Linoleum is a floor covering that has been popular for many years. This is due not only to the acceptable cost of the material, but also to its excellent performance and simple installation. Laying linoleum is quite simple. Every person can deal with this. In addition, you will save the family budget without resorting to the help of specialists.
And of course, it will be necessary to familiarize yourself with the laying technology. Otherwise, you can make gross mistakes, which you can no longer correct later. So, how to properly lay and how long should linoleum lie down?
Types of linoleum
There are several types of this flooring. Depending on the scope of application, it is divided as follows:
- household;
- specialized;
- commercial;
- semi-commercial.
Household linoleum is the most common. It can be on foam, fabric, non-woven, polyester backing. Quickly loses its appearance under increased loads.
Specialized types are made for rooms with special requirements for operation. Here it is divided into acoustic material, anti-slip material and germicidal material.
In semi-commercial linoleum, the protective layer is thicker. Used in offices, educational and administrative institutions. And commercial linoleum is characterized by a maximum protective layer and resistance to mechanical stress.
Working conditions
Before you start manipulating the material and find out how much linoleum should lie down, you need to prepare the room for installation. The main thing is to create the necessary conditions for work that would meet the technological requirements:
- The floor surface must be checked for irregularities, cracks. It is desirable that it be as even as possible. Don't forget to clean it of debris and dust.
- There should be no draft in the room. Before work, do not turn on air conditioning, heaters and other devices that create an artificial microclimate 24 hours before work.
- For 48 hours, the temperature in the room should be between 15 and 30 °C. The humidity level in the room should be within 60%.
- Before installation, linoleum must be brought into the room and straightened. The floor covering must be at ambient temperature. How much shouldlie down linoleum, hard to say. After all, it all depends on the type of material. It can be either 12 or 48 hours. For example, experts believe that 20 hours is enough for artificial linoleum without a substrate, and 48 hours for a natural coating.
Materials and tools
Before proceeding with the installation, it is necessary to choose the appropriate method of fixing the flooring. Specialists use double-sided tape and adhesive mastic.
Before installation, carefully study the manufacturer's recommendations. This often indicates the type of adhesive composition that can be used. In addition, the recommendations indicate the thickness of the adhesive layer. Consider this indicator when choosing a spatula for applying glue - this will greatly simplify the work.
Double-sided tape is mainly used to attach PVC linoleum to a substrate or wooden base. When laying on a concrete base or on a felt surface, the adhesive tape will not be able to hold it securely.
Natural or artificial material with a fabric base is often laid on a special adhesive mastic. It is applied to the base with a special notched trowel.
If the concrete base is covered with a special moisture-resistant primer, it is necessary to apply mastic on top of it and allow time for it to dry. After it is applied to the surface of the linoleum and laid it. At the same time, it is necessary to roll the coating from the center to the sides in order to “drive out” air bubbles.
But how muchlinoleum should lie down after laying, depends directly on the method of its fastening.
Measuring the room
Before you go to the store to buy flooring, you need to correctly and accurately measure the room. In this case, possible joints should be avoided. If the room has a lot of constructive protrusions or it has a non-standard geometric shape, then measurements must be taken along the widest sections of the room. After all, it is always better to cut off an extra piece of canvas than to glue the missing one later.
After measuring the room, you need to make tolerances of 10 cm on each side. In this case, the material can be laid with a slight overlap on the wall.
If it is not possible to avoid joints, and a geometric pattern is applied to the material, it is necessary to additionally think about the possibility of shifting the rolls to select the pattern.
Many people are interested not only in how many days linoleum should rest after laying, but also how to properly lay the material with a joint? Remember that the joint must be perpendicular to the window. After all, the parallel joint will be very noticeable.
Styling method
You already know how much linoleum should rest before laying. Having bought a floor covering, it is left in the room for at least 12 hours. But the method of laying the material depends not only on its features, but also on the area of \u200b\u200bthe room. It could be:
- moisture laying;
- use of adhesive;
- layingon double-sided tape.
Laying linoleum without fixing is allowed in a room with a small area - up to 20 m². In this case, be sure to use a solid canvas.
Linoleum from natural or artificial components on an insulated base is laid on an adhesive composition. In this case, the base must be wooden or concrete. The area of such a room may exceed 25 m².
The use of double-sided tape is acceptable in rooms up to 25 m². In this case, the presence of seams is allowed if the floor base is wood, rubber or cork substrate. It should also be borne in mind that laying linoleum with a textured base in this way will not work. It has a fleecy structure, so it will not be able to give the desired adhesion to the surface.
Features of material preparation
The most important technological process before installing the floor covering is its preparation. Failure to follow this rule can lead to various troubles. Before straightening the canvas, linoleum should be indoors in an unfolded state for several days. Immediately after the acquisition, the purchase can be put in the room where it will lie. So the material will acquire its own humidity, temperature. And how long should linoleum rest before laying in the folded state?
Experts recommend putting the roll on the end in the corner of the room for 48 hours. If the height of the ceiling does not allow this, the material can be laid on the floor. But at the same time every 12 hours it is necessaryturn over. Remember that the floor surface should be covered with thick paper.
If the canvas is spread immediately, it will dry unevenly, resulting in waves.
After the canvas is unfolded and left for 12-48 hours to level. How many days linoleum should lie in order to lie down depends on many factors. First of all - from the material itself. So, linoleum with a PVC base will straighten out faster if the room temperature is above +20 ° C, and with a fabric one, on the contrary, it will take longer.
Remember, it is strictly forbidden to use heavy objects to straighten or fix corners.
After the fabric is straightened, it is cut to certain dimensions, laid and fixed on the substrate, if necessary. After the canvas is laid again on the floor.
Smooth joint
When laying linoleum for the first time, many make mistakes when making joints. First of all, you need to make an even joint of the canvas, fix it, and then just trim the material around the perimeter. The sequence is:
- Leave the necessary overlap for the wall, lay the first roll.
- Insert the second roll, leaving a 10cm overlap on the first.
- Unscrew the second roll 0.5 m from the joint and fix it to the floor with glue or double-sided tape. This will keep the blade from moving while cutting.
- Repeat the procedure with the first roll.
- Using a sharp knife and a ruler, make an even through cut at the place where the bales are overlapped.
Laying linoleum on adhesive
Fixing linoleum, you need to take into account some of the nuances of the work.
So, with natural-based material, you need to be extremely careful. First of all, you need to read the manufacturer's recommendations. The glue is applied in one direction to the entire surface of the canvas with a notched trowel. The seams of natural linoleum are joined together by welding 48 hours after the glue has dried.
On average, after 48 hours, you can start installing skirting boards and installing furniture.
Conclusion
Often in modern apartments linoleum is used as flooring. This material has been very popular for a long time. But, like any other, it must be properly laid. Therefore, it is very important to know how to do it correctly and how much linoleum should rest before and after laying.
