Rules for laying linoleum on a concrete floor: how not to make mistakes?
Linoleum as a floor covering is used very widely. And this is explained by a wide variety of all kinds of it, which differ in the degree of wear resistance, reliability, color scheme, texture, price and other indicators. In this article we will look at how to lay linoleum on concrete with our own hands, what methods exist.
Content
Selection of the "correct" linoleum
According to the technical characteristics, it is customary to distinguish between household, commercial and semi-commercial linoleum. Household linoleum, as you might guess from the name, is laid in residential premises. Commercial - used both in offices, shops, and various institutions. Semi-commercial linoleum is an average option in terms of quality and price between these two types.
Calculate the required amount of linoleum is not difficult. You need to calculate the area of the room and add approximately 10 cm of margin on each side. When buying linoleum, it is very desirable to calculate everything in such a way as to avoid seams, but sometimes it is impossible, then you will have to resort to gluing the panels. In order not to make mistakes - use our online calculator:
When buying linoleum with a picture, the stock should be larger, since you have to dock the picture, which means waste will appear. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the linoleum rolls were from the same batch (this can be seen on the labels).
Concrete foundation preparation
Whatever type of linoleum is chosen, before proceeding with its flooring, it is necessary to prepare the base. The quality of the substrate directly affects the life of the linoleum. The slightest depressions, protrusions on the surface will lead to the fact that the new linoleum will wear out quickly enough. It should be smooth, free from debris and old coatings, have sound insulation and thermal insulation.
Since we are interested in concrete flooring, we will consider its preparation in more detail. If the differences in the height of the base do not exceed 2 mm per square meter, then you can simply putty the depressions and eliminate the protrusions.
With more significant differences, it is worthwhile to perform a new floor screed. For these purposes, a traditional screed (concrete or cement), as well as bulk mixtures, are suitable. The advantage of the latter option is that they make it easy to get a perfectly flat surface and even with a sufficiently large thickness they dry much faster than a conventional screed. But even in this case, this process will last several days, depending on humidity, air temperature and other factors. After the base is completely dry, if necessary, carry out thermal and hydro insulation of the floor.
Technology for laying linoleum on concrete
In the room in which the linoleum will be laid on the concrete floor, a constant temperature of at least 18 degrees Celsius should be maintained. Humidity should not exceed 68%. Before laying, linoleum is spread in the room and allowed to even out, “lie down”.
Next, the cutting of linoleum is carried out, taking into account the location of the paintings in the room. Be sure to carefully combine the pattern and leave a margin of about 10 cm on each side. In rooms that have a complex shape of the floor, it is especially responsible to approach the cutting of panels. Sometimes it is better to make an approximate cut with allowances, and after the sticker - the final.
Seams, if any, should be placed in the direction of light from the windows, so they are less noticeable.
Styling may require a knife, ruler, rollers or brush. For gluing, you need to prepare a special glue, mastic or double-sided tape, depending on the chosen method of laying. For hermetic sealing joints, you can prepare a special glue.
There are several ways to lay linoleum. Consider the most popular options:
- No gluing. The fastest way. Use it for small rooms in which there is no significant floor load. However, the risk of wrinkles and waves is still present.
- Adhesive tape. When using this method, linoleum does not wear out so quickly.
- Bonding with mastics or glue.
The last way of laying is the most laborious, but effective. For large premises, it is mandatory.
What is the best thing to do: whether linoleum is completely glued or the free spreading method is used will depend on the size of the room and on the loads. In living rooms, hallways, corridors, of course, it is better to stick.
What is the best glued linoleum?
How to glue linoleum to concrete? There are many types of adhesive masses, both factory-made and home-made. The choice depends on linoleum.
Option # 1 - mastics
As a rule, mastics are most often used for linoleum flooring. They are distinguished by high strength, moisture resistance, which allows them to fulfill the role of waterproofing.
- For bonding linoleum on a fabric basis, dispersion adhesives or synthetic bitumen mastics are used. They are applied to the floor with a layer of about 0.5 mm.
- Thermally insulating linoleum is glued using dispersion adhesives. The thickness of the adhesive layer on the surface of 0.7 mm.
- For baseless linoleum mastics are used, made on the basis of resins and rubber of synthetic origin. They are applied with a layer of not more than 0.4 mm.
- There are many recipes for making glue for linoleum at home. But, it should be noted that the adhesive composition purchased in the store is more reliable, since with self-preparation there is a risk of making a mistake or doing something wrong.
Option # 2 - special glue
Good glue for linoleum quite elastic, which does not allow it to exfoliate under loads. According to the method of gluing linoleum, the compositions are divided into two types: for fixing and continuous gluing. For continuous bonding, there are five types of glue: one-component, two-component, water-dispersion, polyurethane and solvent based adhesives. Environmentally friendly and popular are water-dispersible compositions. At the same time, they are quite elastic and qualitatively fix linoleum. As a more economical option, glue for fixation is used - a special composition that has a moderate adhesive ability with constant stickiness. Such glue is easy to apply, consumption is not large. It is best to buy glue with linoleum, which will allow the seller to give a full consultation and offer the best option.
Having chosen the adhesive composition, you can proceed directly to the procedure for laying linoleum. The adhesive is uniformly applied to the floor surface with a notched trowel, sequentially spreading linoleum and pressing it to the floor surface with a roller or brush. Drying time is different, in order to know for sure, you need to read the label and instructions on it.
How to stick linoleum?
When sticking linoleum on double-sided tape, the procedure looks like this: first, the adhesive tape is glued to the floor, but the protective film is left. The linoleum is spread on top, then one half of the cloth is folded down, the protective film is removed, spread again and smoothened well, moving in the direction from the center. Do the same with the other half of the banner.
When laying linoleum on glue, the procedure becomes more complicated. After the panel has been bent, glue is applied to the floor using a notched trowel (sometimes it is better to use a roller, depending on the type of glue), then linoleum is spread and leveled. Also on the other hand.
In a situation when it is required to join the strips, they are overlapped. Bend the edges at the junction, and apply glue to both panels. At the point of application, with a sharp knife, cut through both layers and remove the trim, both edges are glued. So get an almost imperceptible joint. After drying, the joints are glued with special glue for cold welding of seams, which gives them additional tightness and reliability.
We examined various ways of laying linoleum on a concrete base. Each of them has its advantages, but the most reliable is gluing, which is carried out using special adhesives and mastics. Following simple recommendations, you can lay linoleum yourself and get a reliable and aesthetic floor covering, which, moreover, is quite practical and does not require complicated maintenance.
Vladislav Kartashev 
Irina
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