All about linoleum floor

A robust natural floor covering with character
Linoleum floors are enjoying a renaissance, because as a genuine design classic, linoleum is more in demand today than ever before. And no wonder! Linoleum is an appealing floor covering for a diverse range of application areas. HARO Linoleum Floor provides quality, design and a wide variety of colours.

A chance invention
Linoleum was actually invented by chance by the English inventor and manufacturer Frederick Walton. He was looking for a quick-drying paint for “floorcloth” – an oil cloth used to protect carpets – when he discovered a firm, rubbery skin of oxidised linseed oil that had formed on a paint can. That aroused his interest. He continued to experiment, mixed linseed oil with chalk, wood flour and resin, and applied the mixture to burlap fabric. Linoleum was born. Its name was coined from "oleum lini", the Latin name for linseed oil.

From nature's best
Linoleum has been produced using basically the same recipe for almost 150 years: A composition of linseed oil, resins, wood flour, cork dust, powdered limestone and the desired colour pigments is applied to burlap fabric by means of steel rollers. After calendering (from the French term 'calandre' for 'roller') the uncut linoleum sheets are heat treated in huge chambers for several weeks until they have developed the required strength and stability. These chambers are over 15 metres high and provide enough space for about 20,000 metres of linoleum at a time. Suspended, the individual sheets are up to 30 metres long.

Renaissance of a floor classic
Even in the 1950s, linoleum floors still had to be waxed regularly in addition to cleaning in order to protect the surface. That's why the more inexpensive, easy-care vinyl floors were able to quickly conquer the market after World War II and supersede linoleum. Today a protective coat is applied to the surface immediately after the thermal treatment. It seals the linoleum surface and makes it resistant to dirt and stains right from the start.