How to smooth the linoleum on the floor?

Linoleum - a very popular flooring. The popularity of this material is due to its democratic value, wide color palette, as well as its ability to imitate a diverse surface, for example, parquet flooring or floor tiles. Due to such features, linoleum can organically blend into the interior of any style. To this flooring served for a long time, it must be properly laid.

This material is most often stored in rolls and, after unfolding, has a not quite presentable appearance: creases, waves and other irregularities may appear. How to smooth the linoleum on the floor you will learn from this article.

To properly put the linoleum, you must prepare the floor for its installation. If this flooring is placed on a concrete floor, then take care to level it.

The most common method used to level the floor is cement screed or self leveling compound. Cement screed should be used if there are serious surface imperfections, since the cement is poured with a thick layer and is able to easily cope with such disadvantages.

The self-leveling mixture is distributed in a thin layer, so it is used either as a final step in leveling the floor, or on surfaces that have small flaws.

The process of leveling a concrete floor is as follows:

• Garbage is removed and the remaining previous coating is removed.
• It should be thoroughly vacuumed the floor. For these purposes it is better to use a construction vacuum cleaner, which has a water filter. This filter not only perfectly collects, but also keeps dust.
• Seams and joints between concrete ceilings are closed.
• The surface is smeared with a primer with deep penetration.
• Next, you should pour a cement screed under the linoleum.

If the wooden floor will serve as the basis, then it is also necessary to carry out preliminary preparation:

• Assess the stability of the boards. If some are loose, they need to be properly attached.
• Check for gaps between the floorboards. You can get rid of them with putty, or fill up the holes with wooden inserts.
• Remove the old paint, as it will interfere with the gluing of linoleum.
• Make sure that the heads of the nails and screws are completely hidden in the tree, otherwise they will create unwanted bumps and the surface will not be perfectly flat.

Once you have managed to level the floors, you can begin to lay the very linoleum coating. Pay attention to the temperature in the room, it should not be below 20 degrees, otherwise this material will be inelastic, and it will be difficult to properly decompose on the floor.

Experts recommend using a special substrate for linoleum, as it provides:

• Sound insulation — noise that usually comes from neighbors living on the floor below will become less pronounced.
• Thermal insulation - this is especially true for apartments located on the first floor or above non-residential premises, as well as for a private house, whose floors are often very cold.
• Removes irregularities and flaws in the floor - the substrate is able to hide the existing flaws, irregularities, dents and other defects. Because of this, the flooring will last much longer.

There are several popular options for substrates for linoleum:

• Jute - made from vegetable fibers. A fire retardant is added to the structure of this material, which prevents the process of rotting and burning. Such a substrate absorbs excess moisture and gradually removes it, without becoming wet.
• Corkboard - made from chopped wood bark without the use of synthetic substances. This material has excellent insulation characteristics of heat and sound. The disadvantages of the cork substrate can be attributed to a rather high cost, as well as the low rigidity of the surface, which with time can sag and deform under heavy furniture, leading to the deformation of linoleum.

• Flaxseed - allows you to maintain natural ventilation between the floor and floor covering, thus preventing the formation of fungus and mold. This substrate has a natural composition, as it is made from flax. During production, a fire retardant is added to it, which prevents and protects from the institution of various bugs and insects and stops the appearance of rot.
• Combined - flax, jute and wool are included in this product. It perfectly retains heat and dryness in the room, and also has high wear resistance and thermal insulation characteristics.

If it is wrong to lay the linoleum, then you have to try to straighten it from the waves. Replacement of a furniture set or a long period of service of such a floor can also lead to the formation of such defects.

New linoleum is easy to straighten - just deploy it and place it on a flat surface.It will take some time, which may take several days. If you do not have time to wait, then you can use more radical methods.

If during the laying of linoleum an error was made and a bubble was formed, then to get rid of this deficiency will help such actions:

• Pierce the place where the bubble was formed with a thin pin or a “gypsy needle”.
• Place a heavy object on top to remove air from the bubble. You can use any suitable item, for example, a heavy weight, a stack of books, even a pan filled with water will do.
• When the air comes out using a syringe, squeeze a small amount of glue into the place where the bubble was.
• Using a roller, complete the process of straightening the floor covering.

This procedure is applied if a small sized bubble appears on the linoleum.

If you notice that waves have gone over the surface of your flooring, then use an iron, a thick cloth and a heavy object. Linoleum can be straightened from the waves, gradually smoothing it with an iron.

Step by step process of eliminating the waves is as follows:

• Turn on the iron and heat it well. The best option is to use an appliance equipped with a steam function.
• On a wavy formation you need to put a thick fabric on top, it is better if it is soft, for example, take an old terry towel. Fold it in 2 or 3 layers to make a rather thick canvas that will protect the linoleum from overheating, but at the same time allow it to heat and soften well.
• From above, a hot iron should be placed on the fabric and moved along the surface of matter in smooth circular motions. This will heat the floor evenly, making it very elastic.
• After the area with the wave warms up, you need to remove the iron and put a heavy object on top. Leave it for a day, during which time the linoleum will cool completely and its surface will flatten.

If you have to straighten the material that was lying on the roll for a long time, then you can use the following method - twist it face down.To do this, you need to fully unwind the roll and tighten it again so that the wrong side was on top. Make sure that the part of the roll that is inside before rewinding remains there afterwards.

To level this product after the bend, you need to spread it in the room. If you have an uncritical situation, and the linoleum is not broken, then it will take you 2 or 3 days to level it naturally. You can safely walk on it, cutting it previously to the desired size. The main condition is not to put heavy objects so that unnecessary dents do not appear.

You can also straighten the flooring after the bend, if you place it face up and put plywood on top. Pay attention that the linoleum lay flat without bending the edges under the plywood.

To get rid of dents, or straighten sagging linoleum, you can use an iron or hair dryer. Under the influence of heat, the material softens and the surface levels off.

If during storage this flooring was cracked, then you can get rid of such a disadvantage if you glue it to the base. Be sure to try to properly smooth products, releasing all being air. Use a roller for this purpose.

The most common methods of leveling linoleum, in addition to the above, include:

• Using a long stick or board. One edge of this coating is nailed to the wall. A wide long board is taken, a heavy object is placed on top of it. She moves in the opposite direction from that which is already nailed. When you reach the end of the room, this side of the product needs to be fixed. Trim the linoleum along, then perform a similar manipulation with the opposite side. Using this method, you securely fix the floor covering.
• Will help get rid of the bubble regular table salt. It should be heated in a frying pan and poured into a sock or a specially made bag. Place a cloth on top of the bubble and press the sock with hot salt. You need to wait about 15 minutes for the material to heat up.After this time, remove the cloth and salt and squeeze the air out of the bubble, moving from the outer edges to the center.
• You can also remove unwanted waves. using a heating pad. Pour hot water into the heating pad. Place it in a deformed place, do not forget to put a cloth in front of it, so as not to melt the product. Wait 15-20 minutes and smooth out the place where there was a wave.

In addition, pay attention to the quality of the material. If you initially purchase a product of poor quality, then problems and difficulties with its installation can not be avoided. If you prefer a more expensive and high-quality product, the process of laying will be much faster and easier.

If, in addition to everything else, you pre-level the floor, and also use a special substrate, then all the difficulties can be avoided and you will not have to eliminate the defects. Linoleum will lie flat and will delight you and your household with a beautiful appearance.

How to smooth out the linoleum, see the next video.