Often during operation, linoleum is damaged. To restore it, you do not need to call specialists. There are several ways to stick linoleum if it is torn. This will help to significantly save money and time, because you do not have to completely change the flooring.
- Types and causes of damage to linoleum
- Tools and materials for work
- Close up of minor defects
- Repair of a burnt plot
- Bridging large gaps
- Dock restoration
- Removal of waves and swellings
Types and causes of damage to linoleum
Linoleum is a rather soft material: despite its thickness, it is prone to mechanical damage. Usually holes, gusts, scuffs and other defects are formed if the coating is laid on an uneven floor. Linoleum cannot fill all the pores and voids, so when you walk on it in problem areas, the material becomes thinner. If PVC linoleum can “resist” tearing longer, then thin natural flooring breaks faster.
Tears and torn holes can appear under such conditions:
- piercing the heel of shoes;
- gradual wear from furniture legs near the walls or in the middle of the room;
- cutting through a knife with careless actions.
Violation of the technology of laying the coating makes damage to its surface even more likely. When gluing on a too thin or thick layer of glue, the latter will turn out to be uneven and not elastic enough, and in some places defects may appear. If the flooring is laid on a damp base, it quickly peels off and is damaged, swells in waves. The appearance of folds inevitably provokes cracks.
Another option for damage to linoleum is the divergence of the seams, if the material was laid in several strips. This usually happens with poor-quality joints. Also, the coating can be burned - this is usually observed when a cigarette or coal from a hookah falls. Burns are superficial and through, the second is more difficult to repair at home.
Tools and materials for work
To eliminate cuts and holes, you need a number of tools. The main one is a knife. It should be sharp, durable, you can take clerical or paint. There are also special knives for linoleum on sale:
- universal - it is used for cutting the blade in a straight line, it easily aligns frayed edges, edges, cuts out even round patches, can have interchangeable blades;
- retractable reinforced - equipped with a non-bending blade, a reliable and comfortable handle, it cuts the multilayer coating well directly and at an angle;
- disk - has a sharp round blade, cuts straight and along a curve, helps to make irregularly shaped patches;
- month-shaped - thanks to the curved blade, it corrects the cuts and removes burrs, trim the seams.
Also, for repair, you may need other tools - a spatula or brush for glue, a roller (rubber, dense), a pencil or marker, an iron ruler.From consumables, pieces of material with the same pattern, the same color (for cutting patches), and special glue help to close the torn area. When buying, it is necessary to preserve pieces of linoleum - this will help to make repairs without problems. In addition, a double-sided masking tape or stickers will be required to fix the canvas, and a building hair dryer to be glued with hot-melt adhesive. In the repair of linoleum, these types of adhesives are used:
- bustilate;
- acrylate;
- PVA;
- polyurethane reaction;
- cold welding;
- mastic;
- polymer putty.
To glue painted in the color of linoleum, the latter is cut into crumbs, after removing the substrate. Pour material into the glue, after dissolving the tool will serve as a pigment. You can also buy a suitable pigment in the store and paint the glue yourself.
to contents ↑Close up of minor defects
Repairing small cuts and cracks is easiest, but many prefer not to. Indeed, they are almost invisible on the surface, do not stand out, do not interfere. But over time, dirt, dust will begin to clog in them, the edges will become frayed, the hole will expand. Therefore, you must immediately choose the appropriate method and seal the hole.
How to eliminate a minor defect in the coating? Here is a list of suitable tools:
- Mastic. It is implemented in the form of paste, pencil, varied in color.
- Cold welding. The reaction glue allows you to quickly and reliably eliminate any defect. Melts the PVC coating, creating a smooth, invisible seam.
- Sealant. It is advisable to purchase a tool for working on wood, choosing the right color, it will eliminate minor defects.
Scuffs can be removed with linoleum wax. Shallow damage is well overwritten by such a composition. This should be done with the edge of the coin, then treated with a cloth until a glossy surface is obtained. You can also cover up scuffs with mastic, polish. Before repair, it is necessary to clean the floor covering from dirt, debris, dry it well. If necessary, degrease the area.
How to seal a through hole of a small size? It is best to carry out repairs by cold welding, this method is suitable for gluing gaps up to 3-4 mm, but commercially available compositions for larger cracks. Masking tape is glued to the area around the defect for protection, then glue is applied using a thin nose. After the surface melts, the hole will disappear. As the hardens completely, the adhesive tape is removed, and the excess glue is cut off with a sharp knife. It is necessary to work with cold welding carefully, such products are toxic. It is imperative to use a respirator, gloves, and ventilate the room well.
Also, small cuts and tears can be glued with a homemade product:
- melt half a kilogram of rosin in a powder in a water bath;
- cool the mass to 50 degrees, introduce 150 ml of alcohol, 100 g of castor oil;
- tint the mixture with pigment;
- with the help of a syringe with a needle, introduce glue into the defect area, wait until it completely hardens.
Repair of a burnt plot
In smoking people, in owners of hookahs, such problems with linoleum are common. It is imperative to determine how deeply the burn has spread. Here is the repair procedure, depending on the complexity of the damage:
- Hole on the protective (top) layer. Clean the spot by removing burnt particles. Take a coin, carefully apply mastic and smooth it with an edge.
- Burn through pattern and PVC layer. In the presence of darkened edges and a white, yellow spot in the center, cold welding should be used. If the coating is new, type A glues are used, with the old coating use type C glue. Thoroughly lubricate the burn-in place with a means, wait for the melts.
- Through burn through. In this case, linoleum stickers from burns or patches are applied. They are fastened by cold welding in the same way.
Bridging large gaps
If it happened to break much, cut the material, drill with a drill (for example, a hand trembled during furniture assembly), a more serious repair will have to be performed. Sealing with mastic does not help when holes are larger than 1 square. cm.We'll have to glue the damaged area with a patch. Step-by-step instructions are given below:
- Choose a suitable piece of flooring according to the drawing. The pattern should match what was in the hole area. Before fixing, the patch is carefully measured out, combining with the main canvas.
- Lay the patch on top of the hole so that its edges are slightly larger than the size of the defect, attach with masking tape on all sides for reliable fixation.
- Cut through both layers of the material with a sharp knife, it is advisable to do this in the form of a square, rectangle.
- Remove the tape, remove all trim, remove the patch. A damaged and cut piece of linoleum should also be removed, tearing it off the base.
- Apply cold welding to a cleaned surface, lay the patch. Iron it well so that no air bubbles remain. You need to glue the patch, finally combining the picture.
- Roll the seized piece with a roller, then remove the remaining glue with a damp cloth.
You must not walk in this area of the floor for 24 hours. Further it will be ready for operation. What should I do if a piece is partially torn out, but retains adhesion to the main sheet? In this case, the repair is easier. It is necessary to align the flap (iron through the fabric with an iron), clean it of dirt, apply a layer of glue to the base. Next, glue the flap with cold welding in the same way. You can also use gluing with liquid nails, bustilate, special glue for PVC linoleum.
to contents ↑Dock restoration
It happens that the seams between the layers of material diverge. If such a joint is located in the door area, against the wall or under the furniture, it can be easily closed with a decorative strip (door sill). Sometimes this is impossible - for example, when the seam runs in the center of the room.
Seam bonding is possible by hot and cold welding. The hot way is feasible only by professionals, for its implementation you need special equipment and skills. A special PVC cord is heated and applied to the junction. Even beginners use cold welding at home:
- pull one strip of material as far as possible so that it overlaps (at least 2 mm);
- attach a metal ruler or bar, draw a strip with a pencil;
- make a cut along the strip;
- fill the seam with glue using a thin tip or syringe;
- After the cold welding hardens, trim off the remaining glue.
Removal of waves and swellings
Bloating linoleum always means a violation of the technology of its installation. The easiest way to get rid of the waves at the edges of the material is to remove the skirting board, move the formation, reducing the gap between the wall and the floor. Also, the coating can be cut from the appropriate side to the desired size. For 2 days, you should leave the material unfastened, after straightening it, secure it again with the baseboard.
If the blisters are in other places, you will have to pierce the bubble. Do it with a needle, then release the air, smooth it with your hand. The hole must be filled with glue for linoleum through a syringe, press the area with a load. If the bubbles are large, you have to cut the material with a blade, remove its excess, then seal the seam with cold welding. It is better to immediately devote time to the quality of laying linoleum, so that after not to carry out repair work. If such a need arose, problems can be solved quickly and inexpensively.
