Recommendations from experienced craftsmen on how to remove waves on linoleum yourself

foto32262-1 Long-term storage in conditions of low temperatures and high humidity, errors in the process of preparing and laying linoleum lead to the appearance of irregularities on the glossy surface of the decorative coating (popularly “waves”).

Smoothing linoleum quickly and efficiently is not difficult if you approach the problem competently, armed with advice and tips from experienced craftsmen.

We'll tell you how to remove waves on linoleum in this article.

Content

Reasons for the appearance of bulges after laying the material
How to level the surface?
How to smooth before laying?
Adviсe
Video on the topic of the article
Conclusion

Reasons for the appearance of bulges after laying the material

Several reasons are known, along which the laid linoleum can go in “waves”:

Storage and storage violations. It takes a lot of effort and time to level a floor covering that has been lying rolled up in a warehouse for a long time. Also, “waves” are sure to appear if the installation technology is violated: the optimal temperature and humidity in the room are not maintained, an excessive amount of glue is applied to the rough surface, there is no gap between the wall and the edge of the linoleum, the baseboards are screwed too tightly.
Errors in calculating the length and width of the floor covering. Most often, “waves” appear when the laid material is pressed very tightly against the wall. During the process of shrinkage and operation, the canvas expands, and the lack of free space leads to the fact that the floor covering rises, forming “waves”.
Unprepared base surface. In order for the linoleum to lay flat, without “waves” and other defects, the rough surface must be smooth, clean, covered with screed and primer.

Before purchasing, you must ensure the quality of the product (the seller must provide the relevant documents). Very thin, low-quality linoleum swells and warps very quickly, which entails constant work to eliminate defects.

How to level the surface?

There are several ways to smooth out a twisted, wave-deformed floor covering.

Metal balls

Heavy metal balls will help eliminate local deformation. They are rolled along the floor from the center to the edges, with special pressure in the place of deformation. Alternatively, instead of metal balls, you can use a construction roller.

Hot water bottle

High temperature will help quickly eliminate the problem of unevenness in old linoleum. For thermal treatment of problem areas, use a heating pad with hot water (it simultaneously heats and presses the floor covering to the concrete base). It is enough to cover the unevenness on the floor with a heating pad and leave for five to six hours.

Iron

foto32262-2 Another method of leveling a wavy surface is ironing.

A thick fabric is laid on the floor, through which the unevenness is heated with an iron.. Immediately after ironing, the area of the floor with “waves” is covered with plywood or chipboard sheets.

Handle the iron with extreme caution. This method of heat treatment is only suitable for high-quality, dense coating. Do not iron thin material (such linoleum is very easy to overheat and stretch).

Alignment by rule

When there is no time for the linoleum to rest after purchase, experienced craftsmen use a mechanical leveling method. To do this, one edge of the already laid covering is firmly pressed with a plinth.

Afterwards, gently pressing the rule, the synthetic material is leveled along the entire length, the result is secured on the opposite side with a plinth.

If you don’t have a rule at hand, a board with a weighting agent (a bag of cents or another building mixture) can replace it.

Glue

If “waves” appear on already laid linoleum, special glue will help smooth out unevenness:

in the place of the “wave” a neat puncture is made with a thick needle or awl;
using a syringe, through the hole, the void under the linoleum is filled with glue;
a load is placed on top of the corrected defect (for example, a board or a bag of construction mixture).

In order for the synthetic material to lay more evenly on the concrete base, before placing the load on the glued area, it is carefully rolled with a construction roller.

Regardless of which method of leveling linoleum will be used to obtain the desired result of a perfectly flat surface, all actions are carried out in the following order:

If there are any, the baseboards around the perimeter of the room and the threshold at the door are dismantled.
Using any of the existing methods, waves and other defects from linoleum are eliminated.
Excess synthetic fabric that appeared during the leveling process is cut off.
A day after leveling, the perfectly smooth linoleum is fixed around the perimeter with a plinth and at the door with a threshold.

After leveling, do not press the covering too hard with the plinth. The lack of a gap between the surfaces can cause new “waves” to appear during the operation of linoleum.

How to smooth before laying?

The general appearance and service life of linoleum largely determine the quality of installation of the floor covering. There is no need to rush this process..

The new synthetic decorative coating is spread over a rough concrete base and left for a minimum of thirty-six hours to acclimatize. During this time, the laid surface takes on the desired temperature and shape.

Only after this can the final adjustment of the material be made to the configuration of the walls of the room. It is very important that the linoleum fits tightly to the rough base, so before laying it is necessary to get rid of waves and bends.

The reverse twist method is ideal for such purposes.. To do this, the material is carefully, slowly twisted with the front side out and left in this state for at least a day.

Do not exceed the holding time of the material in the rewound roll. The result of such actions may be the appearance of new irregularities.

Adviсe

The subtleties and secrets of choosing linoleum will help Avoid the problem of “waves” and other defects:

When choosing linoleum, it is a good idea to pay attention to the value of residual deformation (the “P” symbol is indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging).
The higher this indicator, the more difficult it is to smooth out the waves and creases formed during storage and transportation.
The residual deformation index varies from 0 to 5. For installation in residential premises, the best option is linoleum with a P2 index.
When purchasing synthetic flooring, be sure to find out the date of its manufacture. Stale goods (stored in a warehouse for more than three years) should not even be considered.Long-term storage, sudden changes in temperature and humidity lead to the formation of creases and folds on the synthetic coating, which are impossible to get rid of.
The higher the resistance to chemicals (marked with the symbol “C”), the lower the risk that waves will appear on the linoleum over time. The fact is that chemicals, penetrating into the thickness of the synthetic coating, deform it, which leads to the appearance of folds, creases, and bubbles.

When calculating the parameters for cutting linoleum, it is necessary to take into account the natural shrinkage of the material (no more than 0.2% of the length and width). This will help avoid the problem of waves appearing during the operation of the floor covering.

Video on the topic of the article

The video will show you how to eliminate waves or swelling on linoleum:

Conclusion

Even such a seemingly insignificant defect as a “wave” can spoil the overall perception of the laid linoleum. You can avoid the problem by strictly adhering to the installation technology floor covering. Proven methods of experienced craftsmen will help eliminate “waves” from already laid linoleum.