How to choose linoleum in the hallway?

Criterias of choice

Experts recommend considering the following criteria:

• Linoleum should meet its purpose: a product for a living room or a children's room is not always suitable for a kitchen or hallway.
• It is necessary to choose a material with the following properties: long service life, resistance to moisture and mechanical stress.
• The design of the pattern and the colors should be combined with the overall environment.

Choosing a suitable linoleum wear resistance class

The material has the following varieties:

• Household linoleum (class 21 to 34) is the most common type of flooring for residential areas with low to medium traffic.
• Commercial (class 31 to 43) - suitable for installation in public areas with high traffic. Differs in special wear resistance.
• Special - used in kindergartens, hospitals, sports facilities, etc.

We did not include semi-commercial linoleum in this classification, since there are no clear criteria for its characteristics, but marketers often call this improved household.

And yet, how to choose linoleum in the corridor? To begin with, let's decide what is the permeability in the hallway. Most often, small, but there is an additional burden in the form of street dirt, shoes, bicycles and dog paws. A corridor most often requires an inexpensive, unsupported floor covering that is easy to install and remove. In a living space, it is important whether the floor matches the walls and furnishings, which means that a wide range of designs is needed. The optimal choice for the hallway - household linoleum class 22 or 23.

Determining the composition

It is also useful to know about what linoleum consists of. Synthetic PVC material has the following structure:

1. Protective varnish: facilitates easy cleaning.
2. Working layer: responsible for wear resistance.
3. Printed drawing: thanks to it, linoleum has various types of design.
4. Fiberglass: helps the coating keep its shape.
5. Back foam: a soft, thick layer insulates and insulates the floor, but dense - protects against dents.
6. Base: can be foamed, laminated (foam + polyester), compact and calendered.
7. Back drawing: tells about the product and helps in its cutting.

PVC linoleum is more affordable, but natural fiber material is more suitable for children and allergy sufferers. It is easy to maintain, but requires special care during installation. Natural linoleum does not deform, has a large selection of colors, but for a corridor in an apartment, the optimal solution is artificial linoleum on compact or calendered base.

What is the best thickness?

To determine the thickness and density of linoleum for the hallway, it is worth reading the instructions, which usually indicate all the important characteristics. The thickness of the protective (transparent) layer for the hallway should be at least 0.25–0.3 mm.If increased loads are expected in the corridor (an abundance of shoes, storage of a sled or a baby carriage, pets), you should choose a durable canvas with a top layer of at least 0.4 mm.

The density of the coating is equally important. The thicker the foam base, the softer the material, which means heel marks and furniture dents are inevitable. It is believed that the denser the linoleum for the hallway in the apartment, the longer it will retain its original appearance. Density can be determined by touch.

How to match by color?

When choosing the color of linoleum in the hallway, first of all, you need to pay attention to the interior decoration. In the traditional and most successful version, the color of the floor should be darker than the walls. The lightest area is to make the ceiling.

If the flooring is planned to be bright, it is desirable that the rest of the corridor furnishings be neutral, muted tones.

A light floor is best combined with dark walls. For example, a gray bottom is quite contrasting for black or brown walls and is in perfect harmony with a white ceiling. But woody and creamy shades go well with cold (blue, lilac tones).

The photo shows a bright entrance hall with neutral walls and a rich multi-colored bottom.

The shade of linoleum can be any - the main thing is to pick up companions to match. If the surfaces in the corridor are not subject to frequent dirt, then even white will be appropriate: in combination with light walls, the narrow space of the hallway will be visually expanded due to the reflection of light.

From the point of view of practicality, dark linoleum is most appropriate in the corridor, since this room is highly susceptible to pollution. The brown shade is considered especially popular: it gives coziness, naturalness, but its main advantage is the ability to mask dirt, dust, stains and streaks.

In the photo there is a hallway in a traditional style, decorated with high quality linoleum with imitation of tiles.

Recommendations for choosing designs and patterns

Today, not only plain and patterned samples are on sale, but also canvases, the pattern and texture of which imitate a ceramic or wooden surface.

Linoleum for tiles or stone (marble, granite, as well as terracotta products) is a great option for a hallway designed in a classic style. For small rooms, it is best to choose a pattern with small tiles, and for spacious rooms, a large print is also suitable.

A bright, fancy design for flooring in the corridor is a great solution for creative people who appreciate the originality of the environment. Usually, such linoleum combines several shades; it is difficult to see scuffs and stains on it. Colorful ornaments look especially good in the company of plain walls, and geometric patterns fit well into a strict setting.

The photo shows a Scandinavian-style hallway, the floor of which is covered with timeless classics - a black and white checkerboard pattern.

Today, linoleum, which imitates oak parquet, wood-like laminate, parquet board, is especially popular in the hallways. It is appropriate not only in classic, but also in modern environments. The image can also reproduce aged wood: this option looks great in a loft-style interior.

On the advice of designers, in order to visually expand a narrow corridor, it is best to put linoleum with imitation of boards in the transverse direction.

Features for the hallway and kitchen

The characteristics of linoleum in the hallway and the kitchen have a lot in common: both rooms are subject to increased stress and require special care due to the large amount of moisture and dirt. Which linoleum to choose for the hallway and kitchen? When buying, it is worth asking about the anti-slip properties of the canvas: it must be embossed. Some products are coated with a layer of traction-enhancing microparticles to help prevent injury from wet floors.

In the photo there is an entrance hall, which is combined with the kitchen with the same floor covering.

For spacious rooms, it is recommended to choose a wide canvas so as not to create seams. Different rolls must be from the same batch, otherwise their colors may vary. To avoid cracks, linoleum is transported rolled up. At home, you need to roll it out and leave it to lie down for several days.

Often linoleum is used only because it is easy to install, but installation has its own nuances. It is not enough to spread the canvas and press it with baseboards - experts advise you to stretch it and stick it so that it remains in place when it shrinks. Despite the fact that elasticity is considered an advantage of linoleum, this is also its disadvantage: the base under it must be extremely smooth, otherwise the jams will turn into cracks.

It is the entrance hall that often tells us about the interior of the apartment, as well as its owners - after all, this is the first thing that we see when entering the house. High-quality flooring will not only decorate the corridor, but also help keep the apartment clean. Linoleum is considered one of the best options that meets the listed requirements and, with the right choice, will last a long time.