Sisal flooring - eco-friendly wicker mats
The modern desire for environmental friendliness makes flooring manufacturers think about the natural purity of the materials used. Most often, you don’t need to invent anything new, just remember the interior of apartments and houses of the middle of the last century. Then on the floor of many lay not artificial linoleum, but dense wicker mats. What a pleasure it was to walk barefoot over them! After the mats were undeservedly forgotten, in their place came synthetic materials from plastic, viscose and rubber. And only now, when the main advantage in everything is naturalness, the mats survived their rebirth. They have changed, their size has increased and now more often it’s not modest rugs (although there are such too!), But a continuous cover for the entire room. And they began to be called differently. Now it is sisal flooring.
Of what, what is our coating made of?
Sisal is a fiber obtained from the leaves of a Mexican plant - agave. It is from it that the natural coating weave is being weaved about. It is a little rough, very durable and rough to the touch. Sometimes pure sisal fiber is used for flooring, and sometimes it is mixed with jute or wool. Jute adds endurance to the canvas, and wool adds strength, although pure sisal itself sufficiently possesses these characteristics.
Most sisal flooring manufacturers supply it with a latex backing. This significantly increases the service life of the canvas, simplifies laying and does not allow sand, dust and other small particles to wake up through the weaving of sisal on the floor.
Advantages and disadvantages of sisal coating
Sisal coating has a lot of advantages, here are some of them:
- natural appearance, allowing you to develop a very fashionable modern interior design. However, with sisal, an antique interior is also possible, which is also more than relevant.
- universality. Sisal flooring looks organically everywhere: in an apartment, gym, restaurants, educational centers, children's recreation areas.
- environmental friendliness. This has already been said, but it will not be amiss to mention again that the sisal coating is a natural, harmless and non-toxic material.
- durability and wear resistance. Subject to all the rules for caring for sisal cloth, it will serve you for several decades, without losing its "salable" appearance.
- hypoallergenicity. This property refers to a clean sisal coating without additives. If the composition contains wool, then it can cause allergies in people sensitive to it.
- does not accumulate static electricity
- easy to clean, difficult to get dirty
- is inexpensive
There is still a drawback to the sisal coating, but there is only one. This is excessive hygroscopicity, that is, moisture absorption. This means that sisal cannot be used for bathrooms, showers and kitchens. Excessive humidity in these rooms will negatively affect the longevity of the coating, as thin fibers will begin to rot and the wicker fabric will spread to separate parts.Thus, the main thing for a sisal canvas is to choose the right place and then it will serve you faithfully.
How to lay sisal coating yourself?
For laying sisal cloth special knowledge and skills will not be required, therefore, you can cope with this on your own, without involving a construction team.
Consider the process of laying sisal coating in stages:
- After you bring home a sisal coating roll, you should immediately spread it and let it rest for about two days. It is important that sisal, like any natural material, is subject to significant shrinkage - at least 5% from all sides. This should be taken into account when buying, so that later you do not have to compose the coating from pieces.
- After the sisal has recovered, it is possible to cut out of it a canvas corresponding to the configuration of the floor. The natural sisal coating is very dense, so at this point you may encounter difficulties. To facilitate the work, you should use a sharp, durable knife, and even better - a special knife-hook, which will make it easier to cling to the edges of the canvas.
- The floor on which you will lay sisal must be clean, so all garbage from it must be removed and wiped from dust. Then a primer is applied to the floor surface and waiting for it to completely dry - about a day.
- Glue is applied to the floor using a notched trowel. A glue based on synthetic resins will be suitable, which will fix the latex substrate of the sisal cloth on the floor. The main thing is that the glue does not contain solvent, since it destroys latex.
- They begin to glue sisal from the center of the room, gradually moving to the edges, gently smoothing the canvas with a roller or wooden block.
- All protruding edges, irregularities on the edges, excess canvas are trimmed.
- The final drying of the glue takes place only 3-4 days after installation, so this period is better not to walk on the sisal coating.
- Plinths are attached around the perimeter of the room, which additionally fix the sisal cloth.
Care for such flooring
Sisal cloth is a decorative and practical floor covering, which will be such only with proper care. However, this care is not at all complicated. To sisal for a long time retained its original appearance, it is enough to vacuum it 2-3 times a week. Once every six months, you should arrange for him to clean with a dry shampoo.
This is all you have to do to ensure that the natural sisal flooring shines with purity and pleases the eye for many years.
