Laying linoleum on the concrete floor with your own hands

The construction market is full of a huge variety of modern floor coverings. In the conditions of development of technological progress, production facilities and the sphere of design services, linoleum is in great demand and continues to be the sales leader. Despite the fact that it has been used for many years and its roots go far into Soviet and post-Soviet times, modern material can not be considered a relic of the past: not only the quality of the coating has improved, but its visual characteristics have also improved.

Due to its practicality, wear resistance, ease of laying, affordable price and resistance to mechanical damage, linoleum has long enjoyed the deserved love of customers. It can be found not only in office premises, but also in apartment houses and apartments.

With linoleum you can create a coating effect for natural stone, tile, laminate and even parquet. At the same time, it does not require large material costs and is simpler in self-installation than any of the above materials.

Despite its simplicity, laying linoleum on the concrete floor with their own hands has certain nuances. They need to pay special attention, as this affects the quality of further finishing and durability of operation.

Methods of laying the floor covering on the concrete floor

The linoleum can be laid on a concrete floor using one of the following methods:

1. With a small area of the room, the floor covering can simply be laid on the floor and fixed with skirting boards. The main thing is that the material should lie flat, without creases and waves.
2. Fastening with a special adhesive tape. For this, two-sided adhesive tape is used. This method is also used in small rooms, but experienced professionals also use it to cover large areas.
3. The use of special adhesive compounds and mastics. This is a rather complicated method. However, to fulfill it yourself is quite possible.

Laying linoleum on a concrete floor without glue can be carried out in the old grandfather way. As fasteners , nails and screws are used. This method is not worth considering in detail, since it has long outlived itself.

Preparatory work

Before beginning to replace the floor covering, it is necessary to completely dismantle the old floor material and the insulation layer, leaving only the concrete base. The floor should be thoroughly cleaned from dust, debris and any other type of pollution.

Next, you should evaluate the quality of the concrete foundation and perform its diagnostics. This is necessary to identify various flaws. If the total of all irregularities is more than 20% of the total surface of the base, it is recommended to perform a concrete screed.

How to make a concrete floor screed?

The main task of screed concrete floor - the creation of a perfectly flat foundation. It should not be too thick, although everything will depend on the degree of unevenness. The larger the difference in the floor plane, the thicker the screed will be. Accordingly, this leads to greater financial and labor costs. However, you can not save in this case, as this will affect the final result.

The difference in the surface plane, which does not exceed 2 mm, is permissible if linoleum is laid on a concrete floor with a substrate adhered to the material itself. If a cheaper coat is used, it is desirable that the concrete floor is 100% flat.

If the old finish is difficult to move away from the concrete base, it is better not to dismantle it, since it will take a lot of time and effort. In this case, you can simply fill the old finish with a screed, which will become a strong base for linoleum.

What you should pay attention to

Laying linoleum on the concrete floor is not possible without preliminary preparatory work.

1. If a traditional cement-sand screed is used, wait for the substrate to dry completely (at least four weeks). During this period, the screed will gain its maximum strength.
2. If a self-leveling liquid solution is used as a screed, the linoleum can be laid on the concrete floor after the time specified in the instructions.
3. A few days before installing the floor covering, the linoleum must be brought into the room where it will be laid. This is necessary in order for the material to gain the necessary humidity and temperature. The roll should be placed vertically.
4. The humidity level in the room should not exceed 60%, and the air temperature should not be below +18 degrees.
5. After drying of the screed, the linoleum must be spread over the floor surface and left in this position for a while. This is done to fully straighten the folds. If this does not happen, it is better to return the material to the store, since the folds and waves in the future can lead to the formation of cracks.
6. If laying linoleum on the concrete floor is carried out using glue compounds, you need to protect the room from drafts.

Linoleum laying with fixation by plinths

Laying linoleum with your own hands without glue is suitable only for premises with a small area, because the material is flexible enough and elastic. Under the influence of changes in temperature and humidity, the floor covering will change its physical parameters, then shrink or expand. This will negatively affect the quality of the linoleum - in the course of time, folds may appear. If the floor covering is laid in one strip in a small room, the plinth will act as a latch and prevent its displacement.

The laying process is quite simple. The roll must be spread along the floor and trimmed, leaving an allowance of no more than 10 cm. Using a roller, level the material and install a skirting board on one side, fastening it with nails or self-tapping screws. Previously, you need to drill holes in the concrete base and insert wooden plugs in them. Pulling the canvas, you should install the plinth on the other side and fix it. Laying linoleum in this way does not require much effort, and you can do it yourself.

Laying linoleum on a concrete floor with the use of adhesive tape

This method is used for small rooms with low traffic. To do this, the self-adhesive tape should be rolled around the entire perimeter of the room, as well as in the junctions of the two strips of the roll. The upper protective film is not recommended to be removed prior to the beginning of the laying process. The concrete base must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust, this will determine the quality of the tape binding to the floor.

Next, linoleum is adjusted according to the floor area. To do this, roll the roll and trim it in the exact size of the room. Only after this you can proceed to remove the protective film. It is better to do this in stages, slowly moving from the edge near the wall to the joint of the strips of the roll. Remove the protective film gradually.

There is also another way of laying linoleum, the opposite of the above. In this case, first you need to adjust the material to the base area, then apply a self-adhesive tape to its edges, and only then fix the floor covering, after removing the protective film. However, this option will take more time and effort.

Laying linoleum on concrete floors with glue compounds

The method of laying the floor covering with the use of glue is considered to be the most complex and requiring certain skills. However, it can be performed independently, provided that the recommendations of the experts are observed.

The laying process begins with the layout of the material and its fitting to the size of the room. To cut linoleum it is necessary with an allowance of 10 cm.

Preparation of necessary materials

Since laying linoleum on concrete floors with the use of adhesive compounds is a laborious process, it is necessary to prepare all the necessary materials in advance. For this we need:

• Special glue;
• Roller;
• Sharp construction knife;
• Metal ruler;
• Brush (roller) for applying glue.

Technology of laying linoleum

After the leveling and trimming of the material, the edge of the strip, located near the wall, is pushed aside and folded in half. On the open area of the concrete base, the prepared adhesive is applied evenly. To ensure that the adhesive composition is slightly dry, it is required to leave it in this state for 10-15 minutes. After that, the linoleum returns to its place and rolls over the entire surface with a clean roller. If excess glue protruded along the edges of the fabric, they must be removed with a rag or rags. If there is a glue, there will be a stain on the front side of the material, which in the future will not be able to wash off anything. The second half of the strip of the roll is adhered in a similar way.

If in the future it is planned to replace the floor covering, the glue can be applied only along the perimeter of the material to be laid. This method is much easier and cheaper, but the linoleum will have to be carefully leveled and stretched.

Fastening two linoleum strips

If the room where the flooring is laid is small and it will be enough for one strip of linoleum - this is a great luck. But if the area of the concrete base is huge, naturally, the question arises as to how to properly and accurately process the seams?

There are several ways to weld joints - hot and cold. Hot welding is the binding of the edges of two strips of material with a special welding machine and components. This is a rather complex process, which you can not perform on your own if you do not have the skills to work with this device.

If you are laying linoleum on the concrete floor with your own hands with a substrate, you can use cold welding. There are two types of glue - "A" and "C". Glue type 1 is used only in combination with tape, as it is more liquid in its consistency. First of all, adhesive tape is applied to the junctions, which is then cut along the entire length. The glue is poured into the cut with a thin trickle. After the adhesive dries completely, remove the adhesive tape. The glue "C" is used without scotch for similar technology.

Laying linoleum on the concrete floor (photo can be seen in our article) - a process that can be done independently. However, one should take into account the recommendations of specialists and take into account the nuances of the operations performed. This will determine the service life of the floor covering and its external characteristics.