Restoring old lino flooring

[Dave]

I want to take up the fitted carpets laid by the previous owner of my flat and go with the original lino (or is it?) tiles. I have peered under the carpet and I can see that the flooring looks to be intact but it could do with cleaning (lots of old paint spots and splashes) and shining up. I've looked on the internet but can't find advice on how best to do this - so I thought I'd come to the experts!

My flat is in a block built in the 1940's, shortly after the end of the war. The flooring throughout the flat is that old-fashioned type of hard lino tiles that you still see in council flats built at least up to the 1960s. It looks like lino but someone might be able to tell me what it really is. I have a friend with a flat where this type of flooring has been left uncovered for the best part of 40 years and it looks really good.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dave

[Mike Halmarack]

Proper lino is made using linseed oil as a major ingredient. Having removed the paint marks, a rejuvenating wipe over with this oil would probably make the lino look a lot fresher. This site has a lot of info about the treatment of Marmoleum which is a current, posh form of lino.

[Chris Bacon]

Probablt vinyl asbestos tiles (thermo-plastic). These are likely to shatter if you try to lever them up.

Meths for emulsion paint - it might take a bit of time to soften the paint. Careful scraping for gloss.

Make sure the whole floor is OK before you start work. If you do a bit and then discover another area under the carpet is unrecoverable, it'll be a waste of time!

[Dave]

Vinyl-asbestos? That got me worried. I presume it is safe but I'll check with the building manager. The tiles are really hard so I thought it wasn't lino. Anyway thanks very much for the advice - especially that last tip, Chris.

Cheers

Dave

[meow2222]

The asbestos is bound in the tiles so not a risk. If you check with the build manager you may end up losing them all, theres a great deal of unreason over asbestos these days.

Soap and more soap, and I'd use only a plastic scraper, and not too hard, to remove stuff. Anything like metal would damage the surface.

There are chemicals to soften or remove paints, but I've no idea whether they would affect the tiles, you'd need to try a tiny spot somewhere inconspicuous.

NT