How to lay linoleum in the apartment. Instructions: how to lay linoleum at home, laying rules, operating tips. How to lay linoleum in the apartment with your own hands. Laying rules for different coverage

Linoleum is a democratic floor covering that attracts not only with its affordable price, but also with the ability to do it yourself. In order not to spoil the material, albeit inexpensive, but very liked, you need to thoroughly study the information on how to lay linoleum on different types of bases. It does not fit to get acquainted with the various techniques and nuances of styling.

Wear-resistant universal coating is suitable for arranging residential, industrial and public buildings. Elastic waterproof material is laid in apartments, in large shopping and entertainment centers and in autonomous low-rise buildings.

How to properly prepare the subfloor?

Among the most common types of rough bases for laying linoleum:

• concrete floor slabs;
• wooden floors;
• sand-cement or polymer screed used to level the base.

However, a tiled floor can be used as a rough base for linoleum, its classmate that has not worn out is still durable, previously laid linoleum and even parquet, if there are those who want to turn expensive natural material into a substrate for budget coverage.

Preparing to install an old wood floor

The most common question asked by the owners of private property and housing in buildings of the secondary fund: "How to properly lay linoleum on a wooden base?".

If, after a detailed study of the condition of the wooden floor, there was no desire to remove it completely before overlapping, you will need to perform the following simple operations:

• check the tightness of the floorboards, hammer in protruding nail heads, strengthen all elements that do not inspire confidence;
• level the dry floor with an uneven upper level of the boards with a scraper;
• seal cracks with putty;
• replace rotten and damaged floorboards with new durable material;
• if the floor is laid on the logs, replace the damaged beam, if there is none, but the lack of horizontal plane is noticeable, level the logs by placing sand or wood chips under them;
• instead of sanding, especially on the floor, which is suspicious of fragility, it is better to lay sheets of GVL or plywood (in terms of the arrangement of the elements of such a screed, it should resemble brickwork);
• fasten each element of a dry screed made of plywood or GVL with self-tapping screws designed specifically for the selected material, after which you should learn how to lay linoleum on plywood and carry out the intended installation.

Upon completion of the installation and fixing of plywood sheets to the logs or to the ceiling, the flooring should be walked to determine sagging and questionable areas. This must be done, because from the unstable position of the plywood elements, the caps of the self-tapping screws can crawl out and break through the linoleum. It is better to immediately strengthen all insidious areas by laying pieces of fiberboard.

If the floor initially did not raise doubts about reliability, it is enough to scrape, treat with a primer and proceed with laying without any fuss.

Preparing a concrete floor for linoleum

The whole process is to eliminate the predecessor of linoleum and repair the concrete rough base:

• If, as a result of the revision, deep cracks, chips, potholes, irregularities are revealed, it is advisable to fill in the screed. It will be possible to lay linoleum only after complete drying and hardening of the leveling layer.
• Minor deviations from the horizontal within 2 mm, distributed per square meter, must be removed by grinding.

Attention. Leveling a concrete base floor before laying vapor-tight linoleum is not recommended with plywood or other materials that can absorb moisture from the floor, otherwise the floor will not last long.

After preparing the concrete base, it remains to figure out how to properly lay the linoleum using glue or adhesive mastic, and get to work, since this material is mainly glued to the concrete base. The adhesive can be applied to the entire area of ​​the finished room or applied partially around the perimeter and in areas of maximum load.

In addition to the information received, watch a video on how to fix the material by treating not the entire floor area with mastic - the video will help you visualize a simple and very economical process:

Preparing the "old linoleum" for the flooring of the new

• The joint of the sheets is glued with masking tape, it must be thoroughly fixed on the surface.
• The blade of the knife is deepened into the seam and the glued adhesive tape is cut along it.
• A tube needle with a special glue is inserted into the incision and, dosing the composition, the incision is treated with it.
• The mating edges with the bonding material must be pressed firmly.
• After a short period of time specified by the manufacturer of the product, the masking tape is removed.

When punctually following the manufacturer's instructions, no traces of the used agent remain. Usually the seams are welded a day after gluing.

Complete the work by installing the plinth.

Correctly laying linoleum with your own hands is not too difficult. It is important not to deviate from the rules developed as a result of many years of practice and not to forget about the nuances of laying linoleum associated with the specific properties of PVC flooring. The study of technological features will help to avoid errors and damage to the material. Strongly glued linoleum will serve "correctly" and please the owners for a long time.

How to lay linoleum with your own hands? Our recommendations and video instructions will help you lay a new coating without the help of specialists. We will also help you choose the right linoleum and level the floor before laying.

How to choose the right linoleum

During the repair, a large amount of information is concentrated in our head, which is sometimes difficult to organize. Therefore, we have compiled some recommendations on how to choose linoleum and not make a mistake.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the appearance, because it depends on how the interior of your rooms, kitchen and hallway will look like. Today, light colors of linoleum are very popular, they are suitable in most cases. Also, light shades help to visually expand the space. If it is planned to install furniture in a classic style in your apartment, then a more “yellow” color will do.

In the bedroom and children's room, it is better to use warm "cozy" colors. And the kitchen, hallway and living room are more modern.

Also, pay attention to whether the linoleum is insulated. If the floors in your house are cold by themselves, then it is better to choose insulated thick types of flooring. In this case, most likely you will have to lay an additional substrate.

If the floor in your apartment is even and relatively warm, then you can choose a coating without insulation.

How to level the floor

After you have picked up and bought linoleum, the question arises of how to lay linoleum with your own hands.

Usually, for home coverage, a household series is used, which can be laid by yourself. At the same time, you need to know some of the nuances that are outlined in this article and video.

The work depends on the type of floor surface and the method of fixing the linoleum to the surface. If required, no substrates are required. It is enough to level it with a special compound and prime it. The wooden floor is also leveled and cracks are sealed, otherwise the linoleum may crack in these places. The wooden floor under the linoleum is leveled with plywood or OSB sheets with a thickness of about 10 mm. In this case, it is necessary to take into account whether there are gaps between the floorboard and plywood, otherwise the floor will be pressed under the weight of people stepping on it and stretched. This significantly reduces the life of the coating.

If we are talking about cement floors, then it will be necessary to make a semi-dry screed. It is made using special dry building mixtures.

It is necessary in advance so that it is completely straightened out by the time work begins. We are talking about cork underlays.

How to lay linoleum

Linoleum during work is either glued to the base, or simply laid on the floor. It should be borne in mind that natural-based linoleum produced using old technologies, as well as commercial coatings, must be securely attached to the base with mastic or glue.

Example of laying on plywood (OSB)

A household series of linoleums can be laid without reliable attachment to the floor surface.

Not the last factors that affect how to properly lay linoleum are the size of the room and its purpose. With a large area of ​​​​a room of 20 m2 or more, which is actively used, where furniture is often moved, it is also recommended to lay a PVC coating and firmly fix it with skirting boards.

In the room where the linoleum will be laid, the air temperature must be maintained at least + 15 0 C. At the beginning of laying the PVC coating, you need to prepare the base. It can be a concrete flat floor, a wooden floor, plywood, fiberboard, chipboard or OSB. In the kitchen, it is best to make waterproofing. Before laying it, the coating should be kept rolled out for about a day at the laying temperature. If it was brought from a lower temperature, then before rolling it out, it is necessary to keep it in the form of a roll for a couple of days.

To cut a linoleum roll, it is carefully rolled out, avoiding sharp bends (see video). Along the ruler, it is cut with a knife into pieces of the desired size, leaving a few centimeters with a margin for shrinkage.

The panels overlap one another. This is done in order to make the edges of the parts at the docking point the same. Further, the edges of the parts are cut in accordance with the equipment, the protruding parts of the partitions and walls. Parts of the desired length are pressed against the skirting boards or walls. With a ruler on the parts of the coating, the contours of the wall are applied. You can cut linoleum with a special knife.

Along the marking lines, cut out the contours of the parts that will correspond to the contours of the walls. In the process, paper templates of appropriate sizes are glued in places of obstacles (around heating pipes), and cuts are made with a special knife.

Places of slots should be tried to be located as close as possible to the junction of the covering panels or in places where they move little. If you choose the option of do-it-yourself flooring without glue, and it is possible to close the floor in one piece, then the linoleum around the perimeter is fixed with skirting boards, and at the joints with the help of special pads or double-sided tape. So it is possible to lay the linoleum evenly and correctly.

Watch the instruction video:

How to lay linoleum correctly so that there are no waves in the future? To do this, you need to wait from two to 7 days after laying before fixing the skirting board completely.

Thus, it will be possible to lay the surface according to all the rules. If you want to lay linoleum on a concrete floor, then you need to consider a number of points:

• ready-made panels must be kept rolled out for at least two days before gluing, in order to stabilize their dimensions and better straighten them;
• to preserve the properties and the absence of deformations of linoleum, it is necessary to use special adhesives;
• smeared on the surface with a notched trowel. On each side of the piece of linoleum, with the exception of the one that is adjacent to the wall, a dry strip about 10 cm wide is left. Then linoleum is applied to the base, smeared with mastic. For a tighter fit between the linoleum and the base, the trapped air is removed, smoothing it from the middle to the edge with the help of burlap, and then with a roller.

After the coating dries, trim and glue the edges of adjacent parts of the linoleum. Both edges of the linoleum are overlapped and cut along the ruler with a sharp knife. After that, the joints of the linoleum are glued with mastic, pressed, and smoothed with burlap and rolled with a roller.

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You started a renovation in your apartment, bought all the necessary materials and realized that calling installers to fix everything in its place is now an unaffordable luxury for you? It doesn’t matter, because you can do most of the work on installing materials on walls, floors and even ceilings with your own hands! Today we will tell you about how to lay linoleum on your own. By following our tips and instructions, you will be able to repair the floor without much difficulty.

General preparatory work before laying linoleum

Linoleum is one of the cheapest floor coverings. However, despite its low cost, this material has a lot of positive characteristics. Also, its pleasant appearance speaks in favor of linoleum, some canvases have a “parquet-like” pattern.

The linoleum floor does not burn, is not afraid of water and is very easy to clean. It can be stellit in absolutely any room, but it shows itself best in the kitchen and in the corridor, because these rooms are most prone to pollution.

The first step is to choose the right material. There are no special rules here. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the thickness of the linoleum sheet, because the thicker such a coating, the more resistant to wear the floor will be. Experienced craftsmen do not recommend using canvases thinner than 3 mm.

Next, you measure the length of the walls and find out the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room, on the basis of which you calculate the number of rolls. Quantity sq. meters of material should be slightly larger than you calculated as allowances are made during installation.

After the linoleum is purchased, it is necessary to remove all furniture and other items from the room that may interfere with the repair. If there are cabinets in the room that you can’t handle moving on your own, then ask your friends for help. You should not cut the flooring to the shape of the furniture, leaving the areas under it uncovered, because in this case you will not be able to make further rearrangements.

Now you just have to prepare the following tools:

• Wide and narrow paint spatula;
• Special glue;
• roller;
• Double sided tape;
• Scissors.

This is, perhaps, all the preparatory work common to the floors. Further laying of linoleum will be slightly different.

How can you lay linoleum on glue with your own hands

There are several ways to lay linoleum, it is best to put such material on glue. In this case, the coating will hold on tighter and will last you much longer.

There are only two options for how to put linoleum on glue:

1. Coating with adhesive composition of the entire surface of the base. For such work, a roller or notched trowel and a special adhesive are used, it can be one-component, two-component, water-dispersion, polyurethane, or solvent-based.
2. To fix linoleum, glue is applied in drops in some places. In this case, you can use double-sided tape or special glue for fixing.

Since there are a lot of types of linoleum, there are special adhesives for use in one case or another. To lay a sheet on a heat-insulating base, a dispersion adhesive is used, which is applied to the floor with a layer about 0.7 mm thick. For fabric-based materials, dispersion adhesive is also used, but the thickness of its layer should not exceed 0.5 mm.

To cover the concrete floor with linoleum, a special bituminous mastic is used. It provides better grip and longer material life.

Linoleum is glued as follows:

1. First you need to cut the linoleum in the shape of the room. If you cover the entire floor with one sheet, then you need to let it lie down for a couple of days in expanded form. After the material has straightened, it must be cut so that its edges do not reach the wall of one centimeter. This is necessary, the linoleum did not rest against the wall when you lay it and stretch it.
2. Half of the linoleum lying on the floor rolls into a roll. The floor under it is smeared with glue, after which the canvas unfolds.
3. The same must be done with the second half.
4. Then the glued linoleum must be rolled with a roller and left to dry completely.

If you use several linoleum sheets to decorate a room, then they overlap each other. After that, one tightly rises and is smeared with glue, the same must be done with another piece of material. At the junction, you need to make a cut and remove all unnecessary trimmings. With this gluing, the seam between the parts of the linoleum is perfectly even.

How to properly lay linoleum in an apartment without using glue

A simpler, but less reliable way of laying linoleum is to lay it without the use of glue. This option is acceptable if you use a solid linoleum sheet for finishing the floor. However, if you decide to cover the floor with such material without the help of glue, then you should know that in any case there is a risk of wrinkles appearing on the coating.

When installing linoleum on the floor, the temperature in the room should not fall below 18 degrees. It is also necessary that the humidity of the air does not exceed 68%.

If you decide to lay linoleum without using glue, then you need to mark and cut off the linoleum as accurately as possible. Only in this case, the canvas can be placed correctly.

How to cut linoleum correctly:

1. It is necessary to spread the linoleum sheet and let it lie down for several days.
2. Linoleum is laid in the room in such a way that a uniform overlap is formed on each wall.
3. If the room in which you are making repairs has external corners, then you need to start trimming the linoleum from them. First of all, it is necessary to cut the linoleum in this place so that the overlap on each side of the corner is equal to the overlaps on the wall, so that the canvas lays down at the junction of the sides of the corner, it is necessary to make an incision. You should not cut the corner, as they say “by eye”, so that the material lies flat in such corners, you need to draw two parallel lines: the first is from the beginning of the wall to the beginning of the corner, and the second is from the outer part of the corner to the perpendicular wall. The same must be done on the other side.
4. Now you can proceed to the final trimming of linoleum. To do this, you need to bend the canvas against the wall and use a ruler to measure such a distance from it that when you cut off the excess, there is a gap of 0.5 cm between the edge of the linoleum and the wall. Put a dot in this place, continue to measure the same distance further around the room. Connect all the dots with a line and cut off excess strips of material.

After completing all the above steps, you can cut the linoleum perfectly evenly. If you are going to put several strips of linoleum in the room, then we advise you to refuse the glueless method. However, it is possible to join pieces of material using cold welding. To do this, use a special glue, instructions for its use are usually written on the package.

Description: how to lay linoleum on a concrete floor yourself

A very important step in the repair is the preparation of surfaces. Laying linoleum on a poorly prepared floor is a useless job that will soon have to be redone.

Basically, the floors in the apartments are of two types: concrete and wood (fiberboard, chipboard). The first option often requires a new screed, which will even out all the old flaws.

Preparing a concrete floor for the installation of linoleum requires care and responsibility, but you can handle it yourself. First of all, you need to remove the old finishing material. Try not to leave any dried glue, debris, or dust on the concrete floor.

Now you need to inspect the floor for irregularities. If there are only small depressions and bulges on the surface, then you will be able to level it with a metal spatula and cement plaster.

If the shape of the floor does not meet the standards, and it is not possible to remove irregularities with a simple method, you will have to change the strategy and re-fill the floor. We can write a lot about a variety of screed methods, but it is easiest to work with self-levelling floors. These mixtures allow you to make the most even surface, in addition, they dry quickly enough.

Professionals do not advise laying linoleum immediately on a concrete floor, in which case the room will not be provided with sufficient thermal insulation. It is better to close the concrete with a special cork substrate.

It is also worth paying attention to the characteristics of the linoleum itself. For a concrete base, it is necessary to choose a material with a heat-insulating felt or foam layer. Linoleum is also divided into types.

Types of linoleum:

1. Commercial linoleum is suitable for use in public areas;
2. Household linoleum can be used for finishing residential apartments;
3. Semi-commercial linoleum combines the positive properties of the first and second types.

How to lay linoleum on plywood

Another option for linoleum is its lining on plywood. Such wooden sheets are used if it is necessary to improve the thermal insulation of the floor or to strengthen old boards. In the first case (if the surface is concrete), you can use plywood up to 1 cm thick, if you want to prepare a wooden floor, then choose a material no thinner than 1.5 cm.

A word on how to lay plywood sheets on a wood floor:

1. Loose boards must be tightened to the base boards with self-tapping screws;
2. The settled lags must be knocked out with wedges;
3. Replace the collapsed parts of the old floor with new boards;
4. Sand all knots and ridges on the tree;
5. Separate the sheets of plywood. At least two pieces, and attach them to the floor with a slight offset from each other.

How to lay linoleum (video)

Linoleum is one of the most inexpensive flooring materials. Many consider it unsafe, and in the case of low-quality products, this is true. However, conscientious manufacturers have long refused to add harmful substances to linoleum, so do not hesitate to send the seller for a quality certificate.

Linoleum is one of the most beautiful and durable floor coverings, which is also highly practical. It is an unusually warm, hygienic and very durable material. To maintain its performance, it is enough to simply try to avoid long-term contact of linoleum with chemicals, such as mineral oils, soda, alkalis and acids. Such a floor covering is perfectly washed with ordinary warm water and soap, and it is very easy to restore its former gloss by rubbing with mastic. Indisputable, and also playing a significant role in the choice of base, the advantage is the ease of laying linoleum. Any person can cope with this work, and we, in turn, will try to facilitate this process and give some useful tips on how to lay linoleum.

Before laying linoleum, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory work. This stage cannot be avoided for any type of flooring. After all, proper preparation for the flooring of the base is the key to a wonderful appearance and a long service life of the floor.

Determine the amount of material

In order to accurately determine how much flooring material is needed, it is recommended that you first draw a floor plan of the room with the most accurate indication of the location of all doorways and pipes included in the floor. Further on this drawing it is necessary to put down all the dimensions:

• the length and width of the room;
• square;
• distances to communication entrances to the premises;
• width of doorways.

Now you can go shopping for linoleum.

Advice: it is better to buy linoleum in a specialized hardware store, since there, mainly, specially trained people work as consultants, who can help in the selection of material and give qualified recommendations, as well as select the necessary fittings (connections, corners) and skirting boards.

When choosing linoleum, special attention should be paid to the width of the coating, trying to choose it so as to avoid the formation of internal seams or reduce their number to a minimum. In some stores, they practice not only the selection of material according to the plan of the room, but also the correct cutting in size. You just have to bring it home and spread it properly.

It is better to buy linoleum in specialized stores, where, along with the recommendations of specialists, you can purchase related materials and cut the coating

Tip: when buying linoleum, you should immediately purchase new skirting boards, best of all from soft plastic (they adjoin more tightly even to uneven walls) with a cable channel. Do not forget also about the dowel-nails for fastening and thresholds.

Free up space for work

First, you should completely prepare the room in which you plan to change the coating. In order to make future work as easy as possible for yourself, all furniture and interior items located on the floor should be removed from the room. Linoleum is a very soft material, which is why dragging objects from an uncovered area to a finished base is fraught with a number of difficulties:

• firstly, each time, rearranging furniture or another element of the interior, you will need to take care of special substrates to avoid punching linoleum;
• secondly, when moving on the surface of a new coating, heavy objects will certainly leave scuffs or scratches, and you run the risk of seeing a sloppy worn floor immediately after the work is completed.

The path to success - preparing the foundation

Now pay attention to the plane of the base. As with any other floor covering, it should be as smooth as possible, even minimal irregularities should not be left on it. Linoleum is a very soft material, its surface very quickly takes on the shape of the floor underneath, so even a very small pebble can cause great damage to the flooring above it.

Laying linoleum, in principle, can be done on any basis. The main condition is the absolute evenness of the surface. Special insulated types of this material make it possible not to use thermal insulation even before laying linoleum on concrete. But the waterproofing layer is still worth laying. Usually, before laying linoleum on a concrete floor, an ordinary roofing material is spread on its surface.

Many are interested in the question, is it possible to lay linoleum on linoleum? Of course you can, if he's not too old. From this, the new floor will only benefit. It will be much softer and warmer than the old one. In houses made of reinforced concrete structures, one may encounter the following problem: the slabs that serve as the basis of the floor are not always primed. In this case, building dust will break through the coating. You can avoid this by self-priming the entire surface. If you decide not to remove the old linoleum, then you can limit yourself to priming the edges.

In some cases, it is necessary to prime the surface of the base

To avoid the appearance of a relief pattern of a wooden surface, before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, it should be covered with hardboard or plywood. In this case, it should also be taken into account that the boards under the linoleum may begin to sag with excessive moisture, therefore, during the entire period of operation, care must be taken to ensure that no liquid gets under the floor covering.

How to prepare material

Having delivered the purchased material to its destination, the rolls must be deployed in the room where the linoleum is planned to be laid. Here it should be in a straightened state for at least two days. This will allow him to return to his form and take his real size. If the coating consists of several parts, then all of them should be laid out in their places.

Tip: linoleum should only be transported in rolls. If it is folded into a rectangle several times, then it will be impossible to get rid of the folds formed as a result of this action.

What is needed for styling

Before laying linoleum, you need to prepare everything you need. We may need:

roller and brush for primer;

electric jigsaw;

screwdriver;

perforator;

double-sided tape or cold welding;

knife for cutting linoleum;

two spatulas for applying glue (one is regular, and the other is with teeth).

How to lay linoleum - technology

After the linoleum rests, with the help of a special knife we ​​cut off all the excess

1. Before laying linoleum and after it has completely settled down, it must be finally leveled on the floor surface and cut off all unnecessary. Between the wall and the floor covering, a centimeter gap should be left, the so-called expansion joint. This will avoid the appearance of waves on the finished base, and the gap can be easily hidden under the baseboard.
2. Now we roll one edge of the material into a roll.
3. Thinking about how to properly lay linoleum, not everyone will guess that for better fixation, the coating can be glued to the base. We recommend doing just that. On the surface of the floor, from which the linoleum has just been removed, we apply a layer of glue with a notched trowel.
4. We lay the rolled up part of the material and carefully smooth it.
5. At the junction, we cut the coating as follows: we lay a sheet of plywood under the linoleum, overlap the second piece on top and, using a ruler and a knife, cut through both layers of material. If the linoleum is too thick, then it is enough to cut through at least one layer, leaving scratches on the second, which serve as a mark for trimming.

To get a beautiful joint, two layers of linoleum are cut along the ruler at the same time.

Types of linoleum welding

Pieces of linoleum can be joined together using cold and hot welding. Hot seam welding requires the use of a special tool, so it is only used for laying flooring in commercial establishments, shops, offices, etc.

In residential areas, a good seam connection can be achieved by cold welding. This is a special adhesive that dissolves the edges of linoleum and forms a homogeneous structure with the floor covering when it dries.

Let's take a closer look at how to properly lay linoleum using the cold welding method:

1. We connect two pieces of linoleum.
2. We glue the joint with tape. This will avoid getting the adhesive on other areas of the coating.
3. We cut the adhesive tape at the junction.
4. We apply glue with a thickness of at least 4 mm.
5. After 10 minutes, completely remove the adhesive tape along with excess glue.

Tip: if glue gets on linoleum, do not rush to wipe it off immediately. After complete drying, this glue is remarkably removed from the surface with an ordinary knife.

Proper bonding of linoleum by cold welding

Rules for installing skirting boards

If we talk about how to lay linoleum yourself, then it is worth giving some advice on installing skirting boards. After all, you will not, having completed most of the work, call specialists to carry out this stage. So,

1. We take out the strips covering the cable channel from all the plinths.
2. We lay out the skirting boards along the walls and cut them to size.
3. We press the plinth simultaneously to the floor and the wall and drill a through hole in the recess under the bar (both in the plinth and in the wall).
4. We attach the plinth with a dowel-screw.
5. We continue these manipulations along the entire length of the plinth.

Tip: thick cables should be laid in the cable channel at the same time as installation. Otherwise, it will be very problematic to do so.

Before installing plastic plinths, it is necessary to remove the protective panel from the cable channel

Furnishings, interior and new linoleum

Speaking about how to lay linoleum, one cannot fail to mention the return of furniture to the room. It is at this stage that the new coating most often acquires scratches, scuffs and even torn holes. Let's see how this can be avoided:

1. First of all, you need to check the legs of all the furniture that you plan to place in the room. They should be lined with soft substrates, which can be plastic or suede.
2. When bringing in upholstered furniture, its items are often placed on their side so that they can easily enter the doorway. Quite often, small protruding carnations are found in the side walls of armchairs or sofas. If such furniture is dragged along the linoleum, then a carnation, sticking into a soft floor covering, can not only scratch it, but also tear off a large piece.
3. When dragging heavy bulky items, soft and durable material (for example, an old rug or blanket) should be placed under them. Now, if you pull the edges of the fabric, you can easily deliver a wardrobe or wardrobe directly to its destination.
4. The most dangerous pieces of furniture are sliding chairs and sofas. As a rule, rollers designed to roll the structure on the floor are not checked, and it is their failure that causes damaged flooring after the furniture is installed in the room.

So we have noted all the main stages of the process and are sure that you are no longer interested in the question of how much it costs to lay linoleum. It remains to place a video showing in detail the laying of linoleum.

Among all existing varieties of finishing floor coverings, linoleum enjoys special love and respect. This material simultaneously combines high quality, ease of installation, attractive appearance and affordable price.

And if there are no difficulties with laying linoleum in most rooms, then the process of installing the coating in question in the corridor, bathroom and on the balcony must be approached with knowledge of certain nuances. First of all, understand the features of basic surface preparation.

Regardless of where the linoleum is laid, the basic preparation will remain the same. Only the finishing preparation and the laying of the flooring will differ.

First step. Remove the boardwalk.

Second step. Check the tightness of the structural elements. Drive in protruding nails and generally strengthen the system.

Third step. Get rid of rotten floorboards. Instead, lay new durable elements. If there is a damaged beam, replace it.

Fourth step. Seal all visible cracks with putty.

Fifth step. Additionally level and reinforce the underfloor space with plywood sheets. Lay the sheets with offset seams, similar to brickwork, and attach them to the support beam with self-tapping screws.

Walk across the floor. If sagging areas are found, place additional supporting elements under them, for example, pieces of fiberboard.

Basic concrete floor preparation

In the case of a concrete floor, you will need to get rid of the existing flooring and repair or completely replace the screed.

In the case of a concrete base, the use of plywood flooring should be refrained from - in such conditions, the wood will rot very quickly.

Additionally, you can prime the concrete to eliminate the slightest defects in the base and improve the quality of adhesion of the flooring to the surface.

Some home craftsmen practice laying new linoleum on an existing similar coating. This method is quite appropriate in the corridor - the old linoleum will serve as a kind of substrate, providing additional protection for the new flooring from damage.

Linoleum that has been torn and soaked with dirt must definitely be removed.

Remember that only a single-layer new coating can be laid on old linoleum. Before finishing, the base should be thoroughly washed, dried and primed. The primer coat will ensure that the new coating adheres better to the existing substrate.

Regardless of in which particular room it is planned to lay linoleum, the requirements for preliminary preparation of the finishing material remain the same for all situations.

Before laying a new linoleum, it must be brought into the room, unfolded, leveled and left for a couple of days. The optimum air temperature in the room is + 15- + 18 degrees. Humidity should not exceed 65 percent.

The following requirement is relevant only for balconies, because. in the corridors and bathrooms there are no windows in most cases. When laying a coating of several strips of material, the seams should be placed perpendicular to the window - so they will be less noticeable.

In the process of laying linoleum, it is necessary to remember about allowances for seams and indents around the perimeter. Usually a margin of a couple of centimeters is enough.

In the case of laying linoleum with a pattern, in the process of calculating and designing the finish, add an increased margin for fitting the coating according to the ornament.

In the bathroom, hallway and on the balcony, linoleum is laid with the obligatory use of substrates. Most modern manufacturers offer linoleum, to the back of which the substrate was initially glued. In the absence of such an addition, you will need to buy and stick it yourself.

There is a large selection of substrates from a wide variety of materials on the modern market.

A cork backing is unlikely to be suitable for the situations under consideration. It is not recommended to use it in the corridor for the reason that the cork does not tolerate the load from heels and other thin objects very well.

You can’t put her in the bathroom, because. cork does not tolerate moisture in the best way.

And on the balcony, there is simply no point in using a “cork” - there are much more budgetary counterparts.

Therefore, cork substrates are best left for living quarters.

Jute

Jute substrates are also quite expensive. However, such material feels great both in the bathroom and on the balcony and even in the hallway - jute is not afraid of moisture, fire and point loads.

The material is budget and quite popular, but it cannot be called very high quality. Penoizol does not have high rigidity, so it cannot be laid in the hallway. For a bath, such a substrate is also not suitable. The only use case in the situations under consideration is when laying linoleum on a glazed balcony.

Choose a suitable underlay and be sure to use it when laying your flooring. Without a quality rigid base, your linoleum will very quickly lose its original visual appeal.

For laying in the hallway, use only high-quality linoleum with a high strength index. The substrate, if it is not initially bundled with linoleum, should also be of the highest quality possible. Give preference to jute base.

Otherwise, laying the material in the hallway is no different from similar work in most other areas of the house.

First step. Measure the corridor taking into account the overlaps in the doorways. In the case of linoleum, standard sizes change in increments of 500 mm. Round the measured width up to 50 cm. Add a margin of 30-40 cm for the length.

Second step. Remove cabinets, other furniture and interior items from the corridor, if any.

Third step. Prepare the floor in accordance with the recommendations received earlier and proceed directly to laying the flooring. In the absence of a factory substrate on the back of the linoleum, lay the lining yourself.

Fourth step. Spread linoleum along the corridor, with approximately the same overlap on the walls. Also, the overlap should be sufficient to cover the existing openings and niches.

Fifth step. Armed with a construction knife and a ruler, carefully cut off the excess linoleum on each side. Be careful not to damage the finish. Laying technology requires that a gap of 20-30 mm remains between the linoleum and the wall. Keep this in mind when cutting material.

The gap is necessary for the simple reason that the material in question is subject to thermal deformation. In the heat, linoleum expands, and if there is no mentioned gap between the coating and the walls, the coating will simply go in waves.

Sixth step. After fitting, fix the linoleum on the floor. The best way to do this is with glue. Wrap one edge of the linoleum approximately to the middle, cover the base with a uniform layer of binder, lay the linoleum on the base and press the material to the surface, carefully smoothing out all the bumps and getting rid of the air trapped under the flooring. Then follow the same procedure with the second part of the coating.

Fixing the canvas with a plinth

Laying linoleum in the bathroom

The procedure for laying linoleum in the bathroom does not differ significantly from the installation of flooring in the hallway. However, when renovating a bathroom, you must eliminate the risk of water getting under the laid coating. Based on this, a number of additional requirements and new features of the linoleum laying technology arise.

Remember the following requirements and consider them in the process of finishing work. Directly install the linoleum in the same way as in the case of the corridor.

First of all, try to cover the entire bathroom floor with a single piece of material. The fewer joints you make, the lower the risk of moisture penetration under the flooring.

In the bathroom, linoleum is necessarily laid on a substrate, the best option is jute lining material.

Consider laying linoleum without gluing to the floor. Such installation will leave you the opportunity to periodically lift the coating to disinfect the base and finishing materials if an unpleasant odor occurs.

If there are joints, they should be glued with “cold welding”. In particular, great attention should be paid to the quality of gluing linoleum at the joints with water pipes.

In the bathroom, linoleum is laid with some overlap on walls and other vertical surfaces (sanitary ducts, etc.). This laying option will prevent the penetration of moisture under the edges of the flooring.

For fixation and additional protection against moisture penetration, fix the linoleum against the walls with the help of pressing PVC skirting boards. It is also allowed to use special flute skirting boards.

If you still decide to glue the linoleum to the base, use a moisture-resistant dispersion adhesive for this. First dismantle the toilet and sink cabinet.

Lay the linoleum and return the dismantled products to their places, having previously cut out the corresponding holes in the linoleum. The mentioned products are installed with the obligatory subsequent sealing of the cracks under them. For sealing, use a transparent composition specially designed for this purpose.

Joints formed in places where the coating overlaps on the walls should also be glued with cold welding. Fastening butt thick linoleum may require the use of hot welding, but you will not be able to cope with its implementation on your own without special equipment and handling skills.

Video - Cold welding of linoleum

The order of laying linoleum on the balcony practically does not differ from the installation of the material in the hallway. If the balcony is not glazed, then the coating must be protected from moisture penetration. In this case, follow the rules relevant to the technology of laying linoleum in the bathroom.

The only significant differences are present except in the preparation of the floor of the balcony before laying the linoleum.

First step. Get rid of the old coating. Carefully examine the condition of the base. If there are defects, seal them with a primer or sand. Any unevenness will be noticeable on the laid coating and will lead to a significant reduction in its service life.

Second step. Prime the floor and let it dry.

Third step. Pour the concrete screed, let it dry, and re-prime the base.

Fourth step. Spread the linoleum on the dried base. Let the material lie down for a couple of days to get used to the surrounding conditions and even out.

Fifth step. Cut the linoleum around the perimeter of the balcony and attach it to the floor with special glue.

If linoleum is laid on a glazed balcony between the coating and the walls, you need to leave a gap of 2-3 cm, and then close the gaps with a plinth.

Video - Laying linoleum on the balcony

In the case of repairs on an unglazed balcony, lay linoleum with an overlap on the walls, as in a bathroom.

Thus, if desired, linoleum can be laid even in such specific areas as balconies, bathrooms and hallways. It is only necessary to take into account the characteristics of each of these premises and follow the recommendations received in everything.

Successful work!

Video - How to lay linoleum with your own hands

Video - Errors when laying linoleum

Linoleum is one of the widely used floor coverings, which is actively used in residential and public buildings. In the presence of a concrete base, the laying of this coating by professionals is carried out quickly enough. But today there are still many houses where boards are used as flooring and the linoleum laying technology is slightly different. In this article we will tell you whether it is possible to lay linoleum on a wooden floor and how to do it correctly if you decide to do all the work yourself.

Inspection of the wooden floor

Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, it is necessary to properly prepare the base, since the quality of installation and the service life of the coating directly depend on this. Work begins with a primary inspection and analysis of the state of the boards. For this you need:

• Check the reliability of fastening of each board at all points. Check if there are any deflections or backlash of the canvas;
• Inspect for damage in the form of rotten areas or partial darkening of the board as a result of exposure to moisture;
• Make sure that there are no fungal formations or mold, as well as the absence of rusty fasteners;
• Check if there is a creak when walking on the floor. If a creak occurs, then the gaps between the boards can be sprinkled with ordinary talc or graphite powder.

Important. If a rotten area or fungal formation is found, then before laying the linoleum on the wooden floor, the damaged boards must be replaced with new ones, while making sure that there is no damage to the floor's load-bearing logs, if any. It is not recommended to try to eliminate the fungus by mechanical cleaning and coating with antiseptics. The pores of the fungus penetrate deep into the tissues of the tree and no treatment guarantees their complete removal.

Floor surface preparation

First of all, it is necessary to remove the remnants of old paint and all other debris from the surface of the boards. If the paint holds firmly, then you can leave it, removing only the exfoliated areas. Tear the layer of paint with a chisel or spatula, if the paint is easily removed, it is better to clean the surface of the boards completely. In difficult places, you can use a building hair dryer or paint remover. Then level the surface as much as possible and make sure that the fastening elements of the boards do not stick out above the floor plane.

Important. Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, the boards must be covered with plywood or fiberboard to create an even base. Laying linoleum directly on the boards is not recommended, since they have a slight deflection when walking or installing furniture, which will lead to stretching and rapid wear of the linoleum.

• Plywood or fiberboard is laid on the boards, with a sheet thickness of 8-12 mm. The thickness of the plywood sheet is selected based on the degree of deflection of the boards. If the joists are far apart and the boards sag, then it is better to use thicker sheets to compensate for the bends.

Note. Plywood is laid on a wooden floor under linoleum butt to butt. To fix the plywood, wood screws with a countersunk head are used, which, when screwed in, should not protrude beyond the sheet.

• When laying plywood sheets, the hearth is simultaneously leveled using a level. With a strong tightening of self-tapping screws, plywood sheets can be deformed. If the sheets are thin and when screwing in the self-tapping screws it is not possible to maintain a flat surface, it is necessary to make recesses with a drill in advance for the screw head to enter the plate.
• Then the plywood laid under the linoleum on the wooden floor is polished at the joints with sandpaper. The joints are sealed with putty on wood and, after drying, they are sanded again to achieve an even base.

If the floorboards are relatively fresh and strong, then instead of laying plywood, you can scrape the surface in order to even out small differences, but in this case it is advisable to use linoleum with a dense base.

This completes the surface preparation and the final step before laying the linoleum will be the complete removal of dust with a vacuum cleaner and a slightly damp cloth.

Linoleum preparation

Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, it must be laid out on a prepared surface and left for several days. During this time, the material will acquire the temperature of the room and straighten out for convenient work with it in the future. In places where linoleum does not adhere well to the floor, you can lay heavy objects with a flat base, such as books or boards.

Important. Make sure that during the purchase and transportation of linoleum strong bends of the canvas are not allowed. If there are kinks on the purchased material, then it is better to return such material back to the store and ask for a replacement.

If it is not possible to return the goods, then before laying the linoleum on a wooden floor with bends, it is recommended that the fracture point be straightened as much as possible and pressed with a heavy object. PVC-based linoleum can be heated with a hair dryer to eliminate the kink. However, the natural-based coating, most likely, will no longer be able to align and the bend will have to be cut out creating a joint.

After the material has straightened and acquired room temperature, you can proceed to cutting the canvas, after removing the plinth. To do this, you need a ruler, at least two meters in length and a construction knife with a retractable blade. When cutting PVC linoleum, leave an allowance for shrinkage at the edges, which at high temperatures can be up to 2% of the area.

Linoleum installation

Laying linoleum on a wooden floor with your own hands begins with determining the direction of the pattern. For example, monochromatic coatings or products with imitation of marble or granite are best laid in the direction of the incident light from the window of the room. This will help to visually hide the joints, if any. If the color of the coating has a relief or multi-colored texture, then there is no difference in the direction of laying.

Note. In the absence of a plywood substrate, linoleum is laid parallel to the direction of the boards so that the joint is in the middle of the board. If there is a plywood base, the direction of laying the colored or textured material does not matter.

Monitor the indoor climate and avoid drafts. At the time of straightening and laying linoleum, the temperature in the room should not be lower than +16 and not higher than +35 degrees Celsius.

Choosing a way to fix linoleum

Before laying linoleum with your own hands on a wooden floor, you must choose the option of attaching it to the surface. Currently, there are three options, such as:

• Laying without gluing. The method is the simplest and fastest, but it can only be used in a room up to 10 square meters and provided there are no butt joints.
• Scotch tape. In this case, the canvas is fastened to a special double-sided adhesive tape around the perimeter of the linoleum sheet and at the joints.
• Adhesive laying. Adhesive mounting is the most efficient mounting option and contributes to the longest possible life of the coating. However, the process is quite laborious and mandatory for rooms with an area of ​​​​more than 20 squares.

Important. With the second or third installation option, it may be necessary to join several sheets. In order to make a perfectly fitted joint, it is necessary to overlap both sheets on each other by about 8-10 cm. Then we fix both sheets on the surface with glue or tape not reaching 2-3 cm to the overlap. We lay the ruler exactly in the center of the joint and make a deep cut of two materials at once as evenly as possible, getting a perfect joint. After that, we coat the wooden floor under the linoleum at the junction with glue or lay adhesive tape, after which we glue the material.

Let's start styling

When laying linoleum on a wooden floor without glue, it is necessary to finally level out all the unevenness of the coating from the center to the edges of the room. With sufficient exposure, the coating should lie as evenly as possible. Then we cut off the excess material with a construction knife along the wall, making an expansion gap of about 0.5 - 1 cm between the wall and the edge of the canvas. After that, skirting boards are installed, which simultaneously fix the positions of the coating.

When laying with mounting tape, it is preliminarily glued around the perimeter of the room, without removing the protective layer from the outer adhesive side. Further, all actions occur in the same way as in the first option. After leveling the coating, its edges are bent, the protective tape is removed from the adhesive tape and the edge of the canvas is glued, after which the plinth is installed.

Laying linoleum on a wooden floor is carried out in the same way as on a conventional concrete floor. Linoleum is glued in parts, having previously prepared the adhesive composition. The entire coating is conditionally divided into two parts, then one part is folded over and an adhesive composition is applied to the floor surface with a spatula or roller. The glue is left for 20-30 minutes, then the bent material is glued to the surface. After that, the procedure is repeated with the second half.

Important. The rules for using the adhesive must be indicated on the packaging from the manufacturer and the instructions must be clearly followed. After laying, linoleum must be left for a day for the glue to harden.

From the material provided, you learned how to properly lay linoleum on a wooden floor and now you can do this work yourself or control the quality of its implementation. To fix the material, we recommend watching a video about laying linoleum.

Linoleum is not only one of the most affordable floor coverings, it is also simple and unpretentious in laying, and it is quite possible to cope with it without the involvement of specialists. But there are some nuances that you need to know in order to properly lay linoleum in an apartment.

Necessary materials

Depending on the laying method, in addition to the coating itself, you may need:

• Double-sided tape;
• cold welding;
• glue or mastic;
• primer (linseed oil or gasoline for diluting mastic);
• skirting boards, sills.

Choosing the type of linoleum

For residential premises, the best solution is PVC linoleum (from 200 rubles / sq. m.), or more expensive natural (from 900 rubles), in the bedroom, study, you can lay household linoleum, in the kitchen, hallway - designed for a higher load semi-commercial (from 300 rubles).

The composition of the adhesive or mastic must match the material of the linoleum and its base.

The composition of the adhesive or mastic must match the material of the linoleum and its base:

• dispersion adhesive universal, for PVC linoleum with any base;
• KN-2, KN-3 (coumaron-rubber mastic) - for baseless PVC linoleum and fabric or cardboard base;
• "Bustilat" - for a heat-insulating base;
• Uzin-LE 2401, Okamul L14 - for marmoleum (natural linoleum).
• Glue consumption for PVC linoleum is 250-300 g, for natural - 500 g per sq. m.

Tools you need to lay linoleum

To lay linoleum, you will need:

• tape measure, long wide ruler, square, felt-tip pen;
• durable sharp knife, shoe or construction;
• for laying on glue - spatula, roller for rolling.

How much linoleum to buy?

Before purchasing linoleum, you need to measure the room, make sure that the opposite walls have the same length(otherwise, focus on the dimensions of the larger wall and add another 5-7 cm to them), if there are niches (see also the article), measure from the deepest point of the niche. If the room has a complex shape, sometimes it is more profitable to put linoleum on the concrete floor not in a single piece, but dock several. In this case, you must first complete the plan for cutting linoleum with your own hands and it is better to choose a monophonic or abstract pattern so that there are no problems with its combination.

Linoleum is produced in rolls of different widths, up to 5 m, in increments of half a meter, you need to choose a width that is as close as possible to the width of the room, but no less. The length can correspond to the length of the room to the nearest centimeter (including niches), but it is better to add 5-7 cm for cutting. Thus, for a room 3.3 m wide and 5 m long, you need to buy and lay linoleum 3.5 m wide and 5.05 m long.

Here are some popular brands of linoleum

• Sinteros - household PVC linoleum with a foam backing and a 0.15 mm thick polyurethane protective coating, meets hygienic standards, costs from 345 rubles / sq. M., various colors are available.
• Juteks (Uteks). Household PVC linoleum with a thickness of 2.7 mm, of which 0.15 mm falls on the protective layer, a wide selection of decors, the price is from 213 rubles / sq. m. Semi-commercial linoleum of the same brand has a protective layer thickness of 0.6 mm, costs from 399 rubles / sq. m.
• IVC - semi-commercial linoleum 2.4 mm thick, protective layer 0.5 mm, price from 417 rubles / sq. m.
• Tarkett - semi-commercial linoleum 2.4 mm thick, with a protective layer of 0.6 mm, additional protective and antibacterial coating, can be used with warm floors, costs from 747 rubles / sq. m.

The base for laying linoleum must be thoroughly cleaned of debris, dried, fixed or replaced loose or damaged elements (parquet, board, tile).

Technology and styling methods

Floor preparation for linoleum

The base for laying linoleum must be thoroughly cleaned of debris, dried, fixed or replaced loose or damaged elements (parquet, board, tile). Often, preliminary leveling of the surface is required, its technology depends on the base material and the size of the irregularities.

Cutting out linoleum

1. Linoleum brought from the cold cannot be unrolled immediately, it must lie warm for at least 12 hours, and before laying the unfolded linoleum, it must be aged for about 2 days.
2. the roll is rolled out with an overlap on the walls, if there are distortions or niches, and in their absence - almost close to the wall, with a gap of 5-10 mm;
   cardboard patterns are made corresponding to niches and ledges;
3. using a ruler, circular trimming is carried out around the entire perimeter (if the walls are curved, trimming is carried out along the wall itself), there should be 5-10 mm gaps between the edges of the linoleum and the walls to compensate for thermal expansion; if the walls are completely crooked, it may be worth aligning them with GKL, more on this.
4. if it is necessary to join several pieces, the linoleum is cut according to a previously drawn up plan, the pieces are overlapped and pressed against the load;
5. the cut linoleum is aged from 2 days to a week until its surface becomes perfectly even, then, if necessary, the excess is cut off, the pieces are connected from below with double-sided tape, the seams are glued from above by cold welding;
6. along the perimeter, linoleum is pressed with skirting boards.

The cut linoleum is aged from 2 days to a week until its surface becomes perfectly even, then, if necessary, the excess is cut off, the pieces are connected from below with double-sided tape, and the seams are glued from above by cold welding.

In rooms with an area of ​​more than 25 sq. m. linoleum must be laid on the adhesive composition.

In rooms with an area of ​​more than 25 sq. m. linoleum must be laid on the adhesive composition. If linoleum is attached to mastic, its back side and base must be primed with drying oil (for oil-chalk mastic) 1-2 days before gluing, for bituminous mastic it serves as a primer, only with the addition of three times as much gasoline.

Laying stage

1. The fabric ready for laying (cut, aged, primed) is rolled up on both sides (with the backing out) so that it is approximately in the middle of the room.
2. Concrete floors in half of the room from the center to the walls are smeared with mastic using a spatula.
3. It is necessary to wait 10-15 minutes, after which half of the roll is rolled out, glued and rolled towards the walls with a massive roller, until the remaining air is removed and the surface is completely leveled. Then the same operation is repeated for the other half.

After gluing the mastic, it is necessary to wait 10-15 minutes, after which half of the roll is rolled out, glued and rolled towards the walls with a massive roller, until the remaining air is removed and the surface is completely leveled.

The final trimming and gluing of the edges is done after 3 days.

1. If joints are provided, the application of glue ends 10 cm before the joint. The pieces are overlapped, with a margin of 2-3 cm. When the mastic is completely dry, and this takes at least 3 days, the excess is cut off under the ruler and the seam is processed by cold welding.
2. According to a similar principle, linoleum is laid on a concrete floor with PVA glue, only the canvas does not roll, but bends, and the glue is applied with a notched trowel (see article about) on its wrong side, trimming can be done immediately after gluing.

1. It is better to buy linoleum in large shopping centers, there is more choice, you can get a discount when buying a large batch, buy skirting boards, glue or mastic, cold welding right away.
2. If you need linoleum for a small room, it makes sense to look among the discounted remnants.
3. If there is no roller for rolling the glued web, you can use the rule, a mop without bristles, or iron it manually with a rag.
4. Natural linoleum can be glued immediately after applying the adhesive.
5. There is a technology for hot welding linoleum, but it requires special equipment and is used mainly by professionals.
6. If the same linoleum is laid in several rooms, cutting should be done in such a way as to combine the pattern. Seams at the joints between rooms can be closed with special overlays (sills).
7. If the drawing consists of lines, it is important that they are parallel to the walls.
8. If it is not possible to cover the room with one canvas, it is better to use not 2 identical pieces with a joint in the center, but 1 large and 2 narrower ones, making 2 joints closer to the edges of the room.
9. When laying on glue or mastic, it is imperative to immediately remove the adhesive composition protruding beyond the web.

All stages of laying linoleum on one scheme.

How much does it cost to lay linoleum?

The cost of laying linoleum depends on its quality, so laying multilayer PVC linoleum costs within 7-12 $ per square meter, natural - from $ 12. Installation of skirting boards, thresholds, processing of joints is paid separately - from 100 rub. per meter linear. Masters may require an additional fee for laying linoleum in hard-to-reach places, in a room of complex configuration. If you entrust professionals with preliminary leveling of the surface, the total cost of services will be significant.

Joints of pieces of linoleum can be glued with double-sided tape. This can easily be done by one person.

The main difficulty in laying linoleum is preparation of the base and proper cutting canvases. It is best to purchase linoleum in such a way that you can cover the entire room in one piece without joints. Laying linoleum on glue is more difficult than laying dry and requires additional consumption of materials, but it allows you to cover a larger area with linoleum and get a more durable, load-resistant coating.

Video instruction

Linoleum has long been known as a practical, economical and easy-to-install floor covering, widely used both in private houses and apartments, as well as in offices, shops and other public places.

The name comes from two Latin words - linum and oleum, which are translated as flax and oil. The first mention of "oiling" the fabric in a special way dates back to the 17th century - this is how the Vikings treated their sails to protect them from moisture and salt. About a hundred years later, in the 18th century, thanks to the combination of linen and oil, a natural flooring material appeared, the progenitor of modern linoleum.

The appearance of linoleum is significantly different from more expensive flooring counterparts, such as laminate. But the presence of a large number of positive aspects often inclines buyers to choose linoleum.

Useful information:

Pros and cons of choosing linoleum

The advantages of linoleum, its strengths:

• Excellent moisture resistance.
• Not afraid of weak mechanical influences, such as scratches.
• The price per square meter of linoleum is lower than that of many other floor coverings.
• Laying linoleum is not difficult and can be done by hand, without the involvement of a construction team.
• The material is supplied in rolls, which makes it easy to transport and deliver to the installation site.
• Linoleum is easy to clean, does not require the use of special detergents.
• Modern technologies allow designers to create patterns, images in any color scheme.

Having outlined the main advantages, we should also mention the disadvantages of this material:

• Laying linoleum on the floor in a small apartment is possible with a single, single "piece" of material. However, in a large room, it is almost impossible to avoid the appearance of seams at the junction points.
• Linoleum is not able to withstand the effects of severe mechanical damage. A knife that has fallen with a point will leave a cut on the surface, while, for example, this will not happen with a tile.
• With prolonged use and specific conditions (for example, if linoleum is used as a floor covering in a store), the elasticity of the material gradually decreases, which makes it harder and subsequently leads to the appearance of small cracks.

For the longest and most effective use of linoleum, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the conditions for its use and choose a more suitable type.

Types of linoleum

Allocate household, commercial, semi-commercial and special linoleum. As a rule, household is used in private apartments and houses - its range is much wider in terms of the choice of pattern and color scheme. Commercial and semi-commercial are in demand in places where the traffic of people is higher (offices and other walk-through premises) and higher wear resistance is required. Special linoleum is made taking into account specific needs. For example, there is a variant of this coating with bactericidal properties, such material is used in medical institutions.

Depending on the binder material, there are:

• PVC linoleum.
• Natural.
• Rubber.
• Alkyd.
• Nitrocellulose.

The main characteristics of linoleum

In order to make the right choice among the variety of this flooring on the building materials market, you should pay attention to such characteristics as:

• Roll width.
• The weight of one square meter.
• The thickness of the linoleum (total and protective layer).
• Abrasion group. There are four groups that differ in the degree of wear resistance.
• Application class. This characteristic is indicated as a two-digit number, the first digit indicates which type of room this product is applicable to, and the second - what degree of intensity of the load.
• Life time. As a rule, the value of this characteristic is in the range from 10 to 15 years.

Technology and rules for laying linoleum

For proper laying of linoleum, it is necessary to identify the main stages of preparing the premises and material, as well as to remind you of safety precautions when doing construction work with your own hands.

Rules for self-laying linoleum:

• This type of flooring is quite dense and thick, in order to cut it, you can use a construction knife with a removable blade. The main thing is that the tool with which the work will be carried out is sharp, otherwise you will have to make additional efforts.
• Unauthorized people and animals should not be in the room. Any work must be stopped if there are children in the room.
• It is necessary to regularly ventilate the room in which linoleum is laid.
• Work with the material, adhesive composition, mastic should be done with construction gloves.

Stages of work:

1. Preparation of the rough base.
2. Checking and preparing the necessary construction tools and materials.
3. Carrying out settlement work.
4. Direct installation process.
5. Hot/cold gluing seams.

Preparation of the rough base

Before you start covering the floor with linoleum, you need to carefully check the condition of the rough base - it should be as smooth and clean as possible. Linoleum can be laid on concrete or wood floors. In the first option, it is important to pay special attention to the existing cracks (if any), repair them using a special solution and, finally, sand the surface.

When laying linoleum on a wooden floor, you will need sheets of plywood for leveling. Before putting the flooring on the plywood, you need to seal up with putty, “hide” the seams between the sheets. Laying plywood under linoleum is a rather painstaking process, but it is necessary to obtain a beautiful and high-quality end result.

Important! After preparing the rough base, it is desirable to treat the surface with antiseptic impregnation.

Often, buyers who purchase linoleum to update the floor in their apartment / house / office ask consultants in the store about the possibility of installing a new coating directly on top of the old material. Specialists and builders with experience unambiguously advise to completely clean the rough base and not to lay linoleum on the old linoleum.

Checking and preparing the necessary construction tools and materials

Linoleum is a very comfortable material. To work with it, you need a small list of tools:

• nails;
• putty;
• double-sided adhesive tape for hard laying;
• screws;
• wooden boards;
• adhesive composition;
• scissors;
• T-square (long ruler) or tape measure;
• a hammer;
• notched trowel;
• a small roller for rolling linoleum;
• sharp construction knife.

For the preparatory phase and work with a rough base, you may need:

• Self-levelling concrete mix that will help quickly and accurately bring concrete slabs to perfect condition.
• Cement mortar for minor repairs.
• Plywood sheets (if linoleum is laid on a wooden floor).

Carrying out settlement work

To buy the required amount of material, you need to correctly calculate the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe surface to be covered. To do this, measure the length and width of the room. Particular attention should be paid to the width indicator - the more accurately the measurement is made, the more correctly you can choose the width of the linoleum and minimize the number of seams.

If there is a pattern on the linoleum, then when calculating the footage, it is important to leave a small margin (1-2 cm on each side) to fit the pattern.

When planning the purchase and installation of linoleum in the cold season, you need to remember that after delivery, immediately before work, it is necessary to allow the material to rest for 1-2 days, for temperature adaptation. To do this, it is enough to spread it in a room with indicators not lower than 18 - 20 ° C.

Laying process

Laying linoleum implies the existence of certain standards and rules, the observance of which will achieve an excellent result. In order for the flooring to please the eye and serve for many years, it is enough to follow the step-by-step instructions during the installation process.

• The first step is cutting. At this stage, it is important to cut the material in such a way that the pattern (if any) on the linoleum matches. Leave 10 mm on each side - these will be shrinkage allowances.
• After that, the finished strips are left for 72 hours - during this time the material should completely straighten.
• The next step is laying linoleum. It can be done in several ways: mounting on double-sided tape, adhesive method and "floating" method.

Attachment with double sided tape

This method is suitable for any premises. The main idea is that a grid of adhesive tape is created on the floor, on which linoleum is laid and fixed.

glue method

A rather time-consuming method that is popular when installing flooring in large rooms with tile or concrete floors.
It will take some time for the adhesive to dry. The exact dates are indicated on the packaging. As a rule, this process does not take more than a week.

floating method

Laying in this way is simply to roll out the roll and let it lie down for two days. After that, you only need to fix the plinth. It must be remembered that the plinth should not be fixed tightly, since when the temperature in the room changes, the material contracts and expands, which may cause irregularities. The floating method is used when laying linoleum on a concrete or wooden floor in small apartments.

Hot/cold seam bonding

If the room is large enough and the width of the canvas is not enough to cover the entire floor space at once, you will need to connect the pieces of linoleum to each other, and glue the resulting joints.

This can be done in two ways - methods of hot and cold gluing seams.

The first method requires the use of special equipment and the presence of certain skills, therefore it is not recommended for do-it-yourself linoleum laying in residential premises.

The second way is much easier. To glue the seams using the “cold” method, you will need a minimum number of tools: masking tape, a stationery knife, PVC glue.

• First you need to connect the strips of linoleum together as tightly as possible.
• A strip of masking tape is glued onto the formed joint.
• An incision is made directly at the junction of the adhesive tape.
• Glue is poured into the resulting slot.
• After all manipulations, remove the adhesive tape.

Small tricks and subtleties

• A popular question among buyers: "How to store linoleum before laying?". Specialists with extensive experience answer that in order to prevent deformation of the material, horizontal storage should not be allowed.
• If linoleum has been stored for a long time in a room with a temperature below 15 ° C, it cannot be warmed up using various heating devices - the process of thermal adaptation should be natural and gradual.
• When replacing flooring, it would be wise to number the skirting strips when removed and mark the corresponding numbers at the bottom of the walls. Thus, you can not waste time choosing the right skirting board at the final stage of installation.

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Although this flooring is universal, it is very important to properly prepare the subfloor for it, because over time the linoleum will take over, and all the irregularities of the base will become visible. It's impractical, and it looks messy.

Laying linoleum on a wooden floor. Often such a floor hides defects that will invariably come out after laying linoleum. To prevent this from happening, take a closer look at its surface.

Depending on the degree of wear, gaps form between the floorboards. They need to be carefully filled with acrylic putty. Did you notice the height difference? Using a planer, they should be leveled. One or more boards may need to be replaced.

Drown the protruding heads of self-tapping screws and nails, and then putty all visible recesses.

Remember that after the linoleum is laid, the wooden floor still continues to be used. And if there is a problem in it, it will be difficult to get to it. It is better to spend time preparing than dismantling the finished coating.

Linoleum is an artificial and non-breathable material, under which various kinds of bacteria can form. It is advisable to treat your wooden floor with an antifungal antiseptic, which will protect it from damage by mold and dampness.

For additional protection of the tree, it is worth treating it with drying oil, and then opening it with varnish. With such care, your wooden parquet will still serve you, even when you get tired of linoleum.

If the floor is excessively worn and there are irreparable defects on it (for example, missing floorboards, swelling), it would be right to cover it with sheets of moisture-resistant plywood. The panels are easily mounted on self-tapping screws, which must also be deepened and puttied.

Even thin linoleum is suitable for a well-prepared base, it is cheaper and easy to fit, but it also wears out just as easily.

Laying linoleum on a concrete floor. Use a level to check for unevenness. Pay attention to all the bumps, pits and cracks. If such defects exceed 20% of the total area, then you are out of luck: you will need a screed.

Then apply a self-levelling compound no more than 2 cm thick to make the surface perfectly smooth.

This is not a mandatory step, however, by doing it, you will understand how important attention to detail is. Make sure that all joints between the floor and ceiling are clean and clear.

Concrete is a cold material and this will affect the comfort of the new floor. Therefore, it is worth laying a heat-insulating substrate made of foam or isolon, where on one side there is a heat-reflecting foil.

On a well-prepared floor, the coating lays evenly, is easily trimmed, and such work turns into a pleasant pastime, and not a tedious procedure.

New linoleum flooring over old. Can it be done? Not always. Namely, only if the original coating retained its integrity. Knowing the tendency of linoleum to crack, if there are drops and irregularities of more than 2 mm on the old floor, even the substrate will not save the new coating from damage.

Old linoleum contributes little to thermal insulation, but it must be strong enough to provide a good foundation. Most often, a new linoleum is laid when the old one is already torn to shreds, bent and broken. Such a coating must be removed without regret, since the loss of time for its “preparation” is not worth the effort.

At the same time, if the draft layer is rubbed in places or has cracks, then this is not critical. The main thing is the absence of sharp drops.

If you decide to eliminate the detected defects, then it is better to do it like this:

• Outline the damaged place with straight lines with a pencil
• Use a clerical knife under an iron ruler to cut out the damage
• Glue a whole piece of linoleum into the resulting hole, minimizing the joints
• Remove the seams on the floor with silicone sealant and smooth the surface with a spatula, allowing the material to dry. Instead of sealant, you can use liquid nails glue. By pressing properly on the junction, let the glue spread over a large area.
• When minor repairs are completed and the adhesive has dried, thoroughly clean the surface. Now it is ready for flooring.

To prepare the old linoleum, first remove the baseboard. Dismantle the connecting strips, if any.

Flooring - step by step instructions

An important aspect when choosing - try to select the width of the material so that it lies in one piece. If this is not possible, consider the joints in such a way that they can be hidden. To do this, on a piece of paper, sketch out the perimeter of your room with all the protrusions, pipes, etc. and take measurements. Add 5 cm allowances to the results, just in case, suddenly the walls are uneven.

Step by step instructions on how to lay linoleum:

• The desired temperature in the installation room must be stable and exceed 18 degrees. Humidity - no more than 60%.
• Before laying, it is good to let the linoleum “settle” for a day. The fact is that it is made of elastic material and reacts to temperature changes, narrowing and expanding, and if it is cold or hot outside, the roll needs to take the temperature in your home.
• Stage of placing sheets. Place them with some overlap to the wall, which you will then cut off. You can also start cutting by attaching a flat factory edge to the corner (if you know for sure that the wall is straight), and leave a gap of 5-10mm, you will then attach it with tape. In this case, cutting is performed only on the remaining walls.
• If the room is spacious and there are several sheets of flooring, first level the seam and position it where you think it should be. Dock the drawing and do not forget about the overlap.
• Now place the material around the perimeter and in this form it should rest again. This time, a couple of days is better.
• Fasten the factory edge near the edge of the wall.
• Cut off large pieces of linoleum, leaving 3-5 cm in reserve.
• It's time for a clean cut. In each corner, the material is brought as close as possible to the wall and the junction is marked with a pencil. Move along the perimeter, marking the cutting line every 25cm.
• Connect the marks with a straight line and cut. Remember that over time, the coating is pulled out, so you should leave gaps of 5-10mm around the perimeter of the room. If this is not done, waves will appear on the floor.

If there are several strips, then before finishing trimming, take the first strip of material and secure it with tape along the end, which is closer to the center of the room. Now cut it with rough allowances. Attach the second to the first and connect them with adhesive tape in the place of overlap. Similarly, you need to cut this sheet. And only when the flooring is centered and docked, a fine trimming is carried out.

If the room has a protruding corner, then cutting should start from it. First, a rough fitting is done, and then it is cut clean.

Gluing methods

Do-it-yourself linoleum laying is free and with special glue. Free is suitable for small rooms with an area of ​​​​20-25m² and consists in fixing the cover with a plinth and thresholds in doorways. If the room is spacious, glue is required. Bonding provides greater reliability with increased loads on the floor covering.

An intermediate method of fastening is double-sided masking tape, which, although less reliable than glue, is easily removed if necessary.

In fact, there are several adhesives for linoleum and each has its own indications. The general requirement is that the subfloor surface must be primed. Apply adhesive to the floor under the neatly folded material. Distribute it better with a spatula. Then smoothly level the linoleum in the direction from the middle to the edges, releasing excess air with a soft roller. For the second sheet, the procedure is repeated.

Gluing joints is a very important point. It is necessary to make sure that they are tightly pressed against each other and do not bully. In 90% of cases, the cold welding method is used for this - gluing with colorless silicone glue:

• The first goal is to make both edges perfectly even, as welding takes place butt to butt. If the edges are factory-made, there are no problems, otherwise you need to cut it manually. Join the two strips according to the drawing, marking the seam line on top of both pieces with a pencil.
• Under the ruler, cut two layers of linoleum at once and remove the trimmings.
• For welding, stick masking tape on the joint, which will not allow the glue to stain the rest of the surface, and cut it along with a knife.
• Without applying too much pressure on the tube, apply glue to the weld. Glue should go inside the joint and go out.
• Press both edges and after 20-25 minutes the masking tape can be removed.

When the work is finished, take care of changing the skirting boards. As a rule, they are installed a week after laying the floor, when it is thoroughly straightened. For uneven walls, it is better to use plastic skirting boards. To prevent linoleum from bending in doorways, fix it to the floor with a special flat threshold and self-tapping screws.