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re: GBlist: Natural Linoleum



Eric:
        There are two very different types of vinyl on the market -
commercial and residential. The residential products have much more vinyl
and are far more resilient. The commercial products have a lot of filler and
are far less resilient. The residential products emit much more than the
commerical products, perhaps around 10 times as much. The real issue with
the commercial product is that you have to cover it with 3 or 4 layers of
lacquer and then 1 or 2 layers of wax. These materials are removed and
replaced frequently, if you follow the manufacturers' care instructions. So,
the emissions are enormous. Meanwhile, linoleum does emit, especially when
moisture reaches the inside of the material, and it can be very odorous.
Does it sound like a no win situation? Everything emits, it is just a matter
of what and how much. consider wood, terrazzo, ceramic tile, or exposed
concrete floors for alternatives with potentially lower emissions.
        There are many low-VOC adhesives on the market for installing
flooring materials. Nearly every adhesive manufacturer has at least one.
Check with them and be sure to check with the flooring manufacturer to be
sure the products are compatible and the warranty will be valid. Do not
allow the use of old fashioned, solvent based flooring adhesives if you can
help it. It is not necessary any more.
        Hal Levin

At 09:49 PM 5/6/97 -0500, you wrote:
>       I am a member of a co-op in Minneapolis that is renovating a building
>for our new storefront.  What kind of flooring we are going to use is a big
>issue.  The store will be about 4,000 square feet with sales of about $2
>million per year.  The current floor will need to be  leveled for the new
>store.  
>        I looked at several alternatives to vinyl tile and the people at the
>co-op liked natural linoleum the best.  From what I can tell, natural
>linoleum is very durable and the price (as compared to other alternatives)
>is reasonable.  Does anyone have experience with natural linoleum in a
>commercial (retail sales) building?  One idea we have is to use ceramic tile
>in the entry way and the front of the store, which can be easily cleaned,
>etc. (and is more durable than the linoleum?)  Would like to use the natural
>linoleum throughout the whole store if it could take the Minnesota winter
>(ice, snow, salt, grit) 6 months out of the year.  
>        A few more related questions.  I know that the production of vinyl
>is very noxious (bad even for plastics), but does it off gas after it is
>installed?  Of course, some sort of adhesive has to be used to put down the
>tile, so does anybody have experience or recommendations on what low VOC
>adhesives work well to lay linoleum?  We are looking at the Marmoleum tile
>by Forbo Floor Coverings which has jute backing.  
>
> 
>Eric D. Hart			
>Community Eco-design Network	
>PO Box 6241  
>Minneapolis, MN  55406-6241   USA		
>(612) 306-2326 
>erichart@mtn.org			
>http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m037/kurtdand/cen 
>
>__________________________________________________________________
>This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by Oikos (www.oikos.com)
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>__________________________________________________________________
>.-
>
>
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Hal Levin	  <hlevin@cruzio.com>
Hal Levin & Associates         
2548 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-9748
408.425.3946  fax 408.426.6522  

__________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by Oikos (www.oikos.com)
and Environmental Building News (www.ebuild.com). For instructions
send e-mail to greenbuilding-request@crest.org.
__________________________________________________________________