Do I need to prime the floor before laying linoleum?

If you want to lay linoleum in a quality manner, then you should adhere to several simple, but very important requirements:

Content:

• Why prime a concrete floor
• Priming technology
• What is required for priming a concrete floor before laying linoleum?

• the floor should be smooth, cleaned from protruding parts, not have hollows;
• the floor surface must be dust-free before laying linoleum by applying a primer, before that it must be cleaned of dirt and cleaned of debris;
• Depending on the substrate (concrete floor, wood or pre-laid OSB), reinforcing treatment may be required.

Why prime a concrete floor

Often, in a hurry, home craftsmen lay linoleum on an unprepared concrete floor, forgetting to wash it from dirt and apply soil. This ends with the fact that after operating the floor, sooner or later it will be necessary to remove the coating and treat it with soil. Why is this needed? Regular loads, friction of the concrete base, temperature changes, high humidity destroy concrete. When this occurs:

1. Cracks and chips - this is especially often observed when using leveling compounds, leveling masses that simply peel off and chip after pressure on weak areas. Thus, visually noticeable pits are knocked out, tubercles and even an unpleasant crumb of concrete crumb under linoleum appear. The primer strengthens the upper concrete layers, protects it from cracking.
2. The appearance of a large amount of dust - before laying linoleum, the floor will definitely need to be washed from construction waste, dust, sand. However, after this, a primer is applied immediately, which removes the top layer of concrete. The result is a surface ready for laying linoleum. If you skip this step, wash the concrete, but do not fill the soil, dust will begin to form and penetrate the room from the ends of the laid linoleum.

Thus, the primer creates the thinnest protective layer on the concrete surface and improves the adhesion of linoleum to the adhesive that can be used. This coating is quite durable, practically does not wear off, after drying it is difficult to wash, since it adheres reliably to the surface.

There are micropores in concrete in which moisture can accumulate, which will result in the development of fungus, mold. Linoleum itself is easy to wash, it does not allow water to pass through, since it is a solid hydrophobic coating, but moisture may appear under the linoleum. There are many such reasons: damage to a solid sheet of flooring, flooding, condensation of moisture, its penetration through pores in concrete. Application of the soil covers most of the pores, which eliminates the long-term presence of moisture under a layer of solid coating.

Priming technology

Before starting work, you must select the composition by which the processing will be performed.

Types of primer for flooring under linoleum:

1. Water (water soluble) is the most popular type of soil, it is used not only for the floor, but also for the ceiling, walls, other surfaces. It is inexpensive, dries quickly, copes with its tasks, does not have a pungent odor. Of the shortcomings can be called only a shallow penetration into concrete, but it is enough to work on a qualitatively poured base.
2. Organic soil - has a large penetration depth, is used on the rough floor, the surface strength is greatly enhanced. This composition is ideal for loose substrates, if you want to save money and do not use refill. Disadvantages: high cost, meager assortment, the composition is very moody in terms of technology and conditions of use.
3. Primer polyurethane - used in places with increased operational load. It improves wear resistance, ideal for industrial linoleum Disadvantages: high cost, such a primer can not be a guarantee of the absence of cracks and chips in the future.

What is required for priming a concrete floor before laying linoleum?

If you have chosen a primer, the only thing left is to prepare the tool and begin surface treatment. You will need two types of brushes: large for processing areas, small for processing corners, joints, junctions. Also prepare the container. It should be clean, displacement from 2 to 8 liters, convenient for use.

Instead of a brush, it is more convenient for many masters to work with a roller, it guarantees uniform application of the composition and speeds up the work. Sandpaper or putty knife to remove bulges or defects in the poured concrete. Broom and dustpan for cleaning the surface before starting work.

If you purchased the soil mixture in dry form, it will need to be prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Your main task is to apply the primer evenly so that there are no places without protection with a primer or puddles. Particular attention should be paid to the corners, the place around the perimeter of the room.

If you will use glue, it is important that these places are securely fixed. For this, before laying linoleum, soil adhesion is increased.