How to remove dents on linoleum yourself?

Why bubbles appear on linoleum

To begin with, this coverage is installed in two ways:

ordinary flooring, followed by pressing the edges with plinths;
installation on glue.

Depending on this, the reasons for the bloating are different.

Low quality linoleum itself

The lower the price of linoleum, the more likely it will warp, swell and crack. The fact is that cheap linoleums do not have a foundation, or it is, but of insufficient thickness. Therefore, during operation, such material after some time expands in some places, contracts in others, and bubbles and folds appear at the border of these zones.

Uneven floor

You cannot lay any floor covering without preliminary preparation of the base, and even more so, such a soft material as linoleum. Any depression and elevation, even the debris left behind, will very soon appear, as they say, “there”.

Installation errors

Despite the seeming simplicity, this work has several specific nuances, non-observance of which leads to undesirable consequences. Therefore, do not trust the laying of linoleum to dubious hacks, albeit very cheap. And if you do it yourself, study what is called the materiel.

The installation errors also include such a factor as improper installation of skirting boards.

Even if the coating itself is laid perfectly, and the skirting boards are pressed to the surface under force, then swelling will appear along them soon enough, after a month or two. The solution is simple - to reinstall the skirting boards above.

Linoleum care

Reasons for the formation of defects

So, various deformations on linoleum can appear for a number of reasons
, among which it is worth noting:

Furniture - legs, with a long-term arrangement in one place, leave dents on the linoleum, and when dragging, holes may form.
Your pets can scratch the linoleum with their claws.
In addition, fine dust, various particles of sand and dirt can leave scratches on the surface.

Care rules

Video instruction for the care of linoleum

Thus, we we suggest you use a few tips
To help prevent imperfections in your flooring:

First of all, try to buy furniture with wide flat stands on which it will sit on the floor. If there are no such stands, try to invent something yourself. Some people advise putting in pieces of plywood. Moreover, the larger the area of contact with the linoleum, the less noticeable dents will remain on it.
There is protection from pets - smear with acetic acid where they like to scratch. Probably, the problem can be solved by the usual purchase of a "claw rake" for your "Murzik".
Use special coatings, protective films. It can be wax or special mastic.
, linoleum should be cleaned of all kinds of dirt by going over it with a vacuum cleaner or a broom.
When wet cleaning with a slightly dirty floor, use floor cleaning fluids, which must be diluted in water, then apply several times with a rag to the dirty areas until the stains disappear. After that, with a rag that you want to moisten in clean water, after about 15 minutes, remove the layer of chemistry.
If the use of serious chemicals is required, then dilute them with water and wipe the floor. Wait 10 minutes and remove all chemicals from the surface with a damp, clean cloth.

Removing dents from linoleum: conservative methods

There are many "folk" remedies to combat dents on the surface of linoleum. The effectiveness of their application largely depends on the scale of the problem.For example, deep dents left by a cabinet can hardly be removed using “conservative” coating restoration methods. But it is quite possible to straighten the areas deformed by the legs of a chair or stool. The main thing is to follow the recommendations exactly and sensibly assess the prospects of the applied impact.

Among the methods of dealing with dents on linoleum, the most popular are:

a metal round blank, with which you can try to "roll" the edges of the resulting depression flush with the main surface of the floor covering;

if it was not possible to achieve success by mechanical influence alone, it is worth trying to apply combined methods of struggle

In particular, you can warm up the surface of the dent with a hair dryer, and then repeat the steps with a metal blank, acting with great care so as not to damage the ornament; the method of counteraction will help smooth out a small depression on the surface of linoleum

Just put a wide and flat flat board or any other object of a similar format on the deformed area, and then install a weight (kettlebell or dumbbell) on it;

the method of counteraction will help to smooth out a small depression on the surface of linoleum. Just put a wide and flat flat board or any other object of a similar format on the deformed area, and then install a weight (kettlebell or dumbbell) on it;

heat treatment of the coating with an iron is an effective method, but rather dangerous. Care must be taken not to overheat the surface by damaging it. Linoleum should be ironed from the seamy side (in extreme cases, it can be ironed from the front, but through a multilayer material soaked in ammonia solution.

How to smooth out creases on linoleum

In stores and warehouses, the coating is stored rolled up. Therefore, before proceeding with any manipulations with it, the linoleum must be expanded, straightened, smoothed, let it rest for a day or more at room temperature. If this is not done and immediately start fixing, then later it will be possible to detect defects such as waves or creases on the linoleum. Getting rid of them on an already fixed surface is much more difficult. There is also a known method for smoothing linoleum with a bag of hot sand. This method allows you not to wait until the linoleum straightens out on its own, but it is much more laborious and is practically not used today.

Most likely, with the question of how to level the linoleum, smooth it yourself, there will be no big difficulties. If the canvas completely covers the entire area of the room, it is enough just to cut it along the crease along all the walls and start fixing it. If the room has an area larger than the linoleum canvas, you should take care of the joints.

Using the steam cleaner correctly

When using a steam cleaner for cleaning, it must be remembered that only water-soluble contaminants such as greasy or limescale, food stains, street dirt are susceptible to it.

Steam cleaner advantages:

environmental friendliness;
security;
does not require cleaning agents - savings and health benefits;
antibacterial effect;
leaves no scratches or streaks.

The principle of operation of any steam cleaner is based on the treatment of a dirty surface with a jet of hot water vapor and the subsequent removal of the softened dirt using a nozzle. Stubborn dirt can be pretreated with acetic acid.

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Where and how do the dents come from?

At the same time, traces remain on the soft linoleum that do not want to level out on their own, and the aesthetic appearance of the floor is lost. Let's say that after the first rearrangement there are not many such dents, but their number increases over time. Also, many factors can affect the appearance of dents (from children's games to guests in heels). And there comes a moment when you decide to remove the dents on the linoleum.

The very first way that comes to mind is a complete replacement of the coating. This method is the most expensive, but it allows you to completely remove the old along with its shortcomings and create an updated look.

The following methods are to fix dents on linoleum without replacing the material itself.

We do not guarantee that these methods will help you one hundred percent to get rid of damage, as it depends, first of all, on the quality of linoleum. But there is a chance, and there are lucky ones who, using these methods, were able to return the material to its former appearance without significant financial and time costs.

Step-by-step instructions for removing defects:

Take a metal, completely flat ball. On each individual indentation, the deformed edges must be carefully rolled with this ball.
In the case when the ball did not correct the situation, or corrected it, but not completely, we suggest trying heat treatment. Take a hair dryer and heat the deformed area, then roll it again with a ball. Be careful, as well-heated linoleum is much easier to damage.
This method is recommended if you are not limited in time and the deformed area is small. Place something flat and rigid on the defective area, and place a weighting agent on top (for example, a two-pound weight). At the same time, be careful, too small a support for the weighting agent can lead to the fact that instead of a small dent you will have a new, much larger one.
Suppose that the above methods did not help, in this case we suggest using heat treatment with an iron. Remove the damaged area, and turn it face down. Iron the dents on the back. This increases the risk of completely spoiling the material, simply overheating it. But, on the other hand, this method allows you to level linoleum even over a large area. When dismantling is not possible, for example, the coating is glued and does not come off without damage, or the linoleum is pressed over the entire area. It is allowed to heat the linoleum with an iron from the front side, while using a multilayer cloth (made of cotton), abundantly soaked in ammonia, as a gasket.After that, it is enough to wipe the coating with a damp cloth.
In the event that none of the methods suited you, and you were unable to eliminate the defects, try the next method. It is necessary to dismantle the linoleum and turn it so that all defects are hidden by the new arrangement of the furniture. In fact, this option is very rarely suitable, but it is still possible.
There is another option, how to remove dents on linoleum, it is perhaps the cheapest. Most likely, it will not return the previous look to your gender. Let's say that you have a piece of linoleum left after the initial installation. Attach a piece of new material so that it covers all the defective spots and use a sharp knife to draw along the perimeter. Thus, you will cut out the damaged part of the material, and put a new one in its place, as follows, gluing it to the floor. Using this option, it is quite possible that a noticeable seam will remain on the floor.

In conclusion, we can say that linoleum is not a material that can be easily repaired. This inexpensive material perfectly withstands step operation, but in case of damage it will most likely require replacement.

In fact, this is not critical, due to the low price and a fairly simple method of installation, you will not need to save up for a long time to replace linoleum and move out of the apartment for the duration of the renovation.

We also recommend watching this video for a detailed example.

During the day, you can easily replace such a coating in one room, without involving helpers. The information given above is enough so that you do not have a question how to remove dents on linoleum.

We wish you successful renovation and good mood. And do not be discouraged if the defect could not be removed. Linoleum is not so expensive material. Just replace it completely.

Ammonia and iron

Polyvinyl chloride, from which linoleum is made, becomes soft and elastic when heated. This property of the material can be used to combat dents formed on it: unsightly defects can be easily removed with an iron.

Procedure:

Connect the iron to the power supply, set the minimum heating temperature on the device.
Pick up a piece of fabric that is larger than the dent.
Moisten the material in ammonia and place it over the defect in the coating. When working with a toxic drug, put on gloves, a mask and open the windows in the room.
Use a hot iron to iron the fabric slowly several times.

After a while, assess the condition of the linoleum - if the dent remains, wet the material again with ammonia solution and repeat the procedure.

Docking linoleum

The most optimal way of joining is overlapping. To do this, you need to align all the pieces of canvas around the perimeter of the room and put the abutting edges on top of each other. Then you need to cut both layers at the same time. Next, you should take care of securing the joints. The most popular method is gluing linoleum at the joints with double-sided tape.

To make the joint less noticeable or invisible at all, a lot of methods are used. The most common ones are:

cold welding of seams;
hot welding of seams.

For cold welding of seams, special glue is used. Cold welding products are available in various consistencies. So, if you need to glue a new linoleum, use a more liquid product, and if you need to smooth or renew an already used coating, a thicker one. For gluing, you need a small set of tools, namely: masking (paper) tape, a stationery knife, gloves (preferably) and, in fact, a welding agent. Before starting work, the seam should be degreased and cleaned of dust - this is done simply: wipe the seam with alcohol. Then, along the entire length of the seam to be glued, adhesive tape is glued, in which a narrow slot is made with a knife directly above the seam.This slot is filled with glue (cold welding). After half an hour, the tape can be carefully removed. The drops of glue remaining on the surface are removed with a knife after complete drying.

For domestic hot welding, you can use an ordinary electric soldering iron, but this soldering method is only suitable for thin types of coatings. The tip of the soldering iron must be finely sharpened and ground so that it can be guided through the joint.

The soldering iron itself must be well heated so that the edges of the web quickly soften and stick together quickly enough. Recently, this method of welding seams has been used less and less because of the possibility of damaging the canvas during work. Seams of commercial types of linoleum are soldered using hot air, cords or high-temperature soldering irons. Generally, these methods are not suitable for residential flooring.

Removing dents

So, despite all the operating rules described above, defects may still exist. And so you started rearranging furniture, and in the places of its former location, there were various dents from the legs.

Would you like to know how to remove dents from linoleum? There are three methods:

The first way. Pick up an iron. Plug it in and wait for it to heat up. Find a rag in your home, moisten it and put it in the place of the dents in a damp state. Smooth the floor through a rag using a heated iron. Use the steam mode for this! It will take you about half an hour to remove the dent.
The second method is roughly similar to the previous one. Here you will need a hair dryer. Hover it over the dent and heat it until it disappears. The process will take you a little longer than the previous method. About twice as much - up to one hour.
The third method is the safest, since it is not based on thermal effects on linoleum. So, take a needle from the cabinet and carefully pierce the dent on the linoleum exactly in the center. Over time, air will enter under the linoleum, and the dent will straighten and even rise slightly. You will need to press the floor with some even object (for example, a board, and put some other weight on top).

Tips for working with linoleum:

If you decide to cover the linoleum with a special protective film made of wax or mastic, then first of all, start cleaning the floor from dirt. You need to lay two layers.
When cleaning a PVC-coated floor, do not even think of using an undiluted deep cleaning solution, otherwise very unpleasant defects will remain on the linoleum.
Do not overheat the linoleum with an iron, otherwise you can achieve much more severe defects.
A hair dryer, unlike an iron, is safe for linoleum (unless, of course, it is industrial with a high heating temperature).
When cleaning linoleum from stains with gasoline, all stains are removed using lemon juice.
Before doing anything with the dents, try to find a metal ball and roll the dent around the edges. This can help without using various heating methods.
When heating with an iron, use the lowest temperature, and you can moisten a rag not just with water, but with ammonia.
When heating with an iron, if possible (for example, linoleum is at the edge of the room), try to remove the baseboard and bend the desired part of the material, then run the iron on the back side until it is completely aligned.

To eliminate defects from linoleum, you can use a household hair dryer.

Causes of the appearance of waves, methods of elimination

Let's consider what are the main reasons for the appearance of undulating irregularities on the surface. It can be:

unevenness of the rough base, due to which air bubbles form under the linoleum;
using bad glue for laying the coating;
laying the material without fixing it on the base;
installation work in a cold room;
laying on a damp sub-floor;
the material did not lie down sufficiently before laying on the floor;
incorrect transportation of the roll and its storage.

There are many reasons why irregularities appear on linoleum.

Linoleum laid in a small room

How to get rid of the cat urine smell?

The most effective substances in this case are:

iodine;
hydrogen peroxide;
chlorine-based products;
vinegar;
fresh lemon juice;
professional products that are sold in pet stores.

Now the procedures themselves:

Vinegar or lemon juice is mixed with water in equal proportions. Spray from the spray bottle over the desired area, after several hours wipe dry.
25 drops of iodine are added per liter of water. This solution is used to wipe the area.

If the urine is heavily embedded in the surface of the coating, it will be more difficult to deal with the smell. In this case, it is better to use the following recipe.

Ingredients:

hot water - 1 liter;
powder - 100 grams;
laundry soap - ¼ piece.

Everything must be dissolved, pour the mixture on the "cat's place", leave for a couple of hours. After that, rinse everything several times with hot water.

In pet stores, you can buy special products to deal with these problems. Do well:

Urine-off
UrineOut;

Cleaning after renovation

When renovating, it is best to cover the linoleum with plastic wrap. So no building materials will get onto the coating, and after the completion of the work, all that remains is to remove the film and wash the floor in the usual way. If the linoleum is still dirty, you should try to eliminate the pollution immediately.

Means for cleaning linoleum from the consequences of repairs are chosen depending on the type of pollution. Here are some general guidelines:

Traces of whitewash and cement dust are disposed of in several stages. First, they wash the floor with warm water with the addition of sodium chloride and soap shavings, then wipe the surface with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After drying, rub with a woolen cloth and apply linseed oil.
It is better to remove the paint fresh, while it is not recommended to use soda and other alkalis, they will impart brittleness to the coating. Better to use a drop of vegetable oil. Dried paint is removed with solvents, having previously checked in an inconspicuous area, whether the coating will deteriorate. After removing the stain, the linoleum is washed and rubbed with linseed oil.
The polyurethane foam, if it is fresh, is scraped off with a spatula in the direction from the edges of the spot to the center. After that, the site is treated with a special agent to remove all traces. The dried foam is cut off, the remains are soaked with a professional compound and wiped off.

Types of defects

Linoleum flooring masters distinguish the following types of material defects:

Waves. Appears if the rolls have been stored for a long time in the supine position. If, moreover, they are folded in several rows, then creases may form.
Bloating. They arise when the mastic layer dries slowly or when its layer is insufficient.
Dips. They appear after shrinkage, some time after the material is laid.
Departure of the edges. Occurs with insufficiently high-quality preparation of the subfloor. Laying on a dusty, damp or dirty surface leads to lagging of the edges of the coating, their curling.

Waves - linoleum defect

Part of the defects can be avoided by conducting appropriate preparation before laying linoleum, some can be eliminated after.

Prevention and preservation of the integrity of the coating

Operating rules

Any doctor you know will tell you that "disease is easier to prevent than to cure." This statement is true not only for the human body, but also for household appliances, furniture and decoration.

The same applies to floor coverings - so that you don't have to figure out how to remove creases on linoleum, or how to eliminate traces of cat claws, you should take precautions in advance

To avoid problems, you should follow fairly simple rules:

Linoleum has a relatively low tensile strength, because the main "enemy" of the coating is heavy furniture with metal legs

The slightest careless movement - and a hole with uneven edges forms in the material

The second problem is deformation under prolonged pressure.
... The wider the base of the furniture and the thicker the legs, the less noticeable the dents will be. So if you have linoleum in your apartment, then you should be very careful about the choice of cabinets and dressers. As a last resort, use special nozzles with a wide base.
Cats and dogs can also damage the coating with claws or teeth.
... If you do not know how to wean a dog from gnawing linoleum, treat your “favorite place” with vinegar or whiteness. The effect is almost one hundred percent!

The above rules for the operation of PVC coatings are very simple and not burdensome, but their observance will provide the desired effect.

Surface care

In addition to observing the rules of operation, additional maintenance of linoleum can extend the service life:

It is possible to protect the surface from most of the factors that adversely affect the condition of the coating by applying special films. These films are made on a wax or polymer basis, and give linoleum increased chemical and mechanical resistance.

Before performing wet cleaning, experts advise walking on the linoleum with a vacuum cleaner or broom. This will remove most of the large, abrasive mechanical particles. And if we start rubbing the floor with a rag or mop right away, then these particles risk leaving quite noticeable scratches.

Wet cleaning of linoleum usually does not involve the use of specific household chemicals.

The optimal instruction in this case looks like this:

Dilute a common floor cleaner in water, following the manufacturer's recommendations.
Wipe the cover with a cloth dampened with detergent solution.
If necessary, repeat the operations until complete cleaning, periodically rinsing the cloth and changing the water.
Let the surface dry a little.
Wipe the linoleum with a damp cloth soaked in clean water to remove any remaining detergent.
After drying, you can treat the surface with mastic.

However, in some cases, simple washing is not enough.

If the floor is very dirty, then special means for deep cleaning are used:

We dilute the product in water, then apply it to the dirt with a rag or sponge.

We keep the solution on the floor for 10-15 minutes.
Thoroughly rinse the linoleum with clean water and let it dry.

Since deep cleaning agents are very aggressive, when using them, it is desirable to treat the surface with protective compounds or mastics.

We fight stains

Questions about how to remove the smell of cat urine from linoleum or how to remove a stain "embedded" in the coating are in no way inferior in popularity to questions about the rules of operation.

So what should you do if stains are found?

Greasy stains are the easiest to remove: first, blot the stain with a napkin, and then wipe it with dishwashing liquid. As a last resort (if the fat is stuck), we use turpentine.
White bloom removes the tile cleaner well. The main thing is not to leave the liquid on the linoleum for a long time, but immediately rinse it off with water.
Coffee and food colors leave fairly permanent marks that need to be removed with gasoline or kerosene. At the same time, we act very carefully so as not to discolor the surface.

But how to remove the smell of cat urine from linoleum?

The first way is to use baking soda
... We pour baking soda on the “scene of the incident”, after 10 minutes we rinse it off and thoroughly wipe the floor.
Alternative - the use of hydrogen peroxide
... Pour a bottle of peroxide into a plastic container, add dishwashing liquid, treat the stain and leave for 10 minutes. Then rinse off the product with clean water.

The side effect of these two methods is that the cat is more likely to no longer nourish the treated area.

Deformation of the new linoleum

After buying linoleum for the floor, the owners may face a problem when unwinding it at home. Ridges may remain on the surface of the roll. How to remove waves from linoleum after rolling? There are several expert recommendations on how to cope with this problem.

If the material retains its undulating shape for a long time, this can significantly slow down the laying speed. To quickly cope with this deformation, you need to try to twist the roll in the opposite direction. The front side in this case will be turned inward. The roll is not tied very tightly. Otherwise, deformation will appear, but in the opposite direction. The roll needs to be wound quite wide.

After a few hours, the material is straightened again and laid out on a flat surface. Before proceeding with the installation of such material, you will need to wait about a day. Only in a day will it be possible to start finishing the floor.

There is another way how to remove waves from linoleum after twisting. Sometimes the combs do not straighten for a long time due to the fact that the purchased piece was at the end of the roll. Here the compression force was stronger. As a result, the material takes longer to take the form required for installation. In this case, a different technique is used.

Causes of deformation

So, waves appeared on the linoleum. What to do in such a situation? First you need to establish the cause of such a nuisance. Often a similar situation arises when the owners forgot to leave a gap between the linoleum sheet and the wall during self-laying, or it turned out to be insufficient. In this case, the edges of the material will abut against the walls, which leads to the appearance of deformation.

The plinth can also be the cause of the unpleasant phenomenon. Sometimes the craftsmen press this part too hard against the material. As a result, the linoleum does not have enough space to straighten out.

Another reason may be the presence of dust and moisture under the surface of the sheet. If the master did not pay due attention to cleaning and degreasing the base, water remained on the floor, in this place the linoleum will definitely swell. In this case, the question will certainly arise, how to remove waves on linoleum.

If the room is large, the flooring material is not simply rolled over the surface. It will need to be glued with a special compound. The quality of the glue will also determine whether the coating deforms over time.

Due to the temperature difference, the soft, elastic coating can also deform. If the heating in the room was abruptly turned off in the winter, and then a few days later they began to intensively heat the living space again, this will lead to irreversible consequences for the linoleum. In this case, it most likely cannot be restored.

How to glue linoleum

During installation or use, linoleum can be damaged - scratches, cracks, tears. If it is not possible to update the entire canvas, or if the defect turned out to be insignificant, you can try to "repair" the linoleum. In this case, the edges of the web in the place of the gap should be carefully cleaned, degreased and tried to tighten as much as possible, fixing it with the glue used previously. If a large enough section of the canvas is damaged, you can try to update it with a patch. The method is good if, after laying, there are scraps that are suitable in size and pattern. To do this, remove the damaged element with a knife and clean the vacant floor area.

Then you should cut out an insert of a suitable size and, having previously coated it with glue, carefully place it on a previously prepared area. Leave it under the load for at least a day and then process the seams.

38066

How to smooth linoleum quickly - some of the most effective ways

May 28, 2016
Specialization: facade decoration, interior decoration, construction of summer cottages, garages. The experience of an amateur gardener and gardener. He also has experience in repairing cars and motorcycles.
Hobbies: playing guitar and much more, for which there is not enough time :)

Linoleum is a flexible and resilient floor covering, which, on the one hand, makes it easier to work with, and on the other hand, causes some difficulties during installation. In particular, as a result of various deformations after laying it, folds may appear, which are a "headache" for many home craftsmen. Therefore, below I will tell you some secrets on how to smooth linoleum quickly and easily.