HOW LINOLEUM IS MADE

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 526, 27 April 1920, Page 7

HOW LINOLEUM IS MADE

Oilcloth is how almost superseded by linoleum. The foundation or backing in both is stout hemp seamless canvas, woven generally about 24ft wide and ten or twenty times as long. The canvas is first stretched very tightly over a frame which stands up and down between the floor and the ceiling of the paintingroom. Both sides of the stretched canvas are given a coat of wer.k size or glue as a preliminary, and while still damp well rubbed down with pumice stone so as to fill up the interspaces between the threads so that the paints will not sink in too deep, which would make the cloth break too easily when dry. Pumice stone smooths down all the rough places in the cloth, which is then ready for the "coating" process,

Oilcloth receives five or six coats of thick paint spread over the surface and well rubbed in with steel trowels like those used by plasterers. Each coat when thoroughly dry is well pumic-stoned over before the next coat is applied. Lastly, a coat of thin paint is given with a brush. All these coats are of one colour, and when thoroughly dry -ftV cloth is ready for use as a "self" colour to receive the pattern printed on its face or upper surface. Mixing, Drying and Colouring. Linoleum is a more durable «md "warmer" floor covering due to the non-conducting materials of which it is composed. The paint generally consists of a mixtune of speciallytreated linseed oil and other materials. The oil is first heated or boiled to a temperature of about 2*i() deg. C., along with red lead or manganese salts, and while in a hot condition caused to fall in the form of spray, meeting a current of air by which means it becomes thoroughly oxidised and converted into a tough and elastic semi-solid mass and this is ground up with cork dust, wood flour and various colouring matter; into a stiff homogeneous mass of paste, and this is then spread by suitable machinery in a layer ranging from one-eighth to quarter-inch in thickness on the stretched canvas and the fabric hung in a warm and airy room to dry. Coloured designs are generally printed on the surface with oil colours by means of wooden blocks, each block having a part of the pattern cut out on its underside, and there are as many blocks as there are colours in the design. Only on* portion of the pattern is printed at a time over the entire length of the canvas, and is allowed to dry completely. Each part of the design is done in the same way until the pattern is completed. Finally a "finisher" goes over the work adding a touch of colour here and there if necessary. Inlaid linoleum is made up of pieces of the coloured mixture so that the pattern goes right through the substance of the fabric. This is the best kind, as it retains the pattern as long as any of the fabric remains.