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Spring/Summer 2009 - Article 6

From The Lab
Maintaining Linoleum

Linoleum flooring has been around for years – in fact it was invented by a British rubber manufacturer in 1860. It was used heavily in both commercial and residential applications for many years until it fell out of favor with the advent of vinyl asbestos and vinyl composition tile. In recent years, Linoleum flooring has enjoyed a heavy resurgence in both residential and commercial flooring applications. This is due to its positive environmental profile and durability.

Linoleum is a natural product that is made from linseed oil mixed with powdered wood and/or cork, ground limestone, binder rosins, drying agents and pigments that are then applied to a jute backing. It is quite porous by nature and proper maintenance products and procedures are critical to extending its service life.

New installations of Linoleum require little maintenance. It is recommended that you wait 5 days after installation before wet cleaning. During those first few days, keep soil to a minimum through dust mopping, sweeping and/or vacuuming. After 5 days, the flooring should be maintained daily as you would any other flooring surface – frequent dust mopping and daily wet cleaning with a neutral cleaner. Most modern day Linoleum, including the Marmoleum® brand, has a “mill” or factory finish applied during manufacturing. This finish should not be removed with a stripper. Additional finish coats can be applied over the mill finish to enhance the gloss, increase the wear surface and improve resistance to staining and the effects of wet cleaning. All Essential finishes will work for this application.

When stripping is needed, it is critical that high alkaline products be kept off the floor. We recommend Speed Stripper (#2888) for Linoleum. This solvent-type stripper does not have any silicates or caustic added to its formula. When stripping Linoleum, use the weakest possible dilution with green pads to get the job done. That means a 1:4 or greater dilution. Also, do not let the stripping solution dry into the floor – keep your work area manageable so you don’t overexpose the flooring to stripper. Rinse well and allow the floor to dry thoroughly. The floor can now be refinished.