Linoleum on wooden floors in the apartment. How to lay linoleum on a wooden floor - it's not difficult at all! Video: how to cover a wooden floor with plywood

Linoleum is one of the widely used floor coverings, which is actively used in residential and public spaces. If there is a concrete base, laying this coating by professionals can be done quite quickly. But today there are still many houses where boards are used as flooring and the technology for laying linoleum is slightly different. In this article we will tell you whether it is possible to lay linoleum on a wooden floor and how to do it correctly if you decide to do all the work yourself.

Wood floor inspection

Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, it is necessary to properly prepare the base, since the quality of installation and the service life of the coating directly depend on this. The work begins with an initial inspection and analysis of the condition of the boards. To do this you need:

Check that each board is securely fastened at all points. Check for any deflections or play in the web;
Inspect for damage in the form of rotten areas or partial darkening of the board as a result of exposure to moisture;
Make sure there are no fungal growths or mold, as well as the absence of rusty fastening elements;
Check if there is a squeak when walking on the floor. If creaking occurs, then the cracks between the boards can be sprinkled with ordinary talcum powder or graphite powder.

Important. If a rotten area or fungal formation is discovered, then before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, the damaged boards must be replaced with new ones, and make sure that there is no damage to the load-bearing floor joists, if any. It is not recommended to try to eliminate the fungus by mechanical cleaning and coating with antiseptics. The pores of the fungus penetrate deeply into the wood tissue and no treatment guarantees their complete removal.

Preparing the floor surface

First of all, you need to remove the remnants of old paint and all other debris from the surface of the boards. If the paint holds firmly, then you can leave it, removing only the peeling areas. Pick up the paint layer with a chisel or spatula; if the paint comes off easily, it is better to clean the surface of the boards completely. In difficult places, you can use a hair dryer or paint remover. Then level the surface as much as possible and make sure that the fastening elements of the boards do not stick out above the floor plane.

Important. Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, the boards must be covered with plywood or fiberboard to create a level base. It is not recommended to lay linoleum directly on the boards, since they have a slight deflection when walking or installing furniture, which will lead to stretching and rapid wear of the linoleum.

Plywood or fiberboard is laid on the boards, with a sheet thickness of 8-12 mm. The thickness of the plywood sheet is selected based on the degree of deflection of the boards. If the logs are located at a large distance and the boards sag, then it is better to use thicker sheets to compensate for the bends.

For your information. Laying plywood on a wooden floor under linoleum is done joint to joint. To secure the plywood, wood screws with a countersunk head are used, which, when screwed in, should not protrude beyond the sheet.

When laying sheets of plywood, simultaneously level the hearth using a level. If the screws are tightened too tightly, the plywood sheets may become deformed. If the sheets are thin and when screwing in the self-tapping screws it is not possible to maintain a flat surface, it is necessary to use a drill to make recesses in advance for the screw head to enter into the slab.
Then the plywood laid under linoleum on a wooden floor is sanded at the joints with sandpaper. The joints are sealed with wood putty and, after drying, sanded again to achieve a smooth base.

If the flooring boards are relatively fresh and strong, then instead of laying plywood, you can scrape the surface to level out small differences, but in this case it is advisable to use linoleum with a dense base.

At this point, the surface preparation is completed and the final step before laying the linoleum will be the complete removal of dust using a vacuum cleaner and a slightly damp rag.

Preparation of linoleum

Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, it must be laid out on a prepared surface and left for several days. During this time, the material will acquire room temperature and straighten out for convenient work with it in the future. In places where linoleum does not adhere well to the floor, you can lay heavy objects with a flat base, such as books or boards.

Important. Make sure that during the purchase and transportation of linoleum, strong bends of the canvas are not allowed. If there are kinks on the purchased material, then it is better to return such material back to the store and ask for a replacement.

If it is not possible to return the product, then before laying linoleum on a wooden floor with bends, it is recommended to straighten the broken area as much as possible and press it with a heavy object. PVC-based linoleum can be heated with a hairdryer to remove cracks. However, the coating on a natural basis will most likely not be able to be leveled and the bend will have to be cut out to create a joint.

After the material has straightened and acquired room temperature, you can begin cutting the canvas, having first removed the baseboards. To do this, you need a ruler, at least two meters long, and a construction knife with a retractable blade. When cutting PVC linoleum, leave an allowance at the edges for shrinkage, which at high temperatures can be up to 2% of the area.

Installation of linoleum

Laying linoleum on a wooden floor with your own hands begins with determining the direction of the pattern. For example, it is better to lay plain coatings or products imitating marble or granite in the direction of the incident light from the room window. This will help visually hide the joints, if any. If the color of the coating has a relief or multi-colored texture, then there is no difference in the direction of installation.

For your information. In the absence of a plywood backing, linoleum is laid parallel to the direction of the boards so that the joint is in the middle of the board. If there is a plywood base, the direction of laying colored or textured material does not matter.

Monitor the indoor microclimate and avoid drafts. During straightening and laying of linoleum, the room temperature should not be lower than +16 and not higher than +35 degrees Celsius.

Choosing a method of fastening linoleum

Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor with your own hands, you need to choose an option for attaching it to the surface. Today there are three options, such as:

Laying without gluing. The method is the simplest and fastest, but it can only be used in a room of up to 10 square meters and in the absence of connecting seams.
Laying on tape. In this case, the canvas is fastened with special double-sided tape along the perimeter of the linoleum sheet and at the joints.
Laying with glue. Glue mounting is the most effective installation option and contributes to the longest service life of the coating. However, the process is quite labor-intensive and is required for rooms with an area of more than 20 square meters.

Important. With the second or third installation option, there may be a need to join several sheets. In order to make a perfectly fitted joint, you need to overlap both sheets by about 8-10 cm. Then we fix both sheets to the surface with glue or tape, not reaching 2-3 cm from the overlap point. We lay the ruler exactly in the center of the joint and make a deep cut in two materials at once as evenly as possible, obtaining an ideal joint. After this, coat the wooden floor under the linoleum at the joint with glue or lay down tape, and then glue the material.

Let's start installation

When laying linoleum on a wooden floor without glue, it is necessary to finally level out all the unevenness of the coating from the center to the edges of the room. With sufficient exposure, the coating should lie as flat as possible. Then we cut off the excess material with a construction knife along the wall, making a gap for expansion of approximately 0.5 - 1 cm between the wall and the edge of the canvas. After this, skirting boards are installed, which simultaneously fix the position of the covering.

When laying using mounting tape, it is first glued around the perimeter of the room, without removing the protective layer from the outer adhesive side. Further, all actions occur in the same way as in the first option. After leveling the coating, its edges are folded back, the protective tape is removed from the tape and the edge of the canvas is glued, after which the baseboard is installed.

Laying linoleum on a wooden floor is carried out in the same way as on a regular concrete floor. Linoleum is glued in parts, having previously prepared the adhesive composition. The entire coating is conventionally divided into two parts, then one part is folded back and the adhesive is applied to the floor surface using a spatula or roller. The glue is left for 20-30 minutes, then the bent material is glued to the surface. After this, the procedure is repeated with the second half.

Every person strives to make their home as cozy and comfortable as possible. And the flooring plays an important role in this process. Today there are a large number of varieties of floor coverings.

They differ in their external characteristics, cost, durability and strength. And the most popular type of material is linoleum. This coverage is affordable for every person.

In this article we will similarly talk about the advantages, types and rules for choosing such material. We’ll also tell you how to properly lay linoleum on a wooden floor.

Features of the material

Today, the vast majority of buyers know linoleum as an inexpensive, practical, synthetic material.

However, not everyone knows that initially this flooring was completely natural. It was made entirely from natural ingredients: tree resin and flour, jute, linseed oil and other products. This coating was completely safe for human health and the environment. However, the cost of the material was quite high. Therefore, natural linoleum has not become as widespread as its synthetic counterpart.

Modern linoleum consists of several layers. The backing is most often made of polyvinyl chloride, rubber or fabric. Depending on this, linoleum is divided into several varieties:

PVC. This type of flooring is the most common. It has excellent performance characteristics. However, it is completely unstable to low temperatures;
relin. Perhaps this is the most plastic and moisture-resistant type of linoleum. The outer layer of relin is made of rubber, and the backing consists of bitumen and crushed rubber;
marmoleum. This type of linoleum is noticeably different from others. Because it is made from environmentally friendly materials and is completely safe for human health and the environment. This coating is characterized by hypoallergenic and antibacterial properties. You can lay it in the children's room without fear;

Griftal. In another way, this type of linoleum is called alkyd. The production of this type of material is carried out by applying special resins to a textile base. This material is characterized by excellent heat and sound-absorbing qualities;
nitrocellulose or colloxylin material. This flooring also has high performance characteristics. However, over time it may become deformed.

Linoleum is also classified depending on its purpose and comes in three types:

domestic. The name of this type of material speaks for itself. Household linoleum is intended for residential premises and is not very thick. The material is quite wear-resistant, but is not intended for excessive loads. Most often it consists of one or two layers. The design options for such floor coverings are very diverse: from plain coatings to imitation stone, marble, tiles or laminate;
semi-commercial. This coating option is thicker and more durable. It is noticeably more durable and slightly more expensive than household linoleum. Designed for rooms with average traffic;
commercial. This is the most durable and reliable type of linoleum. It is incredibly durable, and for this reason, the cost of this option is the highest of all listed. Most often, commercial linoleum is laid in rooms with extremely high traffic. For example, in shops, schools, hospitals, kindergartens.

Let's look at the main advantages of linoleum over other floor coverings: thanks to which it has become so popular among buyers:

Democratic price. It is for the price-quality ratio that such material has become so widespread. Anyone can cover the floor in their home with linoleum, regardless of the size of their wallet. Of course, there are a large number of types of this material, which differ significantly in cost. However, everyone will still be able to choose the material in accordance with their budget.

This material will cost you several times less than coverings made of natural wood or tiles. At the same time, in terms of its performance characteristics, linoleum is only slightly inferior to its more expensive analogues.

Long service life. Linoleum is a very durable material. The average shelf life of such floor coverings is at least ten years. Moreover, some manufacturers claim that their products will retain their original appearance even after two decades of use. If we compare this parameter with the cost of the material and its qualities, then even the most skeptical buyers will have no doubt about the benefits of such a purchase.

Variety of colors. In the catalogs of modern stores you will find a huge selection of linoleum for every taste. This can be an effective and fairly high-quality imitation of more expensive coating options: tiles, natural stone, parquet, etc. Or any other coating design. Color solutions and styles are limited only by your imagination.

Easy installation. To install household linoleum, you do not need any special knowledge, skills or special tools. You can easily cope with this task yourself, without resorting to outside help. In this case, the installation process will not take you much time. And you will immediately be able to walk on the new floor.

Moisture resistant. Thanks to this property, linoleum can be laid in the bathroom and kitchen without fear. After all, it is in such rooms that there is the most moisture and pollution. Also, the floor covering can be washed using a large amount of water, without compromising the quality characteristics of the material. Moreover, even if the apartment is flooded, the linoleum covering will not be damaged and you will not have to change it.

Easy to care for. To get rid of dirt and dust accumulated on the floor surface, simply wipe the surface with a soft cloth. You don't have to spend too much time and effort on caring for the material. Which will make any housewife very happy.

Which linoleum is better?

As you can see, each type of linoleum has certain pros and cons. Therefore, the final choice of one option or another depends on your preferences and the characteristics of the room for which the flooring is intended.

First, you should consider the degree of traffic in the room. The more intense the expected load, the stronger and thicker the material should be. The specifics of the space should also be taken into account.

For example, for the kitchen, bathroom and corridor, the most optimal option would be the coating models that are most resistant to moisture, deformation and abrasion.

Hypoallergenic and healthy types of linoleum should be placed in the child’s room, such as marmoleum. Almost all types of linoleum are suitable for the living room. Therefore, the final choice will depend on the external characteristics of the coating.

How to choose?

Taking into account the above information, you can already choose high-quality linoleum that will definitely satisfy you with its characteristics. However, there are a few more tips to help you make a smart purchase.

So, since the material will be laid on a wooden floor, you should remember some of its features. For example, the best option for a wooden surface would be synthetic linoleum, not natural.

This is due to the fact that polyvinyl chloride does not rot and has a special foam backing, which consists of several layers. This means that this type of linoleum has low thermal conductivity, which will allow you to retain heat in your country house, private house, apartment or Khrushchev building.

In addition, PVC flooring will provide excellent sound insulation. And then you will not need additional insulation.

We talked in detail about the features and characteristics of linoleum. Now is the time to figure out how to properly lay such material on a wooden floor.

Preparation

The better the preparation of the wooden base, the better the final result of the work. First, carefully inspect the floor. Under no circumstances should it have deep cracks, chips, mold or mildew. All boards must be whole and even. Otherwise, you will have to replace them or level them using a plane or other suitable tools.

Also be sure to check the security of each individual board. The elements should not move; the entire structure of the wooden floor must be securely fastened. An uneven or faulty old floor can cause you a lot of inconvenience when installing your flooring.

If this is necessary, it is better to prepare the surface with putty. It won’t take much time to putty well, but the result will definitely please you. By the way, if you are going to lay linoleum on a painted floor, be sure to completely remove the old paint from the boards before you begin installation.

After you are finally convinced of the reliability of the wooden floor and have prepared the surface, you should take care to ensure that the surface becomes more even. To do this, you need to place sheets of fiberboard or plywood on top of the boards.

This is necessary in order to avoid deformation of the linoleum during operation. After all, bare wooden boards tend to sag under load. While sheets of plywood or fiberboard placed on top will easily eliminate this drawback. This means that the flooring will retain its original appearance much longer.

So, surface preparation is complete. Now it's time to start preparing the linoleum. Before installing linoleum, it is best to first spread the material on the floor. This is necessary so that the linoleum straightens after storage and accepts the room temperature. Without such a procedure, you should not start laying to avoid unwanted defects.

Carefully ensure that there are no bends or creases left on the linoleum sheet.

How to put it correctly?

If you want to properly lay linoleum with your own hands, you should carefully follow all the rules of installation technology. First thing, decide on the direction of the drawing. Make sure that the joints are as inconspicuous as possible. We also recommend that you ensure that the temperature in the room during installation is stable. This way you will avoid deformation of the material.

Next, you need to decide how you will attach the material to the wooden floor. There are three most common options for installing linoleum yourself: without gluing and with gluing:

What can I use to glue it? To glue linoleum to the floor, special glue or double-sided tape is most often used. The material is secured both at the joints and over the entire surface. The last installation option is the most durable. Moreover, sometimes, in order to secure the material, some decide to nail it to the floor. In this case, it is best to attach the material to nails with decorative heads so that the coating in the house looks as neat as possible.

Do I need to glue it? The answer to such a question can only be obtained by yourself, having carefully assessed all the conditions. If you want to lay the floor “forever” and do not intend to change the floor material in the future, then it is best to use glue when laying it. This is especially true for spacious rooms. In small rooms it is quite acceptable to lay linoleum without glue or tape. They can only be used when you still need to attach joints or make a hatch.

Secrets and subtleties

As you can see, laying linoleum is not at all difficult. The main thing is not to forget about the basic rules. Let us repeat once again that the main thing is preparation. If you do not seal the cracks, then in the future the flooring will stretch and lose its visual appeal.

It should also be remembered that without plywood or fiberboard previously laid on a wooden floor, linoleum will spread unevenly.

And if you don’t pay enough attention to preparing the boards and miss the fungus, then you shouldn’t be surprised that the base under the linoleum will rot and simply break over time. By the way, if you are going to lay thin linoleum in a rather cold room,

Despite the caustic and biased remarks of those who consider linoleum to be a relic of the Soviet Union, this material, due to its characteristics, is still widely used today. Practicality, low cost and a number of other advantages persuade thrifty owners in favor of linoleum, despite the huge selection of newfangled building materials. If we put aside bias, linoleum coating can be used on any basis, including on a wooden floor.

Advantages and disadvantages of linoleum covering on a wooden floor

Wood itself is one of the most beautiful and reliable types of flooring. However, in a number of cases, home craftsmen come to the conclusion that it has served its purpose. One option to avoid a complete replacement of the coating is to use linoleum.

This is interesting: the name “linoleum” originally referred only to a material made entirely from natural raw materials, which included jute fabric, wood flour and resin, flax oil and limestone powder. When plastic-based artificial floor coverings began to come into use, this name began to be used in relation to them.

The use of linoleum coating in combination with a wooden floor provides a number of advantages that can not only update the appearance of the room, but also significantly improve comfort:

A wooden floor covered with linoleum has a significant increase in thermal conductivity; this material also has good moisture-insulating characteristics.
Linoleum coating will save money on repairs; at a low cost, the service life of such a floor is from 30 to 50 years, while linoleum is not susceptible to rotting.
Floors covered with linoleum are not noisy and you cannot slip on them.
It is worth noting such a positive quality as a huge selection of colors, allowing you to fit the flooring into the overall design of the room.
To cover a wooden floor with linoleum, you do not need to have any special skills; a home craftsman can do the entire amount of work independently and alone.

Before choosing linoleum flooring, it is worth considering its negative sides. These include low resistance to loads. If, for example, you put furniture on linoleum, dents will remain on the floor over time. Cheap varieties of this material are sensitive to both high and low temperatures. Exposure to cold can cause linoleum to crack, and high temperatures can deform it.

Criterias of choice

Currently, several types of linoleum coating are sold on the market, differing both in material and in the method of combining layers.

Rubber-based linoleum should not be chosen to cover a wooden floor. This material does not allow air to pass through at all, and the wood under its surface will quickly rot.
Natural jute-based linoleum can only be recommended to zealous lovers of environmentally friendly materials. It will not last long on a wooden floor, as the material is fragile and inelastic. But its price is quite high.
Colloxyl linoleum made from nitrocellulose, which is a mat without any underlying base, is much better suited for covering a wooden floor. This material combines resistance to high temperatures, wear resistance and flexibility with environmental friendliness. You can even lay it on a wooden floor with slight unevenness.
Alkyd linoleum contains more artificial components and is made from alkyd resins and a mixture of minerals. The material is quite brittle, so it is recommended to place it only on a perfectly leveled base. Possessing high wear resistance, it will last for a very long time. It is worth noting its high thermal insulation properties.
If you put the optimal ratio of price and practicality in the first place, the leading place will be taken by linoleum made of polyvinyl chloride. It is usually made multilayer, which ensures a long service life, reliable heat retention and good sound insulation. When using it, special attention should be paid to ensuring ventilation of the wooden floor, since PVC linoleum does not allow moisture to pass through and the floor underneath can rot quite quickly. Produced using fabric, foam, heat and sound insulating base.

Photo gallery: types of linoleum

Calculation of the required amount of material

Having decided on the characteristics of the material, you should calculate the required amount of coating. Modern manufacturers produce linoleum in widths from one and a half to five meters in increments of 0.5 m. If the size of the room allows, it is worth choosing linoleum that will cover the floor with one sheet, without joints. In this case, you will not have to combine the pattern on adjacent strips, that is, material savings will be achieved. In addition, the absence of unnecessary joints will provide the coating with an ideal appearance.

Measurements of length and width should be made between opposite walls in several places, taking the largest distance for further calculations. When measuring, the dimensions of technological niches should be taken into account, and the depth of all recesses is added to the total width of the room. To the results obtained, add 5 cm of overlap for each wall. For example, if the room dimensions are 8 m long and 6 m wide. Taking into account the overlap, the required coverage area will be 8.1 x 6.1 = 49.41 sq.m. You should round up. If saving material is in the foreground, the dimensions of technological niches can be ignored; in this case, they will be covered with separate pieces of material, and the joints can be welded or disguised with decorative thresholds.

Having calculated the total area of the required material, you should convert square meters into linear meters, which will allow you to determine the required number of rolls. The footage of linoleum is calculated as follows:

To determine the number of strips required for covering, the width of the room is divided by the width of the selected linoleum. Most likely, the value will be inaccurate; it should be rounded up. For example, with a room width of 6 m and a roll width of 4 m, you will need 6/4 = 1.5 strips, that is, rounding up, 2 strips of material.
After this, the size of the length of the room is multiplied by the required number of stripes, the result in this case is rounded up.
An overlap of 5 cm is added to the result obtained.

When making calculations, the need to join the pattern should be taken into account. The pattern on linoleum has a step length similar to, for example, repeat on wallpaper. For correct joining, an amount of material equal to the step length of the pattern should be added to the length of each canvas, including this data in the final calculation.

Tools and materials

To lay linoleum you will need the simplest tools. The preliminary preparation of a wooden floor requires much more expense.

For preparatory work you may need:

If sanding work will be carried out, you will need a sanding machine, a plane or a hand sander.
To seal the joints you will need spatulas and putty.
A hammer, screwdriver, nails and screws will be needed to strengthen floorboards, attach baseboards and lay flooring.
The material of the flooring itself may also be required - sheets of plywood or chipboard.

For the actual work of laying linoleum, a different set is needed:

A sharp construction knife or short shoemaker's knife.
An even strip or ruler 1 to 3 m long.
A regular spatula with teeth if the linoleum is to be placed on glue.
Special mastic or glue for laying linoleum.
Cold welding or a heat gun with a special nozzle for hot welding.

Preliminary work on preparing the foundation

When starting work, you should assess the condition of the wooden floor and prepare its surface for leveling. To do this, you should vigorously walk and jump over the entire surface, identifying weak and wobbly floorboards.

It is advisable to lift 2-3 boards and inspect them from the reverse side. The fact that the wood is rotten may be indicated by a change in color or the presence of mold. If the floor is “walking”, it is worth checking the condition of the joists. If necessary, place bricks or bars under the logs. It is better to replace rotten boards, otherwise this process will spread to the entire surface of the floor. If you find traces of wood-boring beetles on wood, you should invest in special bioprotective preparations. All skirting boards are dismantled.

Floorboards can squeak as a result of simply rubbing against each other. To eliminate it, you can pour graphite powder or talc into the cracks. After this, you can begin leveling the floor.

Ways to level a wooden floor

To level a wooden floor before laying linoleum, several methods are used, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages:

If the floor is level and in good condition, it can be leveled by scraping. This is the simplest and least expensive method. Before sanding, the nail heads should be sunk into the surface of the floorboards and the peeling paint should be removed. You can scrape using a special machine or manually, using a plane or scraper. Gaps between boards and recessed nail heads should be filled with putty. The disadvantage of this method is the presence of unevenness on the floor surface. To eliminate them, you will have to choose linoleum on a foam or felt basis or use a backing. Fragile and brittle types of linoleum coating are not recommended for use on such a floor.
Using a scraping machine will ensure a high-quality leveling of the floor
The use of a self-leveling mixture solves the problem of uneven floors. You should choose mixtures specifically designed for pouring wooden floors. The mixture is diluted in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, after which the entire floor surface is poured with it. The result is a perfectly smooth surface on which any linoleum can be laid. The disadvantages include the fact that when using the mixture, a “stone” surface is formed, deprived of all the advantages of a wooden floor. On this basis, it is also advisable to use a substrate for thermal and waterproofing.
For filling, use a mixture intended for wooden floors
The most commonly used leveling method is using sheet material - hardboard, chipboard, plywood, furniture panels. The panels are glued to the floor using a mixture of gypsum and PVA glue, or parquet varnish. Then they are additionally fastened using a construction stapler, nails or self-tapping screws. The seams between the sheets are puttied, the surface is covered with 2-3 layers of drying oil. This method, unlike the previous one, does not allow achieving a perfectly smooth surface. However, the sheet material serves as an additional substrate for linoleum, enhancing sound and heat insulation properties.
Plywood forms an additional heat-insulating layer

Do you need a backing?

It is worth immediately noting that the most commonly used types of linoleum coating are already equipped with a base based on foamed PVC or felt, that is, these layers already serve as a base for waterproofing and thermal insulation of the floor surface. However, in a number of cases the use of a substrate is justified:

Leveling the floor. If the base for the linoleum covering is not ideal, the underlay will help smooth out unevenness and avoid deformation and breakouts of the linoleum. This solution will increase the cost, but will extend the life of the floor.
The use of baseless linoleum implies the need to lay a backing underneath it to enhance moisture insulation and reduce thermal conductivity.
Cold floor. If a screed was made from a self-leveling mixture on a wooden floor, it is worth thinking about a backing that allows you to retain heat.

In all other cases, using a substrate for linoleum covering will only be an unnecessary waste of effort and money.

Currently, manufacturers offer a large selection of substrates, but not every one is suitable for use under linoleum covering.

The most common isolon substrate, made from polyethylene foam. Some craftsmen use it when laying linoleum, but a number of its properties negatively affect further use. This material is easily deformed and does not restore its shape well, so a floor with such a substrate will soon lose its attractive appearance and go in “waves.” In addition, the use of isolon can lead to a greenhouse effect. It does not allow water vapor to pass through, which causes accelerated rotting of the wooden floor.

Using isolite can shorten the service life of linoleum

Cork backing is much better suited for linoleum. Its positive property is the ability to hide small irregularities; it is a good sound and heat insulator. However, there are also negative aspects - such a coating is noticeably springy, which entails accelerated wear of the linoleum. In addition, furniture installed on such a covering will “walk”. The cost of such material is quite high, so the price of the substrate may exceed the price of linoleum.

Cork coating has high elasticity

Under linoleum covering it is best to use a rigid backing made from a mixture of wool, jute and flax. This environmentally friendly, high-density material is an excellent heat insulator and smoothes out unevenness of the base well. The material is treated with fire retardants and antifungal agents, which eliminates the risk of mold.

The backing is made from a mixture of flax, jute and wool and is quite rigid and durable.

Instructions for laying linoleum with your own hands

Linoleum should be laid at a favorable temperature range from 15 to 25 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 40–60%. During delivery, creases and kinks should be avoided. If delivery is made during the cold period, the linoleum should be kept indoors without unrolling the rolls for several hours. After this, the material can be unrolled and spread on the prepared surface for adaptation. Experts advise keeping linoleum in this way for about two days. After this, you can begin installation using one of the methods listed below.

Loose laying method

If the area of the room does not exceed 25 square meters, there is no need to attach the linoleum sheet to the floor. It is enough to lay it on the surface and secure it around the perimeter with plinths. The seams between the sheets are sealed using cold or hot welding. The order of work in this case is as follows:

If the room is covered in width by one sheet of material, it is spread on the floor. The canvas with the pattern should run parallel to the walls; for accuracy, you can use a tape measure. However, if the walls in the room are uneven, it is better to determine the general direction visually rather than measure the distance from one of the walls.

In small rooms, linoleum can be laid without joints

After this, trimming is done using a knife and ruler. First, large pieces are cut off, then small excesses are removed, taking into account an overlap of 2–3 cm to compensate for thermal expansion. In the corners on the reverse side of the canvas, a mark is made at the contact point, after which a cut is made towards the corner.

Cutting is done after the material has rested for two days.

If a room requires two or more strips, one of them is laid and trimmed first. The second strip is laid and equal to the first. To prevent accidental movement, the first strip at the junction with the second can be attached to the floor with double-sided tape. When laying the second strip, you should align the pattern, then trim it, also securing the joint with double-sided tape. It should be noted that usually the joint is made in the center of the room, and its direction should go along the line of greatest illumination, from the windows. In this case, the seam will be least noticeable. In some cases, a pattern on the covering can look advantageous in the center of the room. Then a different technology is used - a whole strip is laid in the center, and two narrow strips of linoleum are joined to it near the walls.

When joining, double-sided tape is used to secure the panels.

The joints between the strips are glued using cold and hot welding. Hot welding requires certain experience and special equipment - a construction hair dryer with a special nozzle and a cord made of low-melting polymer. When heated, the polymer fills the seam between the linoleum sheets, holding them together securely. Due to its simplicity and high reliability, home craftsmen often use cold welding, which is an adhesive composition. With its help, you can glue linoleum sheets in two ways. If the linoleum is not attached to the floor and the pattern allows them to partially overlap each other, two panels are trimmed at once. This results in a perfectly joined seam without gaps. In the second case, the panels are simply moved and gluing is performed. Before introducing the adhesive composition, masking tape is glued to the seam and cut along the seam. Then glue is introduced into the seam in such an amount that the composition protrudes above the surface of the seam. After drying, the masking tape is removed.
Finally, the linoleum sheets are fixed along the walls with plinths.

Important: There are two types of cold welding currently produced. Type A is intended for gluing linoleum sheets during initial installation. Type C is used for gluing old joints and joints of considerable width.

Photo gallery: sequence of works

Landing linoleum on glue

When the floor area is large, it makes sense to fix the covering to the base. Special mastics and glues are ideal for these purposes, a wide range of which are available on any construction market. When choosing an adhesive composition, you should pay attention to its compliance with the selected type of linoleum. No backing is used when laying on glue. Cutting and trimming linoleum is done in the same way as in the case of free laying. However, the subsequent steps are different:

Strips of linoleum laid out on the floor are carefully rolled into a roll from the far wall to the middle of the room. After this, diluted glue is applied to the floor surface using a notched trowel from the center to the walls.

The glue is applied with a spatula from the center to the walls

The coating roll is carefully rolled out, and at the same time smoothed to eliminate air cavities. When the canvas is laid out, it should be rolled with a roller from the center to the walls to evenly distribute the adhesive mass. The second part of the coating is glued in a similar way.

Rolling is done to remove air pockets and distribute the glue evenly

The joints between the canvases are connected using the methods described above by cold or hot welding. Along the perimeter, the linoleum is fixed with skirting boards.

Fixation with using double sided tape

As an original method of fixing linoleum coverings, the method of gluing with double-sided tape is sometimes used. In this case, marking, cutting and cutting of the covering fabric is carried out using the methods described above. Then the linoleum sheet is rolled into a roll, as when planted with glue to the middle of the room. After this, the work order is as follows:

Double-sided tape is glued to the floor surface in parallel strips perpendicular to the walls or in diagonal directions at an angle of 45 degrees to the walls in increments of 15–20 cm, resulting in a pattern in the form of squares.

Linoleum is glued with double-sided tape

At the next stage, the rolled part of the roll is gradually rolled out from the center to the wall, while the top protective layer is removed from the adhesive tape. When rolling, roll the surface with a roller.
The seams are also joined using hot or cold welding. At the last stage, skirting boards are attached to the walls.

Video: gluing linoleum to a floor leveled using plywood sheets

As can be seen from the above, linoleum is an indispensable material for covering a wooden floor in cases where there is a need to make a new floor yourself. At the same time, such a coating will provide a modern and attractive look at a minimum cost.

Laying linoleum on a wooden floor is a troublesome task, especially its preparatory part. But this only applies to those cases where the surface is not smooth enough. If the linoleum itself is of high quality, the floor is leveled, laying the covering will be successful even for a beginner.

The most labor-intensive job is laying linoleum on an old plank floor. Avoiding unevenness in this case is not easy, but the task is doable, you just need to tinker a little longer.

Before laying linoleum on a wooden floor, you need to start preparing this very floor.

It starts with assessing the condition of the surface. Even if you can’t call it perfectly level, if it doesn’t creak or wobble, there will be much fewer problems.

An important point before installation is the elimination of fungi and rot. If there is no mold, the nail heads are not rusty, the boards do not show signs of deformation by insects, there will be less hassle. If you see rotten boards, it is correct not to ignore this fact, but to replace them - otherwise, the rot will continue.

If the floor sag or creaks, you will have to place blocks under the floorboards and/or pour talc into the cracks.

So, subject to correction:

Creaking boards;
Rotting or rotten boards;
Cracks in boards;
Recesses between boards, gaps;
Remains of old paint on the boards.

Old paint can be removed using a spatula and a hair dryer. The latter will warm up the floor, after which the paint will be removed with a spatula.

Preparatory work

If the floor is strong enough, but its surface is uneven, a sanding machine or plane will help. Many people prefer to scrape the floor by hand, but this will take a lot of time and take a lot of effort.

A mandatory point is the deepening of the nails. All cracks between the boards must be filled.

The surface needs to be treated, because all irregularities will certainly appear on the linoleum. If the floor unevenness is not so harmless and has differences in its height, you cannot limit yourself to just sanding.

Floor leveling methods

The most common methods:

Leveling with sheet material;
Leveling with a special mixture.

The second method is more popular because it is more familiar. For this case, plywood, fiberboard, furniture panels, and hardboard are used. If the purpose of these manipulations is only to eliminate unevenness, it is very important to fix the sheets correctly. Fiberboard or plywood is secured with a special glue for parquet, and then nailed to the floor with nails, or, alternatively, with a construction stapler. Gypsum + PVA are often used as glue.

If the goal is to create a horizontal surface, the sheets will need to be laid on logs. The joists are made from plywood strips or blocks and are fixed to the floor with glue.

No matter how the fiberboard sheets are laid (here, in addition to fiberboard, we include plywood, panels, and hardboard), the seams are putty in any case. The final stage is to cover the surface with a layer of drying oil.

It may be a mistake to decide on additional thermal insulation (sometimes waterproofing), because it is this functionality that the linoleum base takes on.

Let's not forget about the simplest ones Preliminary steps required:

Clean (including vacuuming);
Wash;
Dry.

Now you can start working directly with linoleum.

Preparing linoleum

We buy linoleum with a margin of at least 7-15 cm, and we also take into account the allowance for thermal shrinkage.

When transporting material, do not bend it; creases can easily occur. At home, linoleum is usually spread on the floor and “cured” for a couple of days. And rightly so: such an adaptation will help the material fit perfectly. It doesn’t matter what we have under the linoleum – whether it’s plywood, fiberboard or another material.

And a few more small tips:

It is more advantageous to place single-color sheets in the direction of daylight;
It is better to place linoleum joints in the middle of the board;
Places for the battery and other protrusions are marked in advance, after which we carefully cut them out.

We fix and lay linoleum

You can also lay linoleum on fiberboard or plywood without fastening: but this is appropriate if the room is small. Maximum – 12 square meters. The canvas will be attached with skirting boards and a threshold in the opening.

Linoleum is often secured with double-sided tape. Usually, gluing along the perimeter of the canvas is sufficient, but sometimes additional strips stretch in the middle of the linoleum sheet, and are thus attached to plywood or fiberboard, or simply a leveled wooden floor.

The adhesive tape method takes place in stages: first, one side is peeled off and fixed, then the other, etc.

Placing linoleum on glue guarantees fastening strength; it is better to purchase a special glue created for this purpose. First, one part of the sheet is coated and glued, then the second. The surface should then be rolled with a roller, and the room should not be filled with furniture for at least seven days. That is, the linoleum will take another week to harden.

It happens that when laying linoleum, two pieces are connected. They need to be glued with a slight overlap. In the place of this overlap, two layers are cut off at once with a sharp knife (cut along a ruler). The so-called cold welding must be applied to the seam.

Laying linoleum (video)

Conclusion

Laying the linoleum itself goes quickly, and problems rarely arise in this matter. But floor unevenness shows through even the most perfectly fixed linoleum. Make sure that the plank floor is free of rotten boards, does not creak or wobble, make the surface level, and then in the second part of the event - installation - there will be no difficulties.

It does not lose its position and remains one of the most popular on the list.

This is explained by both the reasonable price and the high level of practicality of the material, its wear resistance, moisture resistance, environmental friendliness, minimal maintenance and a large selection of stylish designs.

You can also use a self-leveling mixture to level a wooden floor; it is optimal when differences of about 2 cm.

Before applying such a mixture, you need to seal all gaps and cracks with putty. The dry wooden floor is impregnated with a primer, the walls at floor level are covered with insulating material, and a wooden strip is installed in the doorway, which will limit the future floor. It is installed on a wooden surface, followed by the process of pouring the floor, the mixture is evenly distributed with a rubber mop or a spiked roller. After everything has dried, laying linoleum on the wooden floor can begin.

Preparing linoleum for installation

E
If the floor is ready for linoleum flooring, the material itself should be prepared.

The roll should be spread out and waited until it is completely straightened. More comfortable conditions for this would be a temperature of 16 degrees and a humidity of about 40-70%. When all the folds have straightened out and the kinks have disappeared, the material is ready.

If there are still folds in some places, you can try to straighten them by placing something heavy on top.

But if you can’t remove them, it’s better to exchange such a roll for another, otherwise such defects will remain on the floor even after installation, and this will not make the room more beautiful.

Rules and methods for laying linoleum on a wooden floor

Correct installation of linoleum on a wooden floor requires that all work be carried out as carefully as possible; all defects that arise must be eliminated immediately, because over time this will be more problematic.

Bubbles can be removed by piercing them with an awl; glue should be injected into the resulting void using a syringe, and then the area should be firmly pressed to the floor with something heavy.

If the linoleum has come unstuck - and this happens if moisture has penetrated under it - the unstuck part needs to be peeled back, cleaned and dried, then pasted again in the same way as during the initial installation, and then secured with a weight for several days.

It is better to take the size of linoleum according to the maximum length and width of the walls, not forgetting about doorways, niches, etc., for this it is better to take a 5cm margin.

Laying linoleum on a wooden floor without gluing.

Optimal for rooms no larger than 14 m2.

Stages of work: spread the linoleum, level it, trim off the excess, but leave additional gaps near the wall of about 1.5 cm so that the linoleum has the opportunity to stretch a little at room temperature (if this is not provided, then there is a high probability that the linoleum will swell along the walls) and At the end, secure the linoleum with baseboards.

The advantage of this method is that the coating secured in this way can be easily removed.

If the area of the room is more than 22 m2, the technology of laying linoleum on a wooden floor using the gluing method should be used to a wooden floor using special glue. You will also need masking tape, a ruler, silicone glue, a spatula, a paint knife, baseboards, screws, a screwdriver and a pencil.

Stages of work on laying linoleum

Laying linoleum consists of the following stages of work: linoleum of a suitable size is laid out in the room, the excess is cut off, there should be some reserves left on the sides, then the linoleum is lifted upward with the base, the floor under this part is covered with glue using a wide spatula. You need to carefully read the instructions for using the glue on the packaging and follow all the mentioned nuances.

Then linoleum is laid on the glue; it must be smoothed out all the time to prevent the formation of bubbles or creases, it is better to do this. Where joints occur, masking tape and silicone glue should be used. The masking tape must be removed when the joints are fixed.

When the glue has dried throughout the room, you need to install it, the choice of which is not important and depends only on the wishes of the home owner and design preferences.

The only important point– you shouldn’t attach the plinth directly to the linoleum, since during the shrinkage process the plinth may move away from it, and it won’t turn out very nicely.
If you need to lay several strips of linoleum, then it is also better to use the gluing method, and there are some nuances: the joints of the linoleum need to be glued, but it is better to use the cold welding method. When masking tape is glued along the seam, the cold welding glue goes along the joint and penetrates into the seam to a depth of 3 mm, the excess glue should evaporate on its own, it does not need to be removed. After the glue has dried, the masking tape is removed. The overlap of the linoleum strips should be at least 10 cm, remember the need to match the pattern.

Laying linoleum using double-sided tape

You can use the method using double-sided tape, then it must be glued in the form of a grid of about 50 cm, onto which the linoleum will be slowly and carefully glued. The tape can be glued crosswise where the maximum load is expected.

The linoleum is glued in parts, constantly smoothed, then gaps of about 10 mm are made near the walls, where the plinth is installed, and the linoleum is fixed in the doorway with a strip.