The choice of floor coverings is currently just huge. And when it is necessary to choose the material for the floor, the eyes run up from the many samples presented in the window of the hardware store. And attempts to evaluate the technical parameters, to understand the pros and cons of a particular option, only finally enter the buyer into a stupor. He gets lost, not knowing how to choose linoleum.
In recent years, new floor coverings and materials have flooded the construction market. But despite this, linoleum, which has already become a classic, does not yield its niche. Its cost, in comparison with other materials, is much lower. At the same time, it is practical, lasts a long time, does not require special care. This led to the great popularity of linoleum.
Why choose linoleum
Linoleum is well known to everyone since the days of the Soviet Union. And this material has proved to be just excellent: it is quite durable and it is difficult todamage (even with such intent), tolerates moisture well and does not deteriorate, provides a huge selection of colors. Linoleum is plastic and does not create difficulties for installation.
In order to lay linoleum, no special preparation is required. This task is within the power of any man who is not afraid of physical labor.
Characteristics and differences between types of linoleum
The range of produced linoleum is very large. But all materials can be combined into groups (types) according to a common feature. Thus, there are several types of linoleum that differ in some ways.
Linoleum based on natural ingredients
Basic - fabric cord. In most cases, jute fabric is used in factories. Oil (linseed), wood or cork flour, lime are mixed in a certain proportion. The color is given by natural dyes.
Thanks to this composition, this material is absolutely harmless to human he alth and therefore can spread in all rooms without exception (even in a children's room). Such linoleum will not cause an allergic reaction and will not provoke an asthma attack.
Natural linoleum has pretty good characteristics: it is wear-resistant, does not lose or change color throughout the entire service life, does not ignite and does not burn. It should also be said that it has bactericidal properties. Caring for such linoleum is elementary.
But there is one drawback - materials of this type are not recommended for use in rooms with a high level of humidity.
PVC Linoleum
Polyvinyl chloride is a versatile material. It is also used for the production of linoleum. PVC materials are good dielectrics, do not conduct heat (have good thermal insulation properties), and are safe for he alth. The material is not afraid of moisture and does not rot, easy to install and maintain.
But PVC linoleum is extremely sensitive to temperature changes (with a decrease in temperature, performance properties drop sharply). Contact with alkalis, other aggressive media and substances is unacceptable.
Classification of linoleum by purpose
Commercial - mainly used in offices. Differs in the increased durability and wear resistance. Long service life (at least 20 years). High quality is reflected in the cost of linoleum - it is rather big.
Semi-commercial - used in both office and residential areas. Serves no more than 7 years. Therefore, it is advisable to use this material as a floor covering in rooms with little traffic.
Household - the thickness of linoleum does not exceed a few millimeters. Scope of application - exclusively residential premises with low traffic. The service life is on average 5 years. Sold in rolls. Household linoleum has the worst set of performance properties.
Other types of linoleum
Glyphthalic linoleum consists of alkyd resin applied to a durable fabric. Suchthe composition at times complicates the work of laying the material on the floor, but it's worth it: sound insulation and noise insulation improve.
Colloxylin linoleum has a number of important positive properties: the material is elastic, resistant to moisture, does not ignite when in contact with an open fire.
Relin is a two-layer composite material. The first layer is a mixture of bitumen and crushed rubber. The second layer is rubber, pigment, as well as a special filler. Such linoleum is not afraid of moisture, elastic.
Structure of linoleum layers
The structure of linoleum can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. How to choose the right linoleum, so as not to regret later? When making a decision, it is necessary to take into account the features, advantages and disadvantages of each type.
The thickness of the linoleum of the first group is 1.5-2 mm. The drawing is applied using the so-called end-to-end technology, due to which the material has a presentable appearance throughout the entire service life. That is why experienced professionals recommend this class of linoleum for the kitchen and hallway. These rooms have the highest traffic.
The thickness of heterogeneous class linoleum reaches 6 mm. It is composite and consists of a PVC substrate, a reinforcing fiberglass fabric, a decorative PVC layer with an image applied to it, and a bactericidal outer coating.
It is recommended to lay heterogeneous linoleum in the kitchen, bathroom, hallway.
You can see mixed type linoleum for sale. The basis of such a flooring material is a homogeneous layer, but at the sametime there is a layer of PVC, fiberglass and protective film.
But which linoleum is better? There is no single answer to this question. The choice of a particular type of coating is determined by many factors.
How to choose linoleum for an apartment
To make the right choice, taking into account all the subtleties and requirements, you need to know the universal marking. All premises in accordance with international standards can be divided into residential, office and industrial (production). The main criterion for classifying a room as one type or another is the intensity of the load on the floor surface. The image of the house and the number 2 accompanying it indicate that linoleum is intended exclusively for residential premises. Material intended for operation in harsh office conditions is marked with the number 3 and the image of a multi-storey building. The number 4 and a schematic representation of the factory indicate that the material is intended for use in workshops and other production facilities.
To determine such an important characteristic as abrasion, control samples of linoleum are tested. How to choose a test method? And it shouldn't be chosen. It is strictly regulated by EU standards and GOST. The bottom line is this: a felt circle of a certain diameter is given rotation, then the circle is brought to the test sample and pressed with the necessary force, after a specified time, the amount of wear is measured. Based on the experimentally obtained data, the samplelinoleum is assigned one or another degree of abrasion. Beech "T" marks the material with abrasion degree up to 0.08 mm. "P" corresponds to wear up to 0.15 mm. "M" - up to 0.3 mm. Finally, "F" - abrasion up to 0.6 mm inclusive. It should be noted that sometimes the degree of abrasion is marked with pictograms of little men. In this case, the more figures, the higher the degree of wear resistance of the material.
Living room or hall, as a rule, are rooms with medium traffic. Therefore, it is recommended to use 1.5 mm thick linoleum in these rooms. The best choice is inexpensive household PVC linoleum. It is desirable that the coating is resistant to moisture, does not absorb dirt, does not lose color as a result of exposure to sunlight. It is best that the material be reinforced with either jute or felt mesh fiber (this will give elasticity, a certain softness, and enhance the pleasant effect of tactile interaction).
The flooring in the children's room should not contain any harmful substances. It is best to use linoleum from natural materials. Yes, in this case, the coating will last much less, but you should never risk the he alth of children.
The kitchen flooring is consistently under significant stress due to high traffic. In addition, there is almost always high humidity in the kitchen, the kitchen floors are often washed using fairly aggressive detergents. Ideally suited for linoleum type-setting squares, no more than three millimeters thick.
Choice of material forbedrooms will depend on the patency of the room. As a rule, the load on the floor in the bedroom is negligible. Therefore, in most cases, linoleum on a foamed PVC base of small thickness (from 1.2 mm) is suitable.
The hallway is the most visited room in the apartment. Therefore, the flooring is under heavy load. All family members come from the street and step on the hallway linoleum with hard soles, on which sometimes there are abrasive elements, stones, glass fragments, etc. A semi-commercial class of linoleum with a thickness of 3 millimeters or more is recommended for use.
Design and style issues
How to choose linoleum for an apartment in which a good repair has already been made? If there is good taste, certain ideas about the desired result, then you can rely on your own opinion. However, there are a number of general recommendations, rules and regulations that will help make the room more aesthetic and stylish:
- cold tones visually make the room more spacious, while warm tones have the opposite effect;
- beige color is associated with the warmth of the hearth, with comfort, red - tension, aggressiveness, blue - sets to rest, gray sets to work;
- the ornament on the floor has a great influence on the perception of space, you can significantly expand a narrow room visually thanks to the use of linoleum with the image of a parquet board;
- the size of decorative tiles on linoleum should be proportional to the size of the room.
Buying linoleum
In specialized stores, the choice of linoleum is so huge that you can, without exaggeration, get confused and buy, to put it mildly, material with not the best characteristics.
So, how to choose a cover? Based on many years of experience, the masters give some advice on choosing linoleum for an apartment. However, these recommendations are also relevant when buying flooring material for an office or other premises. Key points to pay attention to:
- If linoleum emits a very sharp, unpleasant odor, then most likely it contains harmful substances. This material is not worth taking.
- The surface should not shine too much, the pattern should be clear, without defects.
- Be sure to ask the sales assistant if he can provide all the necessary certificates confirming the quality and he alth safety of the products sold.
- Make sure you have an outer protective coating (it will greatly extend the life of the coating).
- Of course, you should conduct, so to speak, a macroanalysis and make sure that there are no significant damages, foreign inclusions, heterogeneities in composition, etc. on the surface of the linoleum
- The width of the roll should correspond to the overall width of the room in order to avoid joints that spoil the appearance and bring dissonance to the interior.
- Plan in advance how to transport the bale and find a machine with a suitable size of the cargo compartment.
- When purchasing material, you should take it with a margin (you may have to combine the pattern, cover thresholds and hard-to-reach places).
If you pay attention to the above criteria for choosing linoleum, then problems with the acquisition, installation and further operation of the flooring can be avoided.
In no case should you chase a low price. As a rule, too low a price is set for low-quality linoleum in order to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Linoleum manufacturers
In the building materials market, in particular in the linoleum market, both domestic and imported products are presented (mainly Europe). We can say with absolute confidence that the domestic manufacturer offers competitive products that are not worse, and in some respects even surpass imported analogues.
The most famous domestic manufacturer of linoleum is the Tarkett brand. Of the imported products, the highest quality products are offered by the Hungarian brand Grabo, Forbo (Switzerland), Juteks (a Slovenian company, there is a plant in Russia) and Gerflor (France).
"Grabo" specializes in the development and production of fiberglass reinforced coatings. This solution gives the material incredible strength and wear resistance. Materials from this manufacturer also differ in good noise and heat insulation properties, ease of installation work. In general, the material from the Grabo company is a worthy option. In addition, the cost of linoleumquite attractive.
Forbo brand linoleum is one of the best in the market segment of synthetic and natural floor coverings. The manufacturer positions itself as an innovative enterprise, constantly modernizing the technological process and the material base of the equipment. Only high quality components and raw materials are used. Linoleum has good adhesion and friction properties (does not slip), is moisture resistant, and is a bactericidal material.
Company "Utex" has Slovenian roots. Although at present in many countries there are factories that manufacture products under this brand under license. 70 years is a long time. And if during this time the company not only did not go bankrupt, but also annually increases its capacity, then this indicates the quality of the products. The main "chip", or feature, of linoleum is the presence of a special protective layer. This outer dense film serves as a reliable protection against grease, dirt, intense mechanical impact on the material. Products, of course, are certified according to world quality standards.
How can you characterize the linoleum from the French company "Gerflor"? First of all, these are original style solutions that will not leave indifferent even the most sophisticated interior designer. Patterns and colors of linoleum always correspond to fashion trends and trends. And of course, the coating is not inferior to competitors in other parameters: durability, resistance to moisture, solar radiation, etc.
Which manufacturertrust? What is the best linoleum? Unfortunately, there is no universal answer. It is necessary to take into account the operating conditions, the allocated budget. One thing is for sure - choosing products of a well-known brand, the risk of purchasing poor-quality goods is much lower. And the products of a domestic manufacturer are not always obviously worse than foreign ones, sometimes even better.
