There are a lot of flooring in construction stores today, which we call linoleum. But most of them are PVC coatings and are made from synthetic materials. Natural linoleum is produced by only three major manufacturers. This is the Forbo group , which occupies a major market share, Tarkett and DLW. Let's take a closer look at this flooring.
History of occurrence
Oiled cloths for flooring began to be used in 1627. In 1843, the predecessor of linoleum was created, which was called camptulikon. The rubber in its composition gave the material flexibility. In 1863, Frederick Walton from Great Britain received a patent for the production of linoleum, so he is considered the founder of this coating.
Production
Modern natural linoleum is a jute canvas, a bit like burlap. A mass of wood flour, cork oak bark, mineral additives, natural dyes, and resin as a bonding element is applied to it.
The basis for the mixture is linseed oil. The mass for linoleum should ripen in the bunker for a week. Dyes are added to the ripened mixture, pressed in a calender machine. Further, the material is cut into meter strips, laid on a jute base with an overlap and pressed again. This is followed by drying and aging for 14 days. The resulting linoleum undergoes special processing to increase strength and wear resistance. It can be produced in tiles and rolls, the thickness varies from 1.5 mm to 4 mm.
Material Features
Natural linoleum has the following positive properties:
- Durability thanks to manufacturing technology.
- Environmentally friendly through the use of natural raw materials.
- Fire resistance, which is provided by special processing.
- Easy care due to easy-to-clean surface.
- Bactericidal due to linseed oil, which prevents the growth of bacteria.
- Antistatic as a property of component products.
- High resistance to chemicals due to its composition and surface treatment.
Area of use
Natural linoleum is widely used in children's and medical institutions. It is also convenient to use in bars, cafes, dance floors. This material can be laid in those rooms where specialized equipment is located.
Now natural linoleum can be seen not only in administrative institutions and offices, but also in private houses and in city apartments. Such popularity is due to durability. The service life of linoleum is 20-30 years.
A variety of colors, imitation wood, sand, stone, cork allows you to use it in almost all interiors.
Natural linoleum. Reviews Advantages, disadvantages
Almost all citizens who have laid natural linoleum at home leave positive feedback. They emit moisture resistance, surface quality, as well as thermal insulation properties. Office workers noted the ease of cleaning.
Of the minuses, the complexity of laying can be distinguished. Some customers laid natural linoleum themselves, did not follow the laying recommendations, as a result, after a while a “wave” formed.
Therefore, it is better to stick the coating to the floor, leave a small gap from the wall or entrust the laying of natural linoleum to a specialist.