DIY linoleum repair

Recommendation points

• Problem 1. How to glue linoleum
• Cold welding of linoleum
• Hot welding of linoleum
• Problem 2. How to close a hole in linoleum
• Problem 3. How to level linoleum

Elasticity, so convenient when laying, during operation becomes the cause of mechanical damage when moving furniture, falling sharp objects and in other everyday situations.

Over the decades of active exploitation of this material, all its shortcomings and potential problems have been well studied and optimal “popular” solutions have been found for them. Our site offers to consider the most common defects in laid linoleum and ways to eliminate them.

Problem 1. How to glue linoleum

This question can arise in a variety of circumstances, while it is absolutely not necessary for the linoleum to lie on the floor. Don’t forget about its versatility – it’s perfect for car interiors, garden furniture and balcony walls (for lack of a better one). When finishing large areas, the connection of sheets is necessary even at the installation stage. Of course, this is not a problem for high-class professionals who have a large arsenal of tools and equipment..

At home, gluing linoleum can be much easier. There are two ways – “cold” and “hot”.

Cold welding of linoleum

Cold welding is a conventional name for the bonding process, in which the contact surfaces are dissolved by chemically active substances in the glue and mixed (mutually penetrate by 0.1–0.5 mm). After evaporation of the solvent (drying of the glue), the materials remain bound by their own particles, without an adhesive layer.

This is the safest way of “cold” joining planes, especially for elastic material. The term “cold welding” is also used to simplify the designation of a group of adhesives with the described properties.

Operating procedure:

1. Combine two strips of linoleum with an overlap of 50-60 mm.
2. Draw a cutting line in the middle of the overlap.
3. We put a soft pad under both sheets.
4. We cut both fins with a retractable knife along the cutting line. Use a guide – steel ruler.
5. Remove the lining and trim. We glue masking tape on the seam and cut it along the cutting line.
6. We install the tip with the needle on the tube and carefully, passing the needle inside the seam, fill the seam with glue. Alternatively, you can use a knife to widen the seam, but this will involve both hands.
7. After 15 minutes, carefully remove the tape. It can be operated no earlier than after 3 hours.

Cold welding of linoleum, video

This homemade way to align sheets is as simple as it is popular. The only question is – what glue to use? Many firms produce glue and skirting boards for their products, but these are more often “expensive” firms and products. Typically these products are labeled as “Cold Welding for Linoleum” or “Adhesive for Linoleum”.

Prices for glue for linoleum

Hot welding of linoleum

The term “hot welding” reveals the essence of the bonding process. A special composition, which is in a solid state of aggregation (as a rule, a cord), when heated, becomes liquid-plastic. In a heated form, it is placed in an embroidered seam (3-5 mm), where it vulcanizes with the edges of linoleum and after hardening becomes homogeneous with it. This is the most effective way – the sheets literally become one whole. To “weld” the seams of linoleum, you need a special tool – a professional building hair dryer with nozzles.

Tool for welding linoleum on video

Problem 2. How to close a hole in linoleum

According to the degree of damage, this defect is different. The area of ​​the damaged area in this case is of decisive importance..

Large area – more than 100 mm² – will have to be replaced. To do this, you need to find a patch, preferably from linoleum of the same color. If you’re lucky, the drawing will match and the patch will not be visible.

Advice.Do not throw away linoleum residues after installation. A few pieces can come in handy when repairing the coating.

Operating procedure:

1. Determine the approximate dimensions of the patch, apply the markup on a separate sheet.
2. Apply the donor sheet to the damaged area, combine the drawing.
3. Cut through both layers with a sharp retractable knife.

Attention! Do not blindly cut through the bottom layer at the corners. It is better to choose the corners later separately.

4. Remove the damaged area and clean the base.
5. Trim the edges of the patch by 2-3 mm so that it fits freely into the area to be replaced.
6. If linoleum is laid on glue, place a patch on assembly glue and press down for 24 hours.
7. If linoleum is laid dry, we carry out items 5-7 from the “Cold welding” section of this article.

Video how to patch a hole in linoleum

Small area – less than 100 mm² – can be repaired with a special glue-based repair mixture. This method works best on glued coverings with blind damage. Special kits for repairing PVC floor coverings are commercially available – they include a colorless repair compound, color scheme, solvent, tools (rubber spatula, sticks and containers), a set of samples for color matching.

Operating procedure:

1. If it is a burn-through, clean the burnt area to clear PVC.
2. Choose the color of the composition according to the samples.
3. Mix the tinting liquid until the desired shade is achieved.
4. Add color to the repair compound.
5. Mix thoroughly.
6. Apply tinted repair compound with a trowel and remove residues.

Video “Repairing scratches on linoleum”

Problem 3. How to level linoleum

The blame for the appearance of blistering of the base and bubbles of linoleum itself without obvious external factors (overheating, flooding) in 100% of cases lies with unscrupulous builders.

Basically, bubbles appear due to the fact that the sheet was not allowed to “lie down” and was pressed against the baseboard. Technological expansion stalls and a wave appears. These areas are subject to wear 5–10 times more than areas laid using technology. There is only one way to eliminate such a nuisance, and it is quite simple.

Operating procedure:

1. Remove all furniture from the room.
2. Before smoothing the linoleum, you need to remove the entire baseboard.
3. If the material lies close to the walls, cut it by 20-25 mm.
4. Wait 24 hours and roll the surface with a roller or heavy bag.
5. If the bubbles are not smoothed out, glue the area with mounting glue.

Another case – swelling of the base – can be eliminated without removing the linoleum layer. This problem often appears in places where new linoleum is laid on an old base..

Operating procedure:

1. In the place of the strip of the picture, we cut the linoleum with a knife and carefully open the bosom 20-30 mm.
2. We fix the base with a self-tapping screw in the bosom.
3. Close the bosom.
4. We install a special nozzle for crevices on the flooring adhesive.
5. Insert glue end to end, remove excess.

Strengthening the foundation under linoleum, video master class

It is unnecessary to talk about the scale of distribution and popularity of linoleum – it is or was in every house, in every apartment. High-quality durable material can be found in public, medical, cultural and educational institutions.

For their own apartments and private houses, owners often choose inexpensive options and not so much out of unreasonable savings, but for reasons of aesthetics – for cosmetic repairs that they want to do in 3-5 years, it is not a pity to replace cheap material.