Painting 1950s lino instead of replacing it with vinyl flooring.

Hi 4allweknow

I live in Australia so its possible the lino was sourced in Asia.

My daughter has used linoleum (Marmoleum) from Forbo in both her recent houses.
It is warm, indestructible and "green".
I really love it.
My daughter has gone for several warm shades laid in irregular strips because she needed joins to fit the room. She had tiles of it in the previous house in a bold zig-zag pattern.

I have loved this product for years but sadly never had any myself.

www.forbo.com/flooring/en-uk/commercial-products/marmoleum/c0aq3g

When newly laid it is softer then it will be as it compresses so no stilettos on it please! 😂

Grammaretto Marmoleum was produced by the linoleum company I worked for in the 60s. Now the only company producing linoleum in UK. Linoleum is bombproof hence been used in public buildings, hospitals, for about a century.

I agree with the leave it alone brigade.
Don't paint it but clean it thoroughly and either put a rug over it or nothing. What colour is it?

I pulled up 1950s industrial tiles which had been glued to the wooden floorboards with a black sticky horrible stuff. We managed to sand some floors but the bathroom in this photo has yet to be finished. I don't mind it enough to tackle it.

My friend has hessian backed marmoleum in her kitchen. Very nice.

Dorrain I still have contact with a couple of people who have worked in the linoleum production. The company is now the only linoleum production site in UK. I too worked and lived in the town and never heard or had encountered anyone who knew that asbestos was used in linoleum. Given the scale and length of production in the town I am astounded that I have never heard of anyone, worker or resident suffering from asbestosis. Just like now, there were companies that imitated the "real" product mainly in Asia perhaps that's were the asbestos problem arose. Wonder how many hospital had to close when linoleum was removed or surface broken as that was the standard floor covering for decades in hospitals due to its robustness and the antiseptic qualities it contained. Sure the town will have reference to the lino manufacturing in the museum. I am definitely going to check as cannot understand why there was no mass contamination.

AmberGran If lino produced prior to 1980 had asbestos in it several generations of workers and residents in the town where it was/is produced would have succumbed to asbestosis. The company employed about 4000
for many years. Indeed, the linseed oil used in production was considered to be beneficial to health. Linoleum production is still ongoing in the town

Anyone know when the asbestos was used in lino?
I'm guessing 70s ish.
Hoping mine from 1950s might be OK...?

Huge thanks for all your answers. Am giving what I envisioned as a fairly simple task some deep thought. Am coming down rather on the idea of covering up the lino with vinyl flooring.

After my flat flooded twice rather than replace the carpet again I went with tiles instead.

The problem was the lino under the carpet did have asbestos in it, and when the carpet was removed some of the lino was cracked so the asbestos was exposed.

It was a big job, I had to stay at my sons for a few days and the men who removed the lino were fully covered with masks etc.

I still have one room with carpet and lino underneath, so no matter how grotty that carpet is I just clean it rather than go through the hassle of having the lino underneath removed.

PS the lino was laid in the early 1970's.

It doesn't contain asbestos does it?

Rip it up, and get some food quality vinyl cushion floor. Mine has lasted for years and still in good nice.

Sounds like a good viable idea !

You don't need to take it...you can just put new flooring on top of it, provides extra insulation he said. Maybe that's why it was still down.My flooring guy did that in my kitchen

I have a ‘hardcore’ carpet in my bathroom with washable mats. Lasted 20 + years so far… not expensive.

4allweknow

In the 60s I actually worked in the company that produced linoleum for UK and overseas (Nairns). Given the materials used in production I would not attempt painting. If it is linoleum it is well known for its antibiotic and breathing qualities hence it was used in hospitals. Think a similar but not so robust material is still produced in the same place. Linoleum was glued down though in some households nailed it down but tge nails coukd be dabgerous due to shrinkage/expansion of the linoleum. Loved the coal tar smell used in the production, drifted over whole town. There is a poem about linoleum "you ken by the smell, the next (train) stops Kirkcaldy! Happy days.

I think Nairns still make proper jute-backed linoleum MARMOLEUM.-----very expensive and desirable

Real linoleum is the traditional material made from linseed oil, wood or cork flour and natural resins, pressed onto a strong woven jute backing. It’s solid, durable, slightly textured, and the jute backing looks like proper cloth so you can tell if it's the good quality stuff by looking at the underside where you can see the woven jute

Alongside it, manufacturers also produced cheaper lookalikes that weren’t true linoleum at all. These were made of mixed binders and fillers laid onto a felt or tar-paper backing — a stiff, papery material sometimes reinforced with bitumen. These imitations looked similar on the surface but were thinner, less robust, and far more prone to cracking.

The key difference is simple:
real linoleum = jute cloth backing;
cheaper imitations = tar paper / felt backing.

Real linoleum didn’t use asbestos — any asbestos concerns with old floors tend to come from the tar-paper/felt products or their adhesives, not from genuine jute-backed lino.

Oldfrill is right, it's possibly laced with asbestos and potentially unsafe if disturbed by direct use. Maybe send a ti y bit off for testing, last time I did that it cost about £70 and well worth it.

In the 60s I actually worked in the company that produced linoleum for UK and overseas (Nairns). Given the materials used in production I would not attempt painting. If it is linoleum it is well known for its antibiotic and breathing qualities hence it was used in hospitals. Think a similar but not so robust material is still produced in the same place. Linoleum was glued down though in some households nailed it down but tge nails coukd be dabgerous due to shrinkage/expansion of the linoleum. Loved the coal tar smell used in the production, drifted over whole town. There is a poem about linoleum "you ken by the smell, the next (train) stops Kirkcaldy! Happy days.

I'd be a bit careful about painting it in case it affected the surface and made it sticky, but a good paint shop should be able to recommend what to use. (Obviously you'd need to try it out on an inconspicuous part of the floor first).
There are quite a few paints meant specifically for floors, so I'm guessing that they are reasonably durable.

I would either deep clean and seal the lino or replace.

Easily done Calendargirl!

There are plenty of polyurethane floor paints, just app.y them with a roller, the floor would need to be clean and dry to get a good finish
If it was mine l would lay vinyl flooring on top taking it up could open a can of worms to dont expect.

Jaxjacky

I misread the opening post, and thought it said ‘bedroom’!

Should have gone to Specsavers!

This made me laugh. Until l read this thread title l had completely forgotten something from my childhood. My older sister decided that the colours in our bedroom lino didn't fit with the colours in the curtains or something. It was just one of the shapes in the lino, not all of them. So we painted all of those shapes a colour she chose and left the rest as they were. I have no idea what sort of paint we used or how long it lasted.

More likely in the old asbestos-rich mastic I'd think.

Worth checking (or just covering?) though.