How to paint linoleum

People have been using linoleum as a flooring for more than a dozen years. Due to its low price, variety of species and easy installation process, it easily conquered the market. Even to this day, it is in great demand.

However, over time, any coating becomes unusable. Scuffs, spots, disagreeable pattern - there can be many reasons for the desire to renew the situation. But why take drastic measures in the form of replacing linoleum, if it can simply be painted?

What happens linoleum in composition

In total, there are five types of this finishing coating, separated by a binder material:

• Natural. It is made without admixture of chemistry, exclusively from natural materials.
• Polyvinyl chloride. It is created from petroleum products, in particular from a polymer of vinyl chloride, a plastic widely used in the modern world.
• Relin or rubber linoleum. In its production, various types of rubber are used.
• Colloxylin (aka nitrocellulose). The basis of this type is cellulose.
• Alkyd (also known as glyphthalic). It is similar in composition to natural, but also based on jute fabrics.

Different types of coatings have different properties due to their composition. Natural species are wear-resistant, durable, but expensive and are suitable only for dry rooms. PVC is cheaper, its characteristics depend on the base and thickness, but it has a noticeable smell and stretches over time. The nitrocellulose type is moisture resistant, but it is too easily flammable, and rubber carries harmful volatile substances.

REFERENCE! The ability to paint the coating also depends on the composition. Not every paint will fit any surface. Due to improperly selected consumables, there is an opinion that it is completely useless to paint linoleum. But this is not so.

Is it possible to paint linoleum

The myth that no paint lasts long on linoleum has been around since the days of the USSR. There was such a stereotype for three reasons:

• Extremely scarce variety of paints and varnishes, deficiency of consumables in general.
• A rare opportunity to properly prepare the floor before work.
• Low quality of available resources.

In fact, such a coating is quite amenable to coloring if everything is done correctly. Correctly selected consumables and a strict adherence to technology - that’s the whole secret of paint that stays on the floor for a long time.

Do not worry about the feasibility of such an event. Say what you like, but installation work requires more time and effort than simply painting floors. In addition, the owner of the house can also arm himself with a roller, saving on the labor of workers.

IMPORTANT! If you are not confident in your abilities - it is better not to take on repairs yourself, even if it is exclusively cosmetic. Even for coloring, you need to have the minimum necessary skills.

How to paint linoleum

The selection of the right materials is almost half the success of all the work. The ideal paint for such work should have:

• High adhesion to planes with low roughness.
• Good resistance to mechanical damage, that is, to abrasion.
• The lowest possible content of organic solvents, because they can contribute to surface corrosion under the paint.

Fortunately, four parameters of consumables correspond to these parameters: enamel, alkyd-chlorinated rubber and alkyd pentaphthalic, liquid plastic and, of course, oil paints.

Oil paints are the cheapest and most affordable option. Among others, they have the highest adhesion, and therefore will not be washed off. However, the layer can only be updated with the same composition, because other coatings simply will not lie on top of the oil. In addition, when working with them you need to be careful, because the composition is toxic.

Enamels are highly resistant to moisture, and also much more durable. They are not as cheap as regular paint, but most often it’s better to pay a little for the quality. In addition, the enamel dries faster and does not smell of poisonous fumes.

The so-called liquid plastic will be one of the best materials in terms of quality. It is durable, resistant to damage. However, at the same time, plastic hardens for a very long time and is not cheap at all.

Rules for painting linoleum

However, good paintwork is only half the success. Without knowledge of all the technical nuances of painting work for linoleum, even the best paint will peel off many times faster than it should. The correct procedure should be as follows:

• Clean the floor as thoroughly as possible. Remember that grease, dust and dirt sit tight on the surface, so you need to scrub it in good conscience. If the floor was additionally covered with wax - you must also get rid of it.
• Further, if oil paints or alkyd pentaphthalic paints are used, the surface must be primed. It is important to apply the primer to a dry and clean surface.
• And finally, the surface can begin to be painted.

The best tool for painting is a spray gun. In the absence of this, you can use the roller, in the most extreme case - with the hand brush.