Natural Linoleum Makes A Comeback | Healthy Home Designs

Natural linoleum--I remember it from my childhood, not as flooring but as an art material. Smooth, leather-like, durable, easily-carved, it was better than potatoes for print-making.

In the past 50 years, almost all so-called linoleum has actually been vinyl, with asbestos included for fire-proofing, insulation, and durability. Now, pushed by demand from eco-savvy designers and consumers, true linoleum is making a comeback.

Natural linoleum is becoming popular again for a number of reasons. First, in the search for alternatives to petroleum-based products (which are highly polluting in their manufacture, and are not sustainable in the long run), linoleum is a natural. It's made from wood and cork "flour," limestone dust, rosin (from pine trees), and colorants, all mixed with linseed oil (from flax seeds) and baked onto a jute backing. An acrylic sealant is added as a topcoat. Presumably, when it's time to remodel, old linoleum can be shredded and turned into compost.

Performance

Natural linoleum is valued for its longevity and low-maintenance. Manufacturers estimate its lifespan at thirty to forty years compared with ten to twenty years for vinyl. Dry-mopping is the recommended method for routine maintenance. If linoleum is wet-mopped, manufacturers recommend periodically waxing it with an acrylic sealer. Because linoleum's color extends throughout its thickness, surface mars can be buffed out and the area re-sealed. Certain disinfectants and high-pH cleaning agents should not be used with linoleum. On the other hand, the linseed oil in linoleum has some natural antibacterial properties.

However, installing linoleum carries some precautions. First, linoleum does off-gas as much as vinyl (but it offgasses different chemicals). Some people are extremely sensitive to linseed oil fumes and cannot tolerate linoleum until it has aired for several weeks, even months. Check your reactions before selecting it.

Secondly, linoleum (like most essentially plant-based materials), should not be exposed to constant moisture. Test the moisture content of floor slabs before installing linoleum. Caulk edges in bathrooms where linoleum abuts tubs and showers.

Appearance

Linoleum comes in a wide range of colors, typically in mottled patterns. Forbo, currently the best-known linoleum producer, offers a product called "Marmoleum" in a palette of colors that mimics quarried rock, and "Artoleum" with colors that may have been taken from a computer-generated Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan.

Costs and Availability

Marmoleum, manufactured in Europe, is readily available in the U.S. and available in stock colors. Recently, Armstrong Flooring has begun marketing its own line of natural linoleum.

Marmoleum costs $29 a square yard versus $6 to $40 a square yard for varying grades of vinyl. Environmental Building News, a trade publication for builders, gives the cost of linoleum at $4 a square foot compared with $1.50 to $2 for vinyl. Installation costs are more variable. My 200 square feet of intricately-cut linoleum flooring installed in 1997 cost $1,400, or about $7 per square foot.

Persian Rugs History Is Rich | Home Design

What is now known as Iraq and Iran are both part of what was once referred to as Persia. The people of this area have a history and culture that is rich and long. One of the elements that have been an important part of this culture is Persian rugs. These rugs are in fact some of the finest ever created. Persian rugs are so valued that they have often been replicated and copied.
There are three categories of Persian carpets. The first type is known as the Kilim: these rugs are those that were made by the ancient nomads and a rough or unfinished rug. The other two categories pertain to size. The sizes are broken down by those that are smaller and those that are larger than 6'x4'.
It is believed that the Persians have been making rugs since the beginning of time. Or at least for 3000 years. The oldest existing sample of Persian rugs is a rug that was discovered in 1949 in Siberia. This rug which is mostly still intact has been measured to be 2500 years old.

Discovered in 1949 this rug is still in existence today. Since being discovered it has been carefully preserved. Studying this rug has allowed historians and scientist to determine the methods of rug making that were used during this period. This rug also provides a window into the past.
The borders of this rug provide some images that may have been the norm for this period of time. The one side contains Persians on horseback and the other contains images of deer. While this rug dates back to ancient times it is not considered to be of nomadic designee.
It is believed that this rug is symbolic of thousands of similar rugs that were hand crafted for the wealthy and royalty. There are other known examples of such rugs. The Court of Cyrus the Great of Persia was believed to have many of this style of rugs.
Wool and silk became popular materials for the use of Persian rugs by the 6th century. These materials provided for better quality rugs and also provided a more attractive appearance. It is believed that royal palaces such as the palace in Sasnian (ancient Iraq) lined the halls with silk and wool Persian rugs.
The rugs that once lined the grand halls of these elaborate palaces are prime examples of ancient hand woven rugs. Many of the rugs that are made in modern times are machine crafted, but the art of hand woven Persian rugs is long from being lost. In fact hand woven Persian or Iranian rugs as they are commonly called make up for a huge portion of the export business conducted by Iran.
The hand crafted modern Persian rugs are very similar to those that have been being made for over 2500 years. Persian hand crafted rugs are some of the most highly valued decorating items in the world. Hand crafted Persian rugs provide a grand statement in a home and also are great heirloom items that if treated correctly could last over 2500 years or roughly 130 generations.
Despite modern manufacturing methods there are still many craftsmen that produce Persian rugs using the methods of the ancient Persians. These methods are now over 2500 years old. Hand crafted Persian rugs are considered some of the most valuable household decorating accents in the world. The Iranian government now controls the business of hand crafted rugs. These rugs count for one third of all exports by the country of Iran. Handcrafted rugs are very valuable and make great heirloom items.