. The greater the overall thickness, the more comfortable the floor is.

Until recently, a jute and pile foam base was used in the basis of roll floor coverings, but today many companies have abandoned the technology. It is believed that these materials are capable of causing an allergic reaction, and also have low heat, noise and sound insulation characteristics. However, leading concerns continue to produce so-called natural linoleums, which are several times more expensive than artificial ones. In addition to the high cost, natural linoleum has one more drawback: it is difficult to work with it, it is very brittle, cracks at the folds. Today, commercial linoleum, which is more durable in structure than household linoleum, has gained popularity. There are two types of commercial vinyl flooring, homogeneous and heterogeneous, with a pattern that extends through the entire thickness of the coating to give the material a decent look even with high levels of wear. The daily load on 1 m2 of pavement can be up to 5 tons. Such linoleum will last 10 years without noticeable deterioration in the appearance of the floor, thanks to the polyurethane base. Commercial coatings include materials with special properties.

So, antistatic linoleum, in the structure of which carbon threads are interspersed, is used in rooms where a large number of equipment is simultaneously turned on and working, for example, in banking and medical institutions. Commercial linoleum opens up new opportunities for office space designers and decorators. It can be used where the load on the flooring is quite high: in hospitals, hotels, offices, shops, schools, airport and train station buildings, passenger car interiors. Pieces of material can be interestingly combined with each other, a rich color scheme allows you to do this. You can wrap everything in linoleum! The sports linoleum collection is designed for intensive sports. A high-quality floor significantly reduces the risk of injury, does not interfere with the athlete’s reaction, and sports shoes, even with friction, do not leave marks on it. Finally, it should be added that even the most stylish expensive linoleum can be spoiled by improper installation. In this matter, it is better to trust the professionals, but if you decide to go contrary to sound logic, then you need to do this at least together. A vacuum cleaner must be at hand.

After each stage of work, the floor must be thoroughly vacuumed. The slightest hit of dust is fraught with swelling, and the work will go to waste. The floor should be “no knot, no hitch”, as even as possible, so it is necessary to smooth out all the roughness. To create a perfectly flat surface, a self-leveling mortar is used, which is poured over the cement screed. Caring for linoleum is not difficult. It is enough to rub it every six months with special mastics and protect it from piercing and cutting objects.

N. Chechetkina