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HOW TO LAY AND 
 CARE for LINOLEUM 
 
How to Put Down Linoleum 
 
 F you want your linoleum to last as it 
 
 should, it must, in the first place, be laid 
 
 properly. So it will be well worth your 
 while to read these directions, and then 
 follow them carefully: 
 
 On Wood Floors: The wood itself should 
 be dry and well seasoned, and you must see 
 that the surface is smooth and even. This 
 is extremely important, as otherwise the 
 linoleum is apt to break, owing to the un- 
 evenness of the floor underneath. 
 
 In putting down the linoleum, cut it so 
 as to allow for expansion; that is, do not 
 attempt at first to make it fit tight. For, 
 after having been rolled up for several weeks 
 or months, it is bound to continue to “grow” 
 for some little time after it 1s laid out flat. So 
 let it lie loose on the floor for at least two or 
 three weeks, giving it plenty of time to ex- 
 pand as much as it wants to. If you do 
 not do this the linoleum 1s apt to buckle, 
 which not only gives it an unsightly appear- 
 
 ance, but also causes it to wear out quickly. 
 After expansion has ceased, fit it closely all 
 around the room. 
 
 In securing linoleum to wood floors, 
 many people simply tack it down with ordi- 
 nary carpet tacks. This is a great mistake 
 for two reasons. In the first place, the tacks 
 themselves are ugly. Number 18, 34-inch 
 wire brads, spaced about four inches apart, 
 should be used instead. In the second 
 place, and what is far more serious, the 
 joints in linoleum laid this way are not water- 
 tight. Hence, moisture gets underneath, 
 rots the wood, and naturally the result is 
 that the linoleum breaks. 
 
 Now, such trouble can be easily avoided 
 by the use of waterproof cement, which we 
 can supply. This cement is a sort of glue, 
 made especially for laying linoleum. The 
 ideal way is to coat the entire back of the 
 linoleum with it, but this, of course, 1s quite 
 a little work, and hence a good many people 
 
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who follow this method get us to lay their 
 linoleum for them. How the work is done 
 is described further on. 
 
 But the point we want to emphasize 1s 
 this: Evenif you lay your linoleum your- 
 self, you can easily cement the edges and 
 seams—particularly around sinks, washtub 
 legs, in front of doors, and other places 
 where water is apt to gather—and thus 
 avoid the trouble that always follows when 
 water gets underneath. A little waterproof 
 cement, a small paint brush and a few heavy 
 objects to weigh down the linoleum while 
 the cement is drying areall you need (except, 
 of course, the wire brads), and your lino- 
 leum will then be sure to give the service 
 that you should get out of it. 
 
 As stated above, the ideal way to put 
 down linoleum is to coat the entire back 
 with waterproof cement—not merely the 
 edges and seams. A gallon of cement will 
 ordinarily be sufficient for ten square yards 
 of linoleum if the whole back is coated; 
 while the same quantity will be enough for 
 approximately twenty-five square yards if 
 only the edges and seams are cemented. In 
 
 applying the cement, the best way 1s to coat 
 both the floor and the back of the linoleum 
 —using an ordinary paint brush. Then 
 when the cement has started to set—say five 
 or ten minutes after it is applied—stick the 
 linoleum in place. If any cement should 
 get on the surface of the linoleum, remove 
 it at once with alcohol. 
 
 The surface of the linoleum must then be 
 weighted down uniformly until the cement 
 has fully set. For this purpose sand bags 
 made of 10-ounce duck, 14 inches square, 
 and weighing about 26 pounds each, are 
 generally used. The weights should not be 
 removed for at least twenty-four hours 
 after the linoleum is laid. As an additional 
 precaution, the linoleum should be nailed 
 down with 34-inch brads, spaced about four 
 inches apart, along the seams and around 
 the edges. 
 
 On Cement Floors: If you want to lay 
 linoleum in your laundry, entry-way, bath- 
 room or any other room that has a cement 
 or tile floor, the only way to put it down 1s 
 with waterproof cement. In such cases, it 
 would be advisable to have our experienced 
 
Armstrong’s ® Linoleum in a fine-grained parquetry pattern is the ideal floor covering for the dining room, 
 Bright and cheerful looking—easy to keep clean. 
 
men do the work for you, as the charge is 
 moderate, and you would be sure then of 
 getting a thoroughly satisfactory job. But 
 should you desire to do the work yourself, 
 this is the way to proceed: 
 
 First, see that the surface is smooth and 
 that the concrete is well seasoned. Some- 
 times, even where the concrete appears to 
 be perfectly dry, there is enough moisture 
 left to affect the burlap back after the lino- 
 leum is put down, causing it to shrink in- 
 stead of to expand. Therefore, in the case 
 of cement floors it is always advisable to 
 let the linoleum “ride the base’’ for at least 
 two or three weeks before any attempt 1s 
 made to fit it closely. By this is meant 
 that the linoleum should be cut full— 
 allowed to curve up against the walls an 
 inch or two allaroundthe room. Further- 
 more, the seams should be lapped slightly, 
 care being taken with figured patterns not 
 to lap them enough to spoil the symmetry 
 of the design. 
 
 After all shrinkage or expansion has 
 ceased, fit the linoleum closely and cement 
 it down with waterproof cement, coating 
 
 the entire back. The linoleum must then 
 be weighted down uniformly over the 
 whole surface until the cement has fully 
 set. For this purpose, sand bags or props 
 wedged between the floor and the ceiling 
 must be utilized. 
 
 Heavy Furniture on Linoleum: When 
 linoleum is installed in places where the 
 furniture is heavy, dome-shaped glass 
 shoes should be substituted for the castors, 
 for the latter will inevitably cut through. 
 This is particularly true of chairs. The 
 sliding glass shoes have a wide bearing 
 surface and no rough edges. They are 
 made in several sizes, have a similar shank 
 to that on a regular castor and will fit in 
 the same sockets. You can get them from 
 us or from almost any hardware or furni- 
 ture dealer. 
 
 Handling Linoleum in Cold Weather: 
 In cold weather linoleum becomes hard and 
 brittle, andif unrolled when in that condition 
 is apt to crack. If you buy linoleum in the 
 winter months, therefore, be sure to keep 
 the roll in a warm room for at least forty- 
 eight hours before unrolling it. 
 
looks bright and clean. 
 
How to Care for Linoleum 
 
 IKE anything else around the house, 
 
 if you want your linoleum always 
 
 to look well, and to last a long time, 
 
 you must give it reasonable care and proper 
 treatment. 
 
 In washing it, don’t use soda, lye, potash 
 or strong scouring soaps. They tend to rot 
 the linoleum and destroy the colors. A 
 mild soap—free from alkali—with clean, 
 tepid water, is the only cleansing agent that 
 should be used. The water should not be 
 hot and the linoleum should be dried 
 thoroughly immediately after it is washed. 
 It is best to wash and dry about one square 
 yard at a time. 
 
 Your linoleum will last longer and the 
 brightness of the colors will be retained and 
 renewed if you will go over the surface oc- 
 
 casionally—say every three weeks—with 
 some good polish, being sure to ruéd it in. 
 “Liquid Veneer, “linoleum Revivers 
 or any good floor wax can be used for this 
 purpose. A home-made polish that yields 
 excellent results 1s easily prepared by dis- 
 solving, under slow heat, one part of bees- 
 wax in two parts of turpentine by weight. 
 Care must be taken, of course, to avoid 
 setting this mixture on fire while prepar- 
 ing it. Whatever polish you use, don’t 
 merely coat the surface with it. Rud it in 
 thoroughly. 
 
 If American housewives could but visit 
 a few homes in England and Germany, 
 where linoleum is always kept polished, 
 they would realize at once how greatly such 
 treatment improves its appearance. 
 
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 A cool matting design in Armstrong's ® Linoleum—with perhaps a small rug or two on top—will prove a constant source of pleasure and 
 satisfaction. | Many beautiful colorings to match hangings and decorations. 
 
Why We Recommend 
 Armstrong’s (A) Linoleum 
 
 HE policy of this store has always 
 
 been to sell only those lines of mer- 
 
 chandise which we can stand back of 
 with our own name and reputation. T’o 
 satisfy you, to have you feel that whatever 
 you purchase here is of good, reliable 
 quality, has been and will always be our 
 constant aim. 
 
 And so wesell Armstrong’s @® Linoleum 
 because we believe, in the first place, that 
 the linseed oil it contains is pure, that the 
 cork is clean, that the burlap is strong and 
 evenly woven, that the colors are bright and 
 lasting, and that all these ingredients are put 
 
 together skillfully and carefully. In other 
 words, because we believe it is good linoleum. 
 
 The second reason we sell it is because of 
 its varied and remarkably attractive patterns. 
 “Patterns for Every Room in the House” 
 is its manufacturer’s slogan, and it has been 
 wisely chosen. Forin the Armstrong Line 
 you will find wood patterns for dining rooms 
 and libraries, carpet designs for living 
 rooms, matting patterns and floral patterns 
 for bedrooms and nurseries, together with 
 a wide assortment of tile, mosaic and 
 novelty patterns for bathrooms, kitchens, 
 laundries and halls. 
 
 Look over the Armstrong Line at your convenience 
 
 When buying Linoleum 
 Look for this Mark on the Back 
 
In the kitchen and pantry, Armstrong’s @® Linoleum helps keep things clean and sweet. No cracks for crumbs to creep inte—no danger 
 of slipping when you’re in a hurry. 
 
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