Having set out to find a good linoleum for the kitchen, we are reviewing a bunch of price lists and color booklets. It is dangerous to completely trust bright advertising, it is advisable to select the floor covering, the characteristics of which are optimally suited for this room, having learned to understand its classification and design.
What class of linoleum to choose for the kitchen?
Buying a floor covering for the house, practical owners are mainly interested in two main characteristics - design and wear resistance. It is necessary to read the passport data of the purchased products, the class of linoleum for the kitchen indicated in them will help to easily determine how durable this material will be in your conditions.
The marking always consists of two digits according to the European classification system. The first of them denotes the type of room, and the second - the permitted operational load. We recommend linoleum for the kitchen or other common areas to buy at least 22-23 classes. The office and production rooms are covered with a coating from the 31st grade and higher. It is allowed to use for private apartments, but the cost with each level of wear resistance grows up to 2 times.
The first figure of the classification of linoleum:
- 2 - for living rooms (household linoleum);
- 3 - for office premises (semi-commercial linoleum);
- 4 - for industrial buildings (commercial linoleum).
The second figure of the classification of linoleum:
- 1 - for rooms with low load;
- 2 - for rooms with medium load;
- 3 - high traffic intensity (airports, train stations, shops);
- 4 - for warehouses and industrial buildings with increased traffic, in which transport mechanisms are used.
Types of linoleum for the kitchen
Trying to understand the question of how to choose linoleum for the kitchen, you need to study all kinds of this flooring. It can be made of natural fibers and artificial components. Synthetics are cheaper, but not all of its varieties are suitable for home use. You need to know that there is a linoleum baseless and based on. For residential dry premises, where you have to regularly wipe the floors, it is better to purchase a warm material with a foamed base.
Types of artificial linoleum for the kitchen:
- Reline (rubber linoleum) - is made of artificial rubber, bitumen and rubber, this variety is not suitable for living rooms.
- Alkyd linoleum (glyptal) - the substrate consists of a non-woven material, and the top layer is made from a mixture of alkyd resins. Recommended for kitchens and other rooms with a constant temperature regime.
- Colloxylin linoleum is a floor covering based on nitrocellulose. The material is elastic and durable, but is afraid of fire, so the kitchen will not be the best option.
- Heterogeneous linoleum - cork, fiberglass, polyvinyl chloride and other components are used for production. It differs in a variety of colors, it imitates a natural coating well, but it has a high cost.
- PVC linoleum - affordable, practical and popular coating for the kitchen, in a warm room serves a long time.
Natural linoleum for the kitchen
If you appreciate the health of close people, try to find eco-friendly material, but find it difficult to choose which linoleum is better for the kitchen, then pay attention to the natural coating. On the third it consists of linseed oil, the rest components - wood flour, calcareous powder and dyes. Natural linoleum is durable, easy to clean, not afraid of wet cleaning. Among the shortcomings can be called high cost and poor resistance to alkali, spilled household products should be immediately wiped off the surface.
Liquid linoleum in the kitchen
In the question of which linoleum to choose in the kitchen, you can use non-standard modern methods, which in many cases yield high results. Arrangement of self-leveling floors requires a scrupulous attitude, certain skills. The drying of the material takes up to 7 days and it is difficult to dismantle if desired. All these complexities and nuances are covered by the important advantages that liquid linoleum possesses.
Advantages of self-leveling floors in the kitchen:
- The working layer of the material can be 1-7 mm, for the living space there is 1.5 mm.
- Liquid linoleum for the kitchen is not afraid of frost and temperature changes.
- The surface after hardening well tolerates mechanical loads and the weight of household furniture.
- The flooring is resistant to household chemicals and other aggressive compounds.
- Liquid linoleum does not emit harmful substances into the air in the kitchen.
- Self-leveling floors are not afraid of moisture.
- Working staff at filling fills all cavities and hard-to-reach places.
- This type of linoleum for the kitchen is easy to care for and can serve for more than 50 years.
- The surface with a liquid floor can be decorated with inserts from any material, supplemented with original images, painted in different colors.
Semi-commercial linoleum for kitchen
Asking which linoleum to lay in the kitchen, practical people agree to sacrifice additional costs in favor of better quality. Instead of material for purely domestic purposes, a semi-commercial class of products (31-34) with increased wear resistance can be used. In good conditions it serves up to 20 years, has good elasticity and sound absorption. Linoleum for the kitchen is suitable from class 32 with a thickness of 0.25 mm or more.
Linoleum - colors for the kitchen
Now there is a huge selection of linoleum for the kitchen, high-quality coating has a juicy natural color and fits seamlessly into any existing style. It is desirable to remember that the floor with gloss is easier to care for the matte surface. In many styles, floors that copy the texture of natural materials are traditionally used, but in the style of pop art or exotic design it is allowed to use a variegated coloring.
Popular linoleum colors:
- The floor is in beige or brown shades for the color of a parquet or a natural board.
- Imitation of pottery or stone floor.
- Imitation of mosaic or marble.
- Uniform coating.
- Linoleum with abstract patterns.
Dark linoleum in the kitchen
A non-standard black linoleum in the kitchen or a dark brown floor is not an easy choice. On it are visible the smallest crumbs or bright spots, therefore in a premise it is necessary to make cleaning more often. To make the interior elegant, you need to use light furniture and wall decoration. Dark floors look noble, but they are suitable only for spacious kitchens. Textiles in such a room should be selected in two colors or in tone with a floor covering.
Light linoleum in the kitchen
Covering a light color or white linoleum in the kitchen is a great background for any furniture set. Even in a tiny room, it looks elegant and will make the enclosed space bulky. Traditionally, the lightest in the room make the ceiling, so it is desirable to buy linoleum for a couple of tones darker. On the beige or light gray floor, stains and stains are less visible if you use a decorative coating with imitation of natural texture.
Linoleum in the form of kitchen tiles
A practical and budget option for many families is linoleum for kitchen tiles , which is perfect for any interior. Imitation of black and white chess stacking brings a note of dynamism, looks contrasting and bright. Covering the light brown tiles well combined with wooden sets, this option looks better in the classical style. In a small kitchen, it is undesirable to use linoleum under a mottled tile or mosaic.
Linoleum in the kitchen under the laminate
By purchasing a beautiful linoleum in the kitchen under the laminate floor, you get a relatively inexpensive, seamless and waterproof floor. On this surface it is easier to leave a dent from shoes or heavy furniture, but it has its advantages. The soft floor will not creak, spoil the spilled liquid, and modern synthetic paints perfectly imitate the wood texture. Shades of linoleum under the laminate are selected in accordance with the design of the kitchen, Dark "board" organically looks in the country and chalet, for Provence or modern style is better suited to a light floor.
Laying linoleum in the kitchen
Flooring linoleum for the kitchen on the floor can be on a concrete or wooden base, but in any case it is necessary to prepare the surface. Concrete leveling, crevices with joints we fill with putty or cement mortars. The wooden floors are processed by the cycle method to eliminate the differences. It is desirable to place the piling on a substrate of plywood or sheet chipboard.
How to lay linoleum in the kitchen:
- One day before stacking, the roll needs to be deployed.
- Work is carried out at a temperature not lower than 15ยบ.
- The kitchen area is measured with a margin of 5 cm according to the maximum width and length of the room.
- If the linoleum covers the whole surface of the floor with one piece, then it can not be glued, pressing the cover with skirtings along the perimeter.
- When working with several stripes gluing is made around the perimeter by double-sided adhesive tape or on the whole plane with special glue.
- The adhesive should be spread evenly with a spatula.
- Remove air from under the linoleum roller, apply to the surface of the cargo (heavy bags).
- At the final stage we fix skirting boards and sills.