Curious flooring uncovered

looks good. a great find - not sure if it will damage it - but try using fantastic with a lot on muscle behind it. i found tht it really works wonders...

Posted by: guest at December 17, 2007 3:29 PM

What a great floor!

It's not recommended to use ammonia or alkali based cleaners on linoleum. Too much water isn't supposed to be that great, either. I read somewhere that if you want to deep clean a linoleum floor to use Ivory dish washing liquid since it doesn't leave a residue. I think a little linseed oil or WD-40 is ok for tough patches.

Posted by: guest at December 17, 2007 4:29 PM

awesome floor! call a linoleum company and see what they recommend. also, maybe obvious to say, but , when you are trying different cleaning methods, try first in an inconspicuous area...

Posted by: guest at December 17, 2007 4:38 PM

Love it! What a marvelous pattern. One of the companies making vintage repro linoleum should copy it.

Posted by: guest at December 17, 2007 5:13 PM

What about baking soda? Asking Second Hand Rose what to use to clean it is a good idea. But I have found baking soda scrubs without being abrasive, and it absorbs stains, just sucks it in. It's an amazing substance. We want to avoid using bleach and harsh chemical cleaners whenever possible and I've found simple baking soda and vinegar make things just as clean if not cleaner.

Posted by: guest at December 17, 2007 5:19 PM

I think given the organic nature of linoleum the acid/alkaline argument makes sense. So if alkalines aren't recommended it would be NO to baking soda, ammonia, soap or bleach, though baking soda isn't far from a neutral.
I think acids in the form of lemon juice, vinegar or saliva are supposed to be ok, though the saliva approch may be quite inefficient unless you can get some sort of party going.

For other fun, try mixing vinegar and baking soda, but not for this cleaning project. Never, ever mix bleach and ammonia.

Keep us posted on where you go with this. I'd love to see the finished product!

Posted by: guest at December 17, 2007 5:50 PM

Got this here below on a website. Sounds like you need to reseal it after you clean it:

Linoleum floors were once very common but until very recently were little used in residential flooring. Lately more linoleum is being laid due to its environmentally friendly nature. A pressed type floor traditionally made from natural ingredients, linoleum is very tough. Newer linoleum floors have a tight surface, which is very water, and stain resistant. However, as it ages and wears down it becomes very porous. This, in turn, creates the need for finish to protect the floor.

We recommend sealing a linoleum floor even when it is new so any wear occurs with the finish and not on the floor. Once a linoleum floor becomes porous it is almost impossible to finish it properly. The porous surface will absorb almost any liquid put on it. Also it is very important not to use any alkaline products on linoleum. These will yellow the floor. Use mild detergent to clean and a very light coat of finish to seal. Stripping should be avoided. To prepare the floor for new finish scrub it with a brush and detergent. Rinse with clean water and let dry completely before applying finish.

Posted by: guest at December 17, 2007 6:36 PM

I believe these older, heavier linoleums were referred to as "floor cloths" and were sometimes, due to their weight, merely laid on the floor, not glued. I think they are incredibly cool and am looking forward to an entire line of them at the Restoration Hardware that I hear is opening in 345 Adams over the weekend.

Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 3:46 PM

I need to be the contrarian voice and say I think it looks ugly and dirty. Rip it up and give yourself a nice floor treatment.

Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 4:20 PM

Well, one good thing, it will hide the dirt cuz its pretty nasty and dirty looking all by itself, Yuuuuck.

Posted by: guest at December 18, 2007 7:33 PM

I have to agree with the minority here -- you might be thinking this floor is a treasure just because you found it in YOUR house. If you walked into an open house and saw this stuff, you'd be calculating the cost to rip it out and replace it so you could reduce your offer by at least that much... if you didn't just turn around and walk away altogether.

Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 4:47 PM

Leave it to the newbie old house owners to be all about new-new-new. They never lived in an old house before they buy their brownstone and turn up their nose at anything that's not new and perfect.

Old things have a "patina". It's a certain aesthetic many people, especially artists and writers, embrace. That patina is called "dirty" by certain people, but frankly I've always found those kinds of people really very boring. OP, it's your house and if you want to have a touch of original details in YOUR house, go for it. It's also genuinely ecological to keep this material and restore it. As opposed to phony limo-liberal version of ecological like ripping out everything, throwing the debris in a landfill then installing cork floors and calling it "green" building.

Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 8:52 PM

i agree, you should shine this sh*t to perfection and love it. don't put down some new hideous pergo and start bleaching all your floors so when you start popping out little kiddies you can breed super germs like all the other super moms out there.

keep the floors! they're great.

Posted by: guest at December 19, 2007 10:15 PM