Linoleum Quality and Floor Care

Linoleum Thickness
Linoleum is available in different thickness for different usage:

• 2.0mm: Recommended for any residential use and for moderate commercial use like old age homes and hotel rooms
• 2.5mm: Recommended for any residential use and for heavy commercial and moderate industrial use, like banks, department stores and other public areas like train stations.
• 3.2/4.0mm: Recommended for any residential use, heavy commercial and heavy industrial like warehouses, flooring for trains and buses.

Characteristics of Linoleum
These properties can differ a little between manufacturers.

• Installation: When first installed linoleum will give off an odour and have a yellowish surface colour, this is from the linseed oil used and is completely harmless and will dissipate quickly when exposed to light and air.
• Aging: Linoleum being a natural product is known to get harder and more durable with exposure to light and air, the floor remains quiet and comfortable under foot.
• Chemical-Resistance: Linoleum is resistant to diluted chemicals, fats, oils, alcohol, spirits etc but not resistant to prolonged exposure to alkalis.
• Castors: It is safe to use castor chairs directly on Linoleum
• Anti-Static: Linoleum is naturally anti-static which means dust will not stick to it making linoleum easy to clean.
• Hygienic: Linoleum has a smooth surface and the main ingredient, linseed oil is naturally anti-bacterial, this makes it a great choice for areas where health is of concern.
• Acoustic: Linoleum being a resilient floor has good Acoustic properties.
• Homogeneous: The entire thickness of the wear layer is the same, as with a full bodied tile, so if it wears down, chipped or scratched the pattern and colour will remain the same.

Maintenance and Care

• Polished linoleum floors needs more maintenance than floors that have a manufacturers protective coating, polished floors will require occasional stripping and re-polishing.
• Protect your floor by using mats at outside doors to trap dirt and water.
• Sweep and mop your floor regularly, do not over wet linoleum floors, standing water can damage linoleum floors.
• Use only recommended cleaners with a neutral PH, harsh alkali's or high pH products such as ammonia will damage your floor.