How and what to choose linoleum for home and apartment: recommendations from the masters
Linoleum is the most popular flooring among the population with an average standard of living. Firstly, the price is not as high as that of parquet or carpet, and secondly, the service life is normal. And the colors of today's manufacturers offer the most diverse, choose any! But it turns out that although this material is familiar to consumers, there are many nuances that must be considered when buying. Therefore, this article is devoted to the question of which linoleum to choose, because the house has different rooms with their own operational features.
What to look before buying?
To understand in detail how to choose linoleum for the home, you should know the main criteria for a rational purchase:
- compliance with the purpose - this is a nursery or bedroom, kitchen;
- characteristics - the degree of wear resistance, noise absorption, antistatic, moisture resistance, antibacterial properties;
- whether linoleum can withstand the load, given the number of people living and the permeability rate;
- whether harmony is created in the interior - linoleum can be monophonic, with abstract patterns, with imitation of different textures: wood, tile, stone.
If you consider all of the above criteria, the buyer will not be lost in the modern variety, because he will know exactly how to choose linoleum for an apartment, as well as for a private house.
What is linoleum?
Perhaps linoleum can be called the most democratic flooring. The arguments for confirming these words are significant, because the material is laid down both in schools and in offices, and, of course, in a house / apartment. Therefore, it is clear why the market offers various types of linoleum: how to choose the best? The question is simple, you just need to understand the problem and then everything will become clear.
Natural linoleum - It is made from wood flour, pine resin, limestone powder, natural dyes, and the basis is jute fabric. Due to the fact that this material is made from purely natural components, it is perfect for a child’s room, rooms in which asthmatics and allergy sufferers live. Therefore, if the question is solved, which linoleum to choose for an apartment, this is an excellent option - the material is environmentally safe, not harmful to health, and also resistant to abrasion, not shedding in the sun, which has bactericidal properties.
PVC linoleum is made either on a fabric basis or on a non-woven thermal insulation. Domestic manufacturers use European technology, so everyone can afford such a linoleum, because the price of products is affordable.
Benefits:
- low thermal conductivity;
- wide palette of patterns, shades;
- pronounced dielectric characteristics;
- ease of installation.
There are certain disadvantages, we are talking about sensitivity to high temperature, instability to chemicals. So, if the room temperature drops sharply, then the elasticity is lost and the PVC linoleum can crack.
In addition, the flooring in question can be alkyd, colloxin, and linoleum-relin is also common.
Classification and labeling of coatings
In order to accurately answer the question of how to choose linoleum correctly, you need to understand the marking that corresponds to the purpose of the room.As for the first digit of this very marking, it varies from one to four:
- 1 - for rooms with minimal traffic;
- 2 - rooms of a residential nature;
- 3 - offices;
- 4 - production facilities.
And the second figure indicates the estimated load, which means that the unit, respectively, is the lowest, the four are the highest load. For example, for an office and a bedroom, class 21 coverage is excellent, for the kitchen and hallway it is advisable to buy class 23-24 linoleum.
To cover the topic in more detail, you need to give a few more examples. Take the hallway for example. Of course, the hallway, the corridor - premises with a very high degree of patency. This means that the most optimal option is linoleum with a thickness of at least 3 mm.
Important: it is advisable to pay increased attention to the thickness of the protective layer, it should be at least 0.25 mm.
Also, before buying, you need to evaluate the quality of the surface on which this floor covering will be laid in the future. The smoother the surface, the linoleum can be thinner and vice versa. The ideal solution for the hallway is household linoleum with a foam base. Or it can be an expensive semi-commercial linoleum, characterized by increased strength.
Advice from consultants
How to choose a good linoleum? This multifaceted issue worries many consumers. So that the purchase in the future does not become a cause for disappointment associated with poor quality, you should adhere to the following guidelines:
- trust your own sense of smell: the presence of a pungent odor clearly indicates that the coating contains harmful additives. High-quality linoleum, both synthetic and natural, does not have an unpleasant odor;
- the picture should be distinct;
- compliance with safety standards - a good linoleum undergoes a special examination, is marked, and the seller must present a hygiene certificate;
- quality must be checked in unrolled form: for the absence of tubercles, areas with peeled film. These indicators indicate marriage, you can’t buy such coverage, because existing bumps can not be smoothed out;
- it is desirable to give preference to a material with a special protective film - such linoleum is easy to clean, maintains its original appearance for a long time;
- all linoleum must be from the same batch - even when the items are the same, color differences are possible.
The question of choice is not so difficult, if you know all the subtleties and nuances. All of the above tips will help buyers make the right choice, the purchase will not bring grief in the future, that is, during operation.
Oleg B. 
Sergei
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