Linoleum is a popular building material that continues to be in demand for decades. In addition to ease of care, a large selection of colors and textures, it has an affordable cost. Good operational properties provide the ability to lay the coating even in problem rooms: in the bathroom, in the kitchen and in the corridor. You can do this work yourself. The main thing is to know how and how to cut linoleum. The article will reveal the answer to this question.
Best coverage
If it was decided to lay linoleum, then proper preparation is necessary. First you need to correctly select the material:
- If this coating is laid in the hallway or kitchen, it is advisable to take linoleum with a high degree of wear resistance and not very bright.
- For the bathroom, it is better to choose a coating with a foam base.
- For the living room, you can put linoleum of any color and pattern. It is important that the background is in harmony with the other interior of the room.
- For the children's room, bright and contrasting colors are chosen.
- The bedroom needs an atmosphere of comfort, so soft and light shades will be successful.
Drawing on linoleum can be any, it all depends on the taste of the owner of the room. But it should be borne in mind that the large pattern on the floor of a cramped room makes it visually smaller. How and what to cut linoleum at home? Description will allow correct repair work.
Training
Before you familiarize yourself with how to properly and how to cut linoleum yourself, you should familiarize yourself with the preparatory work. The roll should be kept indoors for acclimatization for 2-3 days. This time is needed to prepare the foundation:
- Gender must be equal.
- It is necessary to remove the baseboards.
- All cracks are puttied and wiped.
- It is necessary to eliminate the tubercles, knocking down with a hammer, and then level the floor surface with the solution.
- With a wooden rough field, it must be inspected for the presence of protruding hats of nails and screws.
- If there are large slots in the basement that cannot be repaired, then sheets of chipboard or plywood are laid. This allows you to extend the life of linoleum, as well as to prevent the penetration of cold into the room.
After the preparation is complete, you can work with the coating. To do this, roll the roll on the floor in the position in which it will be, and leave for 2 days to straighten. This is necessary to stabilize the material.
Types of knives
Already in the preparation period, the question may arise, how to cut linoleum. At home, different knives are used, but not all of them are effective. If there is a furrier or tailor knife, then processing can be performed with their help. Such tools have a sturdy, stiff blade, so cutting the material will not be difficult. It is important that the knife is sharpened qualitatively.
And if there is no such tool, how to cut linoleum at home? To do this, you need to buy a special cutting device. There are 3 types of linoleum knives that are easy to use:
- A retractable construction knife is visually similar to a conventional clerical paper cutter, only larger and includes a steel blade. It is used for repairs in rooms where it is not required to perform many curly cuts. Such knives are convenient for trimming the coating near the wall and in the corners.
- A universal cutter is a popular tool, but it requires skill and skill. It allows you to make straight cuts. The fixture is ideal for cutting linoleum, which is already fixed to the surface, for example, when you need to trim the coating on the cellar lid. The blades are strong, made of hardened steel, do not bend. This tool is similar to a tailor’s knife, so after repair it can be used for household needs.
- Circular knife. The fixture is great for those who do not have building skills. Applying it, you do not need to think about how to make a complex figure. A circular knife allows you to cut different linoleum. Thanks to the mobility of the spinning cutter, straight slices and complex shapes are easily performed. The coating material is always cut smoothly. You can cut linoleum directly in rolls. The fixture has a cover on the side where the cutters are removed.
How to cut linoleum at home depends on the skills of such work. Special construction cutters are sold with other cutting tools. You can familiarize yourself with the nuances of their work during installation.
Features
There are many construction devices on the market today, including special knives. Such tools have the following features:
- Can be used to work with material that is in vertical or horizontal form.
- You can change the blade.
- The cuts are even.
- The blades are durable.
- Reliable blade locking system.
- Some models have rubberized pads on the handles, which protects the hands from slipping.
This versatile and functional tool greatly simplifies the work. Thanks to a quality knife, even without experience, an excellent result will be obtained.
Knife selection
How to cut linoleum at home? Knives must be chosen high-quality, so that the work is not complicated and lengthy. A quality fixture has the following characteristics:
- Robust metal or wood handle with stainless steel blade.
- The fixture should be comfortable, while the thickness should be equal to 0.6 - 1 mm.
- The item must withstand heavy loads.
You need to be able to navigate among the range of products. To select the appropriate type of knife, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the material, since the quality of work depends on this.
Material without drawing
How to cut linoleum? The material that went through the stabilization procedure must be aligned to the room level and markup on it. Further work is performed according to the following instructions:
- Linoleum should be pressed firmly against the wall and draw a line on it along which the cutting will be performed.
- The material is pressed to the floor and the cutter performs a small puncture with an incision.
- You need to attach a bar to the line and carefully start cutting, instead of the bar, the level can also be used.
- The cut is carried out to the end of the line.
- A small corner is cut near the protrusion and is neatly laid.
In rooms with a large number of protrusions, it is advisable to use professional cutters that allow you to make the correct cuts.
With drawing
How and with what to cut linoleum at home, if the material has a pattern? You need to consider the size of the rapport:
- Before cutting the canvas, you need to fold them and align the section of the joint of the picture.
- If the canvas is applied to one another, then you need to find the connection points of the pattern and mark them.
- When connecting 2 canvases, you need to trim the excess so that then the patterns are connected.
After linoleum, fixing plinths is required. This finish is different in width, color, material. This will allow you to choose the perfect baseboard for your linoleum. Experienced experts recommend using PVC skirting board for this material: their characteristics are better suited for such a floor covering.
For fixing plastic skirting boards, dowels 6x40 are used, fixed at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. Wooden products are mounted on self-tapping screws. The installation of the veneered baseboard is carried out by the installation clips that are included with the product. The plinth is fixed after the linoleum is completely laid.
Recommendations
Experts in this field recommend carefully choosing a knife for working with linoleum. Only a professional approach allows you to qualitatively cut the product, without damage. During installation, the following recommendations must be observed:
- Pay attention to wear resistance. The thicker the transparent layer, the higher the grade. Such a product will be of high quality.
- Important is the composition of the material, which determines the ease of the workflow. It is of 2 types: heterogeneous and homogeneous. The first option can include up to 7 layers, and the second has increased resistance to wear due to the presence of special substances. Working with type 1 is easier.
- In order to have the most accurate joint, you need to connect 2 sheets with a small gap and cut them in the middle. Only in this case, the edges converge.
All recommendations must be considered when laying linoleum. Properly selected knife and compliance with recommendations for cutting material allow you to lay it evenly and beautifully. It is the quality of the tool that affects how much linoleum will serve.
Output
Thus, you can measure and fix linoleum yourself. To lay the material, you need patience and a quality tool with which you can make even cuts. Proper installation will extend the life of linoleum.