The Kitchen Flooring Material Your Grandparents Used Is Back In Style
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When choosing flooring for your renovation, there are a myriad of routes you can go down: hardwood, tile, vinyl, even stone. But have you considered linoleum flooring? The durable and sustainable flooring option often gets a bad reputation for being seen as cheap or dated, but there's a reason why the material is in all of our grandparent's homes (and continues to be used). Because of its durability, design options, and budget-friendly make, linoleum flooring has been used for decades in nearly every room of your home.
The flooring isn't going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, linoleum is having a resurgence. "Linoleum has a specific and distinctive look. The design aesthetic hasn’t really changed,” says Jane Rohde, ASID, FIIDA, a registered architect and certified interior designer and technical consultant for the Resilient Floor Covering Institute. “Linoleum is more abstract with rich pigments and marbleized swirls but no wood plank or stone patterns.”
Here's what else you need to know about buying linoleum, and how to use it.
What is Linoleum?
Linoleum is a resilient (flexible) floor covering which is made from natural ingredients including linseed oil, which is pressed from seeds from the flax plant; cork; limestone; wood flour; and pigments. These substances are combined with resin to hold them all together. It’s then spread out and cured. Protective surface treatment and jute backing are added, and the product is cut into sheets, 12 by 12-inch tiles, or 12 by 36-inch planks.
Invented in 1860 by Frederick Walton, linoleum was used widely in businesses and homes up until the 1960s. Always popular in Europe, where it’s manufactured, there’s been renewed interest in linoleum in the U.S. in recent years as people look for products derived from natural ingredients. Available in sheets and tiles, it’s a flooring option that’s both fun and long-lasting. “Most people change their floors due to an aesthetic reason long before the product has worn out,” says Rohde.
Linoleum’s rapidly renewable content makes it appealing to homeowners who want to choose biobased products, but every product has some environmental impact because energy is required to manufacture it, says Rohde. However, linoleum may contain recycled content. Also, scraps left over from the manufacturing process can be reused when ground into linoleum powder to go back in the mixer, meaning it’s almost indefinitely recyclable and there’s very little waste.
Is Linoleum Flooring Right For You?
Besides the use of renewable natural ingredients such as linseed oil, jute, cork, and tree resins, linoleum also is extremely tough and resists abrasions. It also has a soft, warm feel underfoot. Because the color and pattern are consistent throughout the product, it also holds up better than some other types of resilient flooring. For example, you’ll still be able to see the pattern if you scratch or nick it, says Rohde.
Most manufacturers’ linoleum warranties are from 5 to 15 years depending on the product, but chances are linoleum will last much longer in your home. While older linoleum was criticized for yellowing because of the oxidation of the linseed oil over time, modern formulations have evolved with stabilizers to address that concern, says Rohde.
Whether or not it’s the best choice for you is very personal. “Look at the overall picture to decide if it’s right for your home. Think about your expectations, what activities are done in that space, and what’s most important to you,” says Rohde. “Don’t choose a type of flooring based on just one attribute.”
Linoleum versus Vinyl
Although they often get lumped in together when people are talking about flooring, linoleum and sheet vinyl are not the same product. Linoleum is made from natural materials with the color and design throughout, while sheet vinyl is composed of manmade materials with the design printed onto it.
Linoleum Installation
Installing linoleum in sheets typically isn’t for DIYers. But you may be able to tackle linoleum tiles if you’re patient and meticulous. Either way, make sure your subfloor (the surface over which the linoleum will be installed) is super-smooth and free of defects because you don’t want bumps and flaws to show through the finished product, says Rohde.
How to Clean Linoleum Flooring
“Linoleum doesn’t have to be waxed or buffed because it already has a protective surface treatment,” says Rohde. Instead, follow the manufacturer’s care instructions, which typically recommend sweeping frequently to remove grit and dust. Spots and spills can be wiped up with a damp mop and neutral floor cleaner that’s specified for use on linoleum floors (acidic cleaning products will damage linoleum). One other tip for keeping linoleum looking good is to make sure furniture legs have felt slides to prevent scratching.
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