Expert advice - which linoleum is better to choose. How to choose linoleum for an apartment? The best linoleum for an apartment: quality, thickness, purpose and price What linoleum to lay at home

Repair topic in modern times more popular than ever. It is no wonder that the size of construction in modern times has exceeded all possible expectations and records. People who are starting renovations in their home often wonder: which linoleum is better to choose - natural, or linoleum for laminate (We recommend reading -). Laminated panels are significantly superior in quality.

At the same time, the polymer coating looks quite impressive. If you don’t want to overpay, then this is perfect for you inexpensive linoleum, with colors made to match laminate. Thanks to the favorable price-quality ratio, linoleum has won a record number of sales among domestic buyers.

Nowadays there is a huge variety of floor coverings. Today, everyone can find material according to their taste and cost. Due to the fact that during the production process they use modern technologies, the demand for this material has increased. The range of building materials is expanding every year, and therefore, the buyer often wonders which linoleum is best suited.

Thanks to the wide range, it is not easy to choose the right products in a hardware store. Before choosing a material, you need to decide in which room the linoleum will be located. Experts recommend taking into account the characteristics of the room, including the maximum traffic in each residential area.

So, you need to decide on the purpose of the room, check the conditions in which the linoleum will be located. Take care to choose wisely desired type from the many offers in the store. To choose a high-quality product suitable for your premises, you need to ensure that the material contains only natural components that are not harmful to human health. Each type of material has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to carefully choose linoleum for your room.

Natural linoleum

In the composition of linoleum you can find cork and wood flour, lime powder, natural dyes. The use of such coatings can be used both in children's rooms and in rooms for allergy sufferers.

The advantages of this material include the high bactericidal properties of the material, it does not fade or fade in the sun, a variety of colors allows you to choose the material most suitable for your interior. At the same time, the disadvantages of this material include poor resistance to moisture. Cracks may form on the surface. In addition, the cost of such material is considered high.

The advantages of this type of linoleum include high resistance to moisture, it is easy to install, and there is a huge variety of colors. The disadvantages of the material include instability to alkalis and solvents. This material, when exposed to low temperatures, reduces elasticity, which, in turn, can lead to cracking.

There are two types of PVC - household with a thickness of 1-4 mm and commercial. Household ones can have a polyester or foam base. Service life similar product, on average is 5 years. Commercial linoleum differs from other species in that it has a high degree of resistance to mechanical impact. Thanks to its durable protective layer, this material has gained wide popularity in offices and some work areas. Commercial linoleum will serve its owner from 1 to 25 years.

Semi-commercial linoleum

Semi-commercial linoleum, in terms of external characteristics, resembles household linoleum. It has a dense protective layer. This material has gained wide popularity among owners of office premises with low traffic.

To the next type flooring refers to bactericidal. This type contains antifungal and antibacterial additives. Next type called anti-slip, due to the addition of quartz chips. This coating has a relief structure. Glyphthalic linoleum, unlike the above types, has increased sound insulation properties.

At the same time, this type of material is quite fragile and must be laid with the utmost care. Colloxyline linoleum is produced using treated wood, fillers and plasticizers. Thanks to these special additives, it becomes possible to maintain flexibility and moisture resistance. This could not but affect the risk of material shrinkage. There is also a high negative reaction to temperature changes.

A special type of linoleum is the type called Relin. This is a two-layer flooring material, the top layer of which is made of natural rubber. This gives the material high strength and quality. The bottom layer contains rubber, which has increased hardness and strength. The disadvantages of this material include high heat conductivity, as well as instability to solvents. While the advantages include firmness and elasticity.

To avoid mistakes in the process of choosing linoleum for specific premises, you need to take a closer look at the types of product labeling.

The main values ​​are:

1. Designed for use in rooms with low traffic;
2. Linoleum used in residential premises;
3. For use in office premises;
4. For use in industrial premises.

It is known that the living room has relatively little traffic, for this reason you can choose inexpensive material with low strength indicators - it will cost slightly less. People try to purchase linoleum for a children's room, which has certain environmental and safety characteristics. When purchasing it for a child's room, you need to make sure that your child is in a safe place.

In the bedroom, as suitable option You can place linoleum with a thickness of 1.2 mm. In the corridor it would be a good idea to lay a durable type of linoleum with an elastic base, since this area has high traffic.

Construction supermarkets offer a huge selection of flooring. Linoleum is considered the most popular and affordable. For little money you can make the floor in your apartment or house beautiful and well-maintained. In addition, this coating is not afraid of moisture and mechanical damage.

How to choose linoleum for an apartment based on quality

This coating is so popular that it is used for flooring V public buildings, in private homes, schools, hospitals and sanatoriums. It’s easier to say – they use it everywhere. And all because the coating is not only universal, but also has many colors, so it fits into any interior.

How to choose linoleum

The larger the range of goods, the more difficult the choice. Each person has their own selection criteria, but there are basic ones that you need to navigate when choosing a floor covering:

If you take into account all the points, then choosing linoleum will not be difficult at all. For a very long time you will be happy with your purchase, which you planned in advance and chose for a long time, but correctly.

If your choice is made and you decide to buy high-quality and safe linoleum, then you need not to rush, but thoroughly study all possible types of this coating in order to make right choice. The material for making the coating can be either natural components, and synthetic materials - the choice is huge. Let's take a closer look at all the types.

Natural material

The following components are used for its production: wood flour, flax oil, limestone powder, various resins, cork flour and natural dyes. Dyes are applied to the base, which is jute woven material.

This coating is used in those rooms where people with allergies and asthmatics, as well as children, spend the most time; linoleum is considered antibacterial.

The advantages of the material include:

Despite the naturalness of all the materials that make up linoleum, it also has some disadvantages:

• the price is too high (due to the naturalness of the ingredients);
• weak strength;
• fear of moisture.

Polyvinyl chloride type (PVC)

This type of linoleum has gained popularity among synthetic materials, having a different basis or without it at all.

If you choose such material for an apartment, then it must be felt base. Thanks to the thick layer, there is no need to lay a substrate under this coating, and it also does not need to be glued to the floor.

This linoleum has some subtleties that you need to know when purchasing. First of all, it has a specific smell and shrinks over time. There are rumors that this synthetic material releases harmful substances; and quality certificates for it confirm that the material is non-toxic and harmless.

Glypthal linoleum

This coating is very dense, obtained by fixing alkyd resin to fabric. It has excellent sound and heat insulating properties. But there are also disadvantages, the main one being the complex installation process. If the work is done quickly and carelessly, then chips and cracks may appear on the coating. To make this process less problematic, it is necessary for this material to lie warm in the room in which it will be laid.

Colloxin type

The main raw material for the manufacture of such coating is cellulose. The coating goes on sale without a base, so it is not afraid of moisture. The material is non-flammable and has a decorative shine.

One of its disadvantages is that the coating must be laid on a perfectly flat surface, additionally treated with a special material. In addition, the coating is very susceptible to temperature changes and may shrink.

Linoleum-relin

This type is two-layer. For the bottom layer, a bitumen-rubber mixture is used; and for the top one a mixture of rubber, paint and filler is made.

Among the advantages of such a coating are the resistance to moisture and the elasticity of the material itself. Its negative side is the presence of volatile, toxic components, which makes it impossible to lay it in residential premises, offices, hospitals and kindergartens.

Wear resistance classes

When choosing linoleum for an apartment, you need to consider the type of room and its purpose. If this is a dining room where the whole family gathers in the evenings and friends come over on weekends, then the wear resistance of the floor covering should be high. It should be even higher for the covering that will lie in the school corridor.

If we take into account the speed of abrasion and the size of the applied protective layer, then the entire range of linoleum can be divided into three classes:

• commercial;
• semi-commercial;
• domestic.

Commercial linoleum has the most high degree wear resistance. It can be either single-layer or multi-layer. The strength of the material is ensured by compacting the material or adding special stabilizing substances to it. This coating is used in schools, offices, kindergartens and hospitals.

Semi-commercial is middle class linoleum, both in quality and price. Its strength is lower than that of commercial, but higher than that of household. On sale you can see a large range of colors from which you can choose colors for the hallway, kitchen, or living room. The quality of the material is good; the material can withstand moderate loads.

The household class of linoleum has the most colors and designs, but it does not resist abrasion well. It is recommended to lay it on the floor in rooms where there is little traffic, for example, in the bedroom. This type of coating is inexpensive and looks high quality and impressive. In an apartment, in places with high traffic, it is not recommended to lay it, as it will quickly wear off.

Abrasion groups

This parameter is often used by builders and indicates how quickly the coating wears out. There are several groups; to determine which group a particular linoleum belongs to, you need to do the following experiment.

A piece of material must be brought to a rotating abrasive, which must make 25 thousand rotations. After this experiment, the thickness of the layer is measured, after which the involvement of the material is determined to one group or another.

Groups are designated in English letters, and look like this:

• T – this coating does not have inclusions and decreases by 0.08 mm, which indicates high wear of the material;
• P – the coating layer decreases in thickness by 0.8-0.15 mm, which indicates average wear;
• M – the coating thickness decreases by 0.15-0.3 mm, which indicates low wear;
• F – layer decreases in thickness by 0.3-0.6 mm, which indicates that the material is fragile.

The wear resistance of a material depends on the inclusions that may be included in its composition. These are additives of a mixture of quartz sand and chalk. If they are present in the material, then its wear resistance is reduced. Pure linoleum resists abrasion well, so it has a high wear resistance group.

Which linoleum is better to choose for an apartment?

When choosing a floor covering, you need to pay attention to the markings indicated on the roll. It has two numbers and indicates the coating class. The first number indicates the type of room, and the second – the expected traffic. For example, if you choose linoleum for a living room or bedroom, then look for the “21” marking, and if the coating is needed for the kitchen or corridor, then the class should be “23-24”.

Living room. Considering this room, I would like to say that it occupies an average place in terms of traffic and load. Linoleum with a thickness of 1.5 mm is suitable for it. If you're satisfied budget option, then you need to choose from household PVC coating, which has a fairly reasonable price, and despite this there is a large selection.

For those who can afford expensive flooring materials, experts recommend antibacterial PVC coating on a jute or felt basis. The material will be soft, warm and elastic, which makes it possible to walk on it barefoot at any time of the year without feeling discomfort. Linoleum with a pattern will look great: erasing will be unnoticeable.

Bedroom. In this room, the load on the floor is the smallest, since friends and relatives do not gather here every weekend. Therefore, household polyester or PVC linoleum on a foam base is suitable for such a room. Its thickness must be at least 1.2 mm. As is the case with linoleum for the living room, this type of coating also has many colors and shades that are suitable for any interior.

Kitchen. This is a high traffic area that often experiences high humidity. The presence of dirt and soot implies the use of detergents, which should not be washed off along with the coating pattern. For the kitchen you need to choose a durable material, semi-commercial, with a thickness of at least 3 mm.

The coating can be with or without a pattern, it depends on the preference of the owners. But to be honest, a coating such as linoleum will not last long in a kitchen with high traffic; it will have to be changed again and again. Experts recommend spending money once so that it lasts a lifetime - to do this, you just need to lay ceramic tiles on the floor instead of linoleum.

Children's room. The covering in this room should be natural, ecological and hypoallergenic. If it is natural, then its service life will be short, but this is not as important as the health of your own child.

Balcony. The coating here must be durable, since it will be affected by sunlight, heavy rains and other negative factors. Linoleum must be moisture-resistant and frost-resistant, in addition, its surface must be non-slip. The coating needs to be selected as for office premises that have a heavy load.

Corridor. For a corridor, hall or hallway you need to choose a durable, wear-resistant coating. This is a high-traffic and dirty room, so the coating must withstand regular cleaning. You should pay attention to PVC linoleum, the household or semi-commercial option. Its thickness must be at least 3 mm; only such material can cope with the loads in the corridor.

How to choose quality linoleum for an apartment? To choose the right option linoleum for the floor in an apartment, you need, first of all, not to rush, so as not to do anything stupid, since this task will not be an easy one. You need to stock up on certain knowledge and have an idea about its classification and rating. Also, you need to trust your intuition and adhere to the following rules:

• if the coating does not have a strong odor, then it contains no harmful substances;
• the pattern on the coating should be clear, without a greasy sheen;
• There must be quality certificates for the coating;
• if the material has protective layer, then it appearance may remain unchanged long time;
• when buying a covering, you need to take more of it, taking into account the pattern, thresholds, ledges and niches;
• In the process of measuring the coating, you need to check the outer layer to ensure there are no defects on it.

Worth knowing

Only well-known manufacturers can provide best option flooring material. The thing is that every new batch of goods, large companies manufacturers send for research. After its completion, the company has a whole package of different certificates. For a small manufacturer who just wants to earn money by selling goods of unknown quality, such documents are useless.

Linoleum is a high-quality, beautiful and durable decorative floor covering. In addition, it has an average pricing policy. Therefore, many consumers choose this product. Manufacturers offer a fairly wide range of materials with different design solutions.

Let's try to figure out which linoleum is better.

Selection criteria

If done major renovation throughout the house, you don’t need to buy the decorative flooring you like and then think about where to put it. This is the wrong approach. To choose correctly decorative coating you need to know the nature of the room in which it will be installed. There are goods that cannot be placed in rooms with high traffic.

Such materials are not suitable for the living room, kitchen or corridor. If a product is purchased for the kitchen or dining room, then it must have additional protection from moisture. The design of the room in which the decorative flooring will be installed is no less important.

For many, the main criterion is price. Therefore, you initially need to decide what pricing policy the product should have. Although the priority should not be price, but quality.

Types of linoleum

On at the moment Products that have a natural or synthetic base are presented to the attention of consumers. However, it cannot be said that natural material is always better than synthetic.

Let's consider each type of product separately.

Natural linoleum

The natural product is 100% safe. All components used in the manufacture of the coating do not emit substances harmful to human health into the air during operation. The base material is usually made of jute fabric.

As for the other components, the product contains linseed oil, wood and cork flour, pine resin, lime powder. The coating is painted using exclusively natural dyes.

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This flooring is worth choosing for a children's room or bedroom. It can be laid in rooms where there are allergy sufferers. Natural linoleum is quite resistant to abrasion. However, it is not advisable to install it in high-traffic areas. During operation, the floor covering does not change its color. It is resistant to direct sunlight. Caring for such decorative flooring is quite simple.

As for the disadvantages, natural linoleum cannot be laid in rooms with high humidity. It is also worth noting that the coating is not resistant to deformation. If you bend it too much, a crease may form. It is not possible to correct such a defect. Therefore, the floor covering must be transported extremely carefully. This type of coverage is quite expensive.

Polyvinyl chloride linoleum

In addition to polyvinyl chloride, plasticizers, stabilizers and fillers are used in the manufacture of this type of flooring. This or that color scheme is achieved using dyes. The advantages of this product are its antistatic properties, resistance to moisture, ease of installation, and low thermal conductivity.

Despite the fact that components of synthetic origin are used in the manufacture of the product, polyvinyl chloride linoleum is environmentally friendly. The material is available in different color solutions, has an average pricing policy.

As for the disadvantages, this finishing coating is not resistant to aggressive alkalis and solvents. Accordingly, for wet cleaning You should choose gentle detergents. After installation, the product shrinks, which can also be considered a disadvantage. Polyvinyl chloride flooring cannot be installed in unheated rooms. At low temperatures the elasticity of the material decreases, which will ultimately lead to the formation of cracks.

There are several varieties of polyvinyl chloride linoleum. There are products on the market that have a base and products that do not have a base. The base can be fabric, foam or non-fabric. As for the structure, you can find single-layer and multi-layer products.

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Based on the nature of the room, you can choose:

• domestic;
• commercial;
• semi-commercial;
• specialized polyvinyl chloride linoleum.

For your home, it is better to choose household linoleum, the service life of which exceeds 5 years. The thickness of the product varies from 1 to 4 mm. It is not installed in high traffic areas.

Commercial flooring is characterized by increased wear resistance. It is equipped with a protective layer that protects it from abrasion and mechanical damage. The operational period of the product can reach 25 years.

Semi-commercial linoleum is similar to household linoleum. It is slightly thicker and has a longer service life, reaching 20 years. It can be installed both at home and in small offices with average traffic.

Specialized flooring meets the requirements of certain premises. Currently, you can purchase sports linoleum that is anti-slip, bactericidal and noise-absorbing. From the names it is obvious what each type of specialized coating is used for. Therefore, we will not dwell on this in detail.

Glypthal linoleum

This product has a fabric base, on top of which an alkyd resin is applied. This manufacturing technology makes it possible to significantly increase the thermal insulation and sound insulation properties. It is not advisable to lay glypthal linoleum at home.

Before starting installation, the material must be left in a warm room for 24 hours. Otherwise, the decorative finishing coating may become deformed after installation.

Colloxylin linoleum

This product, consisting of 1 layer, is resistant to moisture, elasticity and flexibility. Thanks to the plasticizers included in the product, it is not afraid of low temperatures.

As for the disadvantages, it is worth noting that the product very often shrinks after installation. In addition, it is unstable to alkalis and acids.

Relin

This linoleum consists of two layers of rubber. The top layer is highly durable and very hard. The bottom layer is not so durable. He is responsible for depreciation.