How to lay linoleum on a wooden floor

Linoleum is a fairly popular flooring. This is not at all surprising, since it has a number of significant advantages. The main ones are price, variety, functionality and reliability. It can be installed on any type of surface, including wood. This will be discussed in the proposed article.

Do I need linoleum for wood flooring

Before you go to the store and choose a linoleum with a suitable pattern, you should decide whether you need it at all. Real wood flooring is a priori one of the best coatings. Enough to cover it with lacquer or paint and voila! Here is a beautiful floor that looks spectacular and elegant.

However, this option is only suitable if the apartment or house is still new.In old buildings, wooden coatings lose their appearance and quality. Cracks and other defects appear. In this case, the use of linoleum as an additional coating would be very appropriate.

So, if you have decided and firmly decided that housing without linoleum will not do, read on.

Surface preparation

So, you can immediately rewind the required amount of linoleum and lay it on the floor. The result will be directly proportional to your efforts. Therefore, we are not lazy and start everything from the very beginning. And first of all you need to inspect the wooden surface of the floor, namely:

• Inspect for the presence of rotten or broken boards;
• Check the metal parts (if any) for the presence of fungus or rust;
• Ensure that there are no foci of rot;

Also, do not forget to carefully inspect the floor for traces of nasty insects that can damage the wooden structure. Even if no trace was noticed, it is advisable to treat the floor with special pest remedies anyway.

The initial inspection is completed. If all of the above items are passed to "5", you can proceed to the preparation of the surface.If, however, even small areas with rot were found, the wood in that place should be replaced with a new one. Otherwise, its extensions cannot be avoided.

One of the main disadvantages of linoleum is that it absolutely does not hide floor irregularities. Therefore, it is very important to process the coating to a perfect condition. To do this, the paint is initially removed, and then everything is polished with a plane or an electric sander. The effect of them is the same, but the second tool will significantly shorten the time.

After that, the surface is cleaned, and sheets of plywood or chipboard are laid on top. They are installed end-to-end with each other, and are glued to the floor using a special mixture of PVA glue and gypsum. If you do not trust the adhesives, you can additionally nail the sheets to the floor with nails. The gaps between the plywood can be treated with the same adhesive. Next comes the most enjoyable stage - rest. We are waiting until the glue is completely dry. But before that it’s worth making sure that all the stages have been done qualitatively, and after a year you don’t have to hide everything and redo it.

The choice of linoleum

Above it was said that rest is the most pleasant stage in repair. However, it is much easier and more pleasant for some people to go shopping and make new purchases. And it does not matter whether it will be any branded items or the choice of building materials. If you are one of these shopaholics, you will definitely like this part of the article, because we go to the store to choose linoleum.

First you need to know what important criteria exist for the choice of linoleum.

1. First of all, it is worth paying attention to the price and, accordingly, quality. A quality product at a low price is a rare exception. And, unfortunately, linoleum is not. Therefore, if you want the material to serve you long enough - do not regret money. Surely the saying, about the stingy, who pays twice, is known to all. So, do not forget about it in the store.
2. Design. Appearance is also important. However, there are no special tips. The main thing is that the coating blends harmoniously into the overall design of the room. At the same time not only color options, but also graphic ones can influence the style. For example, a strict image does not fit in the nursery.But in the living room has the right to life (if the style of the room is made in the same strict style).
3. Thickness also plays a role. Not only sheets of plywood will provide a flat floor in the room. The thicker the linoleum, the better it will hide various deformations. The thickness of the upper protective layer is also important. If the linoleum will move in the entrance room, then the most protected models are recommended. This will allow you to extend the life of the flooring is not for one year.

The above selection tips will greatly facilitate and speed up the process of buying linoleum. If you wanted to go shopping longer, do not despair. Quickly buy building material, and then go to the tea or coffee shop (depending on what the soul is) and enjoy the pleasant aromas, while choosing your favorite drink, which is made in different parts of the world.

Necessary tool

Returning home with rolls of linoleum and packing fragrant roasted coffee beans, proceed to the final stages of repair. However, lay the material barehanded, few people succeed,therefore, you will need a certain arsenal, which consists of the following materials:

• Roller;
• Sharp knife;
• Notched trowel;
• Line up to 3 meters;
• Double sided tape.

Cold welding or another similar adhesive will be needed if there are joints.

Linoleum itself should also be prepared. And it will take at least a day. Under the influence of room conditions (temperature and humidity), the material may shrink slightly or, on the contrary, expand. If you immediately glue it, it will lead to unpleasant consequences. Therefore, it should be deployed in the room where it will be installed for a day. During this time, it will also take the form of a floor, which will facilitate subsequent installation.

Installing linoleum on a wooden floor

So, you have successfully coped with all the preparatory processes and are now ready to finally finish this matter and complete the repair of the floor.

We start with the measurement of the room. After that, the obtained data is transferred to linoleum, we add another 8-10 mm to the width and length, and then we cut the necessary part with a knife. Excess in this case is obligatory, as the material may be dragged out over time. You can hide them using a plinth.

If in your case the width of the room is completely covered by one piece of linoleum - you are lucky, the laying process in this case is much easier. And we begin with him.

Single strip application
For a better understanding, we will describe the installation process in stages.

1. The prepared piece of linoleum is folded in half and laid on the prepared floor. By the way, its surface must be clean and dry, otherwise the material will not stick well. An adhesive is evenly applied to the half-floor free of linoleum.
2. Next on this part is laid out the curved part of the floor material. However, wait until the glue has set (about 10 minutes). While bonding, linoleum should be dragged from the center to the edges with a rag or roller (but it should not be strongly pressed). The protruding excess glue should be immediately removed with a damp cloth, otherwise they will leave noticeable marks.
3. Then the process is repeated in the other half of the room. Not yet processed part of the material is bent, and glue is applied to the floor.
4. Repeat the same paragraphs, which are written just above.

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in the procedure and you can handle it yourself.Therefore, to call the construction team with expensive equipment, beautiful overalls and a strict foreman in the bargain is not worth it.

Covering a room with two stripes is somewhat more difficult. However, after reading the instructions that follow immediately after this offer, you will also successfully cope.

Two-way linoleum installation method
But actually the promised instruction. In fact, there are several ways, and everyone will be mentioned. And let's start with cold welding.

For home, this option will be the best. Cold welding (special glue) is inexpensive. In addition, it allows you to work independently and securely fastens the seams. So, first you need to stick both strips in the same way that was described in the previous section close to each other. Next, the seam between them is processed by cold welding, which will pull together both parts and reliably protect the seam from moisture. Waiting for complete drying and ready. It is also possible to glue double-sided tape, which will also fasten the linoleum, from the bottom of the seam before the beginning of this work.

Now consider an option that requires certain skills. Make it yourself will be problematic.The bottom line is the use of a special welding machine that will melt the polymer cord, thus creating a seam. To do this, the cord is laid out in place of the joint, and then the apparatus moves from the edge to the middle. After the procedure is repeated on the other side.

Single or dual lane option is not so important. You can always cope on your own. And given the tips outlined in the article, linoleum will last long and reliably.

Video: how to put linoleum on the floor with their own hands