How to lay linoleum: the best step-by-step video and photo instructions

For many years in our country, linoleum was a cheap alternative to parquet. There is no money for parquet - lay linoleum. In the minds of many of us, this material has been undeservedly awarded the label “for the poor.” But in fact this is far from the case. In pursuit of a semblance of luxury, we buy cheap analogues of elite building materials and thereby doom ourselves to inconvenience and extra costs. But you can forget about prejudices and buy high-quality linoleum - a material that has excellent wear resistance, is easy to care for, and at the same time looks great. Moreover, each more or less experienced owner is sure that he knows how to lay linoleum on his own. Let's check if this is really so.

How to choose linoleum?

To understand that this material is relevant as never before simply by entering a large store selling flooring. The range of linoleum is huge here - is this not the best confirmation of its popularity?

In order not to get lost in variety, pay attention to the marking. It consists of two numbers, the first of which determines the type of room for which the material is intended:

• 2 - living rooms,
• 3 - offices,
• 4 - enterprises.

The second figure shows what intensity the material is ready for, from one to three in increasing order. This does not mean that in an apartment or private residential building you can use linoleum only 21-23 classes. For example, class 31 linoleum is perfect for the kitchen - it is well washed and practically not afraid of damage - that's just the cost of such material is much higher.

In addition to a purely decorative function, linoleum can also serve for insulation and sound insulation. If these characteristics are important to you, choose a foam based material.

In addition to choosing the coverage class, you will have to calculate the required amount. To do this, we suggest you use our online calculator:

Features of paving

And yet, how to put linoleum? The instructions on the World Wide Web suggest sticking it to the base. This method is the most reliable. If you simply spread linoleum and press it with baseboards, it can move over time, from which a wave forms on the floor. But to return the cover in place is quite problematic. Firstly, for this, all the furniture will have to be taken out of the room, and secondly, there is such a thing as a “habit” of material - the shift will repeat in the near future.

In large rooms, where one strip of linoleum is not enough and you have to join several pieces, you can not do without glue. Even a decorative metal strip will not hold the material in place. In the end, he just tears. However, the glueless method has the right to life. It is perfect for small rooms where the load on the flooring is small. Especially if you plan to lay a carpet on top of linoleum.

Preparation of the base for laying

Linoleum is quite unpretentious, it can be put on almost any basis. Due to its elasticity, it accurately follows the shape of the base, so that the quality of the leveling of the floor is of great importance in this case. Carefully close all potholes and cracks, and then vacuum the surface.

Important! If the old linoleum has no obvious damage and was laid on glue, then you can not remove it. Read more in the article. Is it possible to put linoleum on linoleum: we solve the urgent dilemma

Before applying the adhesive to the concrete floor, it must be primed. But not too smooth plank floor is better pre- upholstered with plywood. Linoleum can not be glued or plinths fixed on the day of purchase.

Before flooring, linoleum needs to "lie down"

Before proceeding with the cutting, the material must be spread on the floor and left for 1-2 days to get used to it. Only after that you can pick up a construction knife and begin work.

Important! Even a very wide linoleum must be transported by turning into rolls. Crumpled creases on the material are almost impossible to align.

Glueless laying method

Having decided not to stick the coating to the base, you will certainly get rid of a significant part of the work. Probably everyone knows how to lay linoleum in this way, probably - it is very simple. After the linoleum has "recovered", it is necessary to trim the excess. This is done with a sharp construction knife. When cutting material against the wall, make a margin of a few centimeters.
That's all, all that remains is to screw the skirtings on.

Glue laying rules

In most cases, it is still recommended to stick linoleum. It is done like this:

• After cutting the material, we conditionally divide the room in half and roll one half of the coating into a roll.
• Using a notched trowel, apply glue to the base and deploy linoleum.
• It is important that at this moment no air bubbles get under the coating. This is especially dangerous for thin and light material. In this case, it is better to walk along the surface with a rubber roller, as when stickering the wallpaper.
• Now we roll the second half of the material into a roll and repeat the procedure.

It is important when cutting large pieces of linoleum to leave a certain supply of material designed to compensate for its shrinkage. For a sheet 5 m long it is 2 cm, up to 10 m - 4 cm, more than 11 m - 6 cm.

Glue linoleum

The subtleties of stacking multiple sheets

In large rooms, as a rule, you have to join several sheets of linoleum. If you do this wrong, you can irreparably ruin the appearance of the room. Here are a few tricks to help avoid mistakes:

• A coating with an abstract pattern, for example, “marbled” should be glued from the window in the direction of sunlight. Then the joints will be less noticeable. For a material with a geometric pattern that imitates a wooden or tiled floor, the laying direction does not matter much.
• If linoleum has to be cut at the junction, then this must be done in a special way - two sheets at a time. We put the uncut sheets one on top of the other and with a very sharp knife using a ruler or rule, cut both sheets at once. In this case, even if the incision is a little uneven, a gap will not occur. You may not be able to cut through two layers of thick linoleum, then try to at least scratch the strip on the bottom sheet. In this strip you can then make an even cut.
• When bringing furniture into the room, pay particular attention to its legs. They must have special nozzles that will prevent the floor from being forced through.

There are a few more tricks about connecting sheets to each other. More on this later.

How is linoleum welding?

Repair companies that finish large public buildings use special equipment to join the sheets. This welding method is called hot. Unfortunately, at home it is not available, but it can very well be replaced by the so-called cold welding. This is a special glue that melts the edges of linoleum and leads to their seamless connection.

• Use cold welding very carefully.To protect the visible areas of the coating, it is necessary to stick a masking tape on the joint of the sheets, and then cut it so as to open the joint.
• With special care, the gap between the sheets must be filled with glue, the layer thickness should be at least 4 mm.
• After a few minutes, you can remove the tape with glue residue.

This is how it looks:

Video Tips for Beginner Builders

Laying linoleum is a fairly simple process, but it also has its secrets, ignorance of which can lead to very sad consequences. Following our recommendations, you can easily lay this flooring, and it will serve you for many years.

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Is it possible to put linoleum on linoleum: we solve the urgent dilemma