It is practical and convenient to use linoleum for the floor - it is easy to care for it and it is inexpensive. Among all its varieties, it is worth noting commercial linoleum, the technical characteristics of which make it particularly strong and durable. This roll coating can withstand a lot, and therefore it can be safely laid where the traffic is very high. In order to correctly choose the type of commercial linoleum suitable for specific conditions, it is necessary to know its characteristics. We will talk about this later.
Content:
Varieties of commercial linoleum in structure and its structure
There are two main types of commercial linoleum - heterogeneous (consisting of several layers) and homogeneous (monolithic in structure) linoleum.
Homogeneous commercial linoleum
This coating is distinguished by the penetration of the pattern deep into the material, over its entire thickness. And if over time the linoleum begins to wear out, then the colors remain in their original form. True, there are not so many colors - most often it is an abstraction imitating a marble surface, as well as images of stone crumbs.
Note that manufacturers have not in vain chose such drawings. On this floor, little pollution is completely invisible, and it will always look neat. And this is important where people constantly go.
If the room is characterized by an abundance of computer equipment or electrical equipment, then it is best to lay a homogeneous linoleum on the floor. It has a useful property - antistatic.
Heterogeneous commercial linoleum
The structure of this flooring is multilayer. At the very bottom is a base of foamy vinyl or polyvinyl chloride. The middle layer is fiberglass and PVC. Above is a polyurethane protection with vinyl.
The choice of colors and patterns is much larger than that of a material of a homogeneous type. However, it is difficult for him to compete with household linoleum that perfectly imitates marble and parquet coatings. There are specialized brands of a heterogeneous type of linoleum designed for specific purposes.
1 - a protective layer; 2 - a decorative layer; 3 - the basis for the drawing; 4 - fiberglass; 5 - foamed base; 6 - back layer with markings.
Characteristics of commercial linoleum
Wear resistance and grades
Both types of commercial coatings are particularly durable. Due to their high wear resistance, they showed themselves well in industrial and public buildings. European standards that flooring must comply with are common to both types of linoleum. According to EN-685, there is the following classification of linoleum:
- Class 21 to 23 - for residential premises;
- Class from 31 to 34 - for public type premises;
- Class 41 to 43 - for industrial type premises.
Commercial types of linoleum can be 34, 41 or 43 classes. In a public building with extremely high loads, class 34 material will be good. And in production rooms, class 41 to 43 flooring is laid.
Sometimes a dilemma arises: what linoleum to prefer, heterogeneous or homogeneous type. It may seem that the latter wins, since his drawing does not erase with time. However, the wear resistance of both types of commercial coatings is approximately the same.After all, heterogeneous linoleum has the strongest protection from pure polyvinyl chloride, which is very difficult to erase.
If you pay attention to the technical characteristics of commercial homogeneous linoleum, you can find that in its composition, in addition to PVC, some fillers are contained, giving it weight and a flat look after installation. However, the presence of additives clearly reduces strength. Of course, it is better protected from mechanical damage, but in terms of elasticity it loses to a heterogeneous relative. Note that the price of these coatings is approximately the same.
Fire performance and exposure to chemicals
Each type of commercial linoleum is able to withstand the long exposure to chemically active substances. Also, these materials have a good ability to self-extinguish (as soon as the flame source is eliminated). They are materials with a slow spread of flame over the surface when exposed to an independent energy source. By themselves, they do not spread flame. As a rule, commercial types of linoleum belong to the fire hazard class KM 2, all materials with this class have:
- Flammability G1 (slightly flammable);
- Flammability B2 (moderately flammable);
- Smoke generating ability D2 (with moderate smoke generating ability);
- Toxicity T2 (moderately hazardous);
- Flame propagation RP1 (non-propagating).
Lifetime
These types of linoleum can be compared in terms of life with such materials for the floor, as ceramic tiles or marble tiles. According to European standards, this means that for as long as 10 years, a load of up to 10 tf can be applied every day per square meter of coverage. And after that, linoleum will remain intact, and its appearance will not change. Such floors have been working properly for at least 15 years.
Roll width
A roll of linoleum of a homogeneous type has a standard width of 2 m - others are not provided. But heterogeneous material is available in a wide variety of sizes - it can be from 2 to 4 meters with an interval of 0.5 meters.
Environmental standards
There can be no complaints about these floor coverings - after all, they are carefully checked for safety, fully complying with international standards (such as ISO 14001 and ISO 9001). Therefore, in any room of a residential building, you can safely lay commercial linoleum without fear that it will smell bad or emit something poisonous. However, before buying, you must make sure that your flooring has all the necessary environmental certificates.
The appearance of linoleum
If you compare commercial homogeneous coatings with household ones, you can see that their colors differ. Here you will not see drawings of wood or parquet, multicolor colors and patterns. Usually this is either a monochrome drawing, or a pattern that includes no more than 3 or 4 colors. Something neutral, speckled or fine grain.
If there is a common background, then there may be separate inclusions on it, the shade of which differs from the background color. It was invented specifically to mask the dirt. After all, usually with small pollution the floor looks exactly like that. When linoleum is placed in public buildings, this fact is very convenient.
A few examples of the appearance of a homogeneous linoleum.
But the appearance of a heterogeneous commercial linoleum can both repeat the textures and abstractions of his younger brother - household linoleum, and can be similar to homogeneous.
The total thickness and thickness of the protective layer
The thickness of all types of commercial coatings is classified according to EN-428. Normally, this parameter is 2 mm. For heterogeneous linoleum, there is another standard - EN-429. It determines the thickness of the protective layer of PVC. Typically, for heterogeneous linoleum, it is from 0.7 to 1 mm, however, in some collections, the technical characteristics of commercial heterogeneous linoleum may be different.This happens when the material has a specific purpose.
Other characteristics
- One square meter of commercial linoleum weighs an average of 2.8 to 3.2 kg.
- Noise absorption varies from 6 to 10 decibels.
Commercial linoleum for special purposes: where it is used and what characteristics it has
Linoleum labeled “commercial” is intended for use where a large number of people pass. Such places where the floor is subjected to constant heavy loads, it is customary to call commercial areas.
But there are a number of varieties of such linoleum that have additional properties. They have a fairly narrow application.
Anti-slip material
This material to prevent slipping has a pronounced relief. Apply it where it is constantly wet. This, for example, a swimming pool, sauna, shower, bathroom.
If the room is constantly in contact with water, then the best choice is a non-slip coating. It will help avoid injuries at work or in a public place. Due to this, such linoleum is called Safety (safe). To create an anti-slip surface, quartz or carborundum chips are added to the material (either in the top layer or in the entire thickness of the floor covering).
The only minus of Safety coatings is that it is more difficult to remove them than smooth linoleum. After all, dirt adheres to a rough surface - try to remove it from there. But manufacturers have tried to correct this shortcoming by considering special polymer additives. They penetrate into the thickness of the material, filling its pores. Caring for such a floor becomes much easier.
Types of linoleum with antistatic properties
They are needed in those rooms where you need to get rid of static electricity. Places of application - computer centers, operating rooms, workshops for the production of precision electronics.
For operating rooms and X-ray rooms, an antistatic effect is needed. Otherwise, interference may occur in the electronic equipment, leading to sad consequences. Therefore, linoleum with antistatic properties is used, which is considered such if it is able to accumulate a charge of not more than 2 kV. This is determined by the norm of EN 1815. However, often a smaller charge was the cause of unpleasant situations.
The following data are available:
- A discharge of 100 V is capable of destroying information on magnetic media.
- From a discharge of 50 V, combustible gases ignite.
- A discharge of only 5 V can disrupt the magnetic layer of a hard disk or floppy disk - damaged sectors make these devices unsuitable for reading and writing.
- Often the defects caused by the discharge do not appear immediately, existing in a latent form, but after a while the equipment breaks down.
- Small discharges of electricity interfere and accelerate the accumulation of dust.
Noise Canceling Material
To achieve this, a foamed PVC base is used. Noise absorption can be up to 20 decibels of extraneous sounds. Otherwise, the power of sound vibrations decreases 100 times. An additional “bonus”: this linoleum is also very comfortable when walking. The scope of its application is the premises, which are subject to increased requirements for acoustics.
Chemical resistance
There are also rooms where you need a floor that is resistant to chemicals. There is commercial linoleum, the characteristics of which allow to spill high concentration acids or gasoline onto the floor without consequences.
Sterile coatings
In medical institutions their own requirements for sex - need special sterility. For them, special types of linoleum are produced containing substances of bactericidal action. They not only sterilize the room, but also do not wear out when hospital beds and wheelchairs are rolled over them.
Table: Properties and characteristics of commercial linoleum
| Options | Minimum values |
|---|---|
| Wear class | 34; 41; 42; 43 |
| Group and degree of abrasion | Group T, ≤ 30 |
| The thickness of the protective layer of a heterogeneous coating | 0.7 to 1 mm |
| Width of heterogeneous linoleum, m. | 2; 2,5; 3; 3,5; 4 |
| Width of homogeneous linoleum, m. | 2 |
| Linoleum weight | From 2.8 to 3.2 kg. |
| Flammability | G1 (slightly combustible) |
| Flammability | B2 (moderately flammable) |
| Smoke generating ability | D2 (with moderate smoke generating ability) |
| Toxicity | T2 (moderately hazardous) |
| Flame spread | RP1 (non-distributing) |
| Noise absorption | 6 to 10 decibels |
| Absolute residual deformation, mm. | 0.05 - 0.1 |
| Life time | 15 years |
