Can’t decide what pattern would be good for our new Marmoleum floors!

We discussed about some design tips for Marmoleum floor patterns in an earlier post. People do find it intimidating when it comes to so many colors and design possibilities.

Marmoleum Click for residential applications

Some homeowners like to go with checker board pattern just because it is an easy solution. But to my mind, your pattern does not have to be so typical and so obvious. Now that you decided to go with Marmoleum Click for your new floors, make sure you get the most for your money. You really have so many options to add that visual impact to your room. Spend some time to figure out your unique design now. You will cherish your new floors for years to come.

Sahara, Van Gogh, and Barbados from Marmoleum Click series

See if you would like to go with a little bit of abstract design. Add a bright accent color in to couple of coordinating colors, and play with them! Depending on how big your space is, you may have a module of 4 or 9 or 16 tiles and repeat it.

Using a border around the perimeter or say, kitchen island, also is a simple way to add character.

Various borders are available from Forbo

If you are designing kids’ rooms, involve them in picking colors. A simple pattern like this is enough to create visual interest.

accent color to add that character

A rug like look may work good in any bedroom.

I don't need an area rug for 10 months of the year, really!

Make sure you try to stagger the joints if you are using panels. With the revised Click II system, the length of a panel now equals to 3 square tiles. It may be hard to calculate the quantities for each color if your pattern is too complicated. Why not hire the professional instead! At LFD we are experts at space design, material estimation, and installation. Whether it is just new floors or you need a holistic design upgrade, talk to us and we would be happy to assist you.

Things to consider while designing custom floors?

Designing your own personalized floors is the most exciting part of replacing your floors with a product like Marmoleum Click.

While designing your new floors, take into consideration the utility factor of the room – if it is a kids’ room or a adult’s bedroom, overall size of the room. If it is a huge space you may want to break it visually in 2 areas, for example Living and Dining, or Living and Family or Media room. You can achieve this either by changing the colors or the pattern design. Think about the natural light source in the room, the direction of the traffic – circulation paths. Consider the style of existing furniture in the room. What kind of ambiance you want to achieve. You don’t want to end up with hodgepodge mix of too many styles. Also, it is a good idea to stick to 3 or 4 colors in the room at the most. The overall effect should be soothing to the eyes, and not a jumble of conflicting hues.

Remember, as a rule of thumb it is best to stagger the joints while using panels. Make sure your design pattern allows this staggering. With some designs it may not be possible to achieve this, though. For example, while using all 1’x1′ squares, you obviously have continuous joints. This is something an expert will help you with.

Think of what kind of sub floor you have, check if it is fairly leveled, and go for the floors of your dreams!

P.S.  Non-residential applications is a different ball game.

I heard linoleum fades over time and I will get patches on the floor if I move furniture?

Some linoleum colors may be more prone to fading due to  exposure to direct sunlight than others. Over a period of time you may see subtle, slightly darker patches say underneath a chest. If you move such furniture though, the newly exposed area will fade in a short time, so you will not be able to tell the difference.

There is another phenomenon called “Ambering” that occurs during the manufacturing process of linoleum, though. While the linoleum is curing in the drying room, a yellowish film may appear on the surface of the linoleum due to the linseed oil oxidation process. So you may see some “yellowing” on your newly delivered product. But this film will disappear after the linoleum is exposed to either natural or artificial light. You don’t have to worry about dissipation of this yellow film prior to installation or prior to applying floor finish after your installation.

When we did Marmoleum Click floors at home, we did not really see any yellowing on our new product, even though we had dark and light colors. And as far as fading due to sunlight exposure is concerned, I am not too worried about it, because with a few hours of exposure, the darker patches will go away anyway!

Marmoleum Click Floor installation

Now that we are on the topic of Linoleum and Cork, let me suggest this video with step-by-step instructions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9cMfmJOOAE&feature=related

Here you can see, what difference the floors make in your room decor. You do not need a Interior Designer to identify what floor works for your space. A few visits to the floor stores, and some internet browsing, and (a little bit of math, of course) you should be able to visualize your dream floor!

Sound softening floors are important to us. Comparing Linoleum and Cork floors..

Linoleum and Cork are both well known for their sound absorbing qualities. If you use linoleum sheets they will provide better sound reduction as compared to floating panel system. Same goes with Cork glue less plank system. Both linoleum and cork are naturally heat resistant, and hypoallergenic materials. Both of these resilient flooring products are warm to touch underfoot. Because of the strong heat barrier qualities of cork, though, it is not recommended over “in-floor radiant heating” system. Marmoleum Click, on the other hand, has been engineered to work well over in-floor radiant heating used in extreme climate conditions. Both materials are prone to scratches if not handled well. If moving furniture with sharp edges, it is recommended to have felt pads underneath.

Linoleum sheet, tiles and Cork tiles have been successfully installed in various building types, such as Commercial, Healthcare, Restaurants, retail, and Fitness. Visit this site to see some examples of Cork flooring: http://www.duro-design.com/index.cfm/page/cork.installations/installationId/86/

Just like linoleum, cork is available in many different colors and sizes. One can achieve a personalized space by creating their own floor design unique to their taste.

Linoleum and Cork floors are both easy to install, easy to maintain and durable. The cork needs proper sealant though to be resistant to stains and is more susceptible to dents if a heavy piece of furniture stands on it for a long time. It is also recommended to avoid direct sunlight on your cork floors depending on the color pigments used in the product.

I would suggest, see some examples where they have installed cork and linoleum. Walk on those floors. The touch and feel and look of these materials are distinctly different. You really have to like the texture, pattern that cork comes with. Your floors are your major investments, and you do not want to regret your decision for any reason later on.

Good Luck!

Is it advisable to install Marmoleum Click in bedrooms and hallways without transitions?

There is no problem in having Marmoleum Click in all the bedrooms and continuing in hallways, as long as the length of the floor in any one direction does not exceed 26′. If the length of the floor exceeds 26′, it is advisable to have an expansion joint.  Expansion joints are created to allow the movement in the material due to temperature changes. (Contraction in winter, and expansion during summer.) This means if any continuous segment of the floor measures more than 26′ in length, you should consider breaking it up with a transition strip. Ideally, this can be done in a door threshold for a bedroom or similar locations in case of large spaces.

In our home, we were just below 26′, and so enjoy the continuous flow without any break!

Is Marmoleum easy to install?

If you are thinking of Marmoleum sheet or glued down tiles it’s a different story. We will discuss that in my next post. Installing Marmoleum Click, though, can be a “Do-it-yourself” project if you are comfortable with using a saw. The Click  has a very convenient tongue and groove style interlocking system. If you are familiar with laminate planks that go together, this is a very similar design with even better snapping capabilities. If done right it is hard to tell where the joints are if the floor is all one color!

The perimeter of the room, and the edges near door frames etc. is where you need to use the saw. The detailed instructions can be found here:

http://www.forboflooringna.com/default.aspx?menuid=868

If installing on concrete sub floor, it is advisable to have a vapor barrier sheet underneath. If your sub floor is plywood, and is fairly leveled, you can install linoleum flooring right on top. No underlayment required. Make sure your sub floor does not have visible dips or such. In my house I actually used cardboard to level some uneven areas.

If you want to run your media or sound cables underneath, it is also a good idea to use some kind of underlayment to make space for those wires running under the floor.

Good Luck and Have fun!

Is linoleum scratch proof?

Well, to tell you the truth….linoleum material as such is not as hard as say laminate. The manufacturers of Marmoleum Cilick have added this “Topshield” layer to protect it from bruises. I recommend it’s best to have felt pads underneath the heavy pieces of furniture.

I came across one instance where the linoleum panel got a pretty deep scratch from a nail. It was hard to get rid of it. They say try rubbing with non-abrasive pads, but that did not work.  There are some Linoleum floor finishes available in the market…these will make the mark less visible. Depending upon how deep the scratch goes into the material, the groove will still be noticeable from certain angle.  Also, the additional floor finishes will leave some kind of sheen on the floor. One should decide if they want a glossy look overall or matte finish, before they choose to apply such finishes.

These linoleum products that we are talking about either from Forbo or Armstrong or Eco-floors, are basically very tough for day to day wear and tear. They are very much worry-free floors!

They are excellent for families with kids, for anyone with allergies and for anyone like me who wants to spend less time cleaning and maitaining floors. The visual interest it offers is the added bonus!

I thought Linoleum was long gone…

Yes, THAT generation of linoleum is long gone. It has been rediscovered to be the best flooring material for the new era, though. It is now making a come back- big time!

Linoleum as a material was always known for easy-to-clean, no fuss, warm to touch, dust repellent, durable flooring option. What you may remember from your Grandma’s place was a monolithic sheet with fabric style print on it. The market was pretty much captured by the introduction of vinyl in mid-twentieth century.

But now the experts find the fumes emitted from the vinyl can be hazardous to health. It is not advisable to have a prolonged exposure to this material prominently in residences. And that is how Linoleum is back in the picture. Since Linoleum is made out of all natural materials like linseed oil, wood flour, rosin and jute fibers it contributes to better indoor air quality.

Also, Linoleum is very resilient to heavy household traffic. As the linseed oil cures, the material will actually harden over time. I am not surprised that this flooring material is again getting popular.

Currently, Armstrong, Forbo, and Ecofloors are the major manufacturers. You can get this in sheets, tiles or panels. Depending on the manufacturer, the product varies in colors. Don’t forget to check the links at the bottom of the page if you are interested.