Linoleum

“ One piece is laid at a time. The surface of the felt under each strip of linoleum is well coated with paste, except for four to six inches along each end and side and along the seams, which spaces are left bare. The linoleum is put down and rolled. After the paste has begun to dry, the free edges of the linoleum are trimmed to fit neatly at all points. Then waterproof linoleum cement (a kind of glue) is applied to the felt along all edges and seams back under the linoleum for a distance of four to six inches. This cement makes the floor perfectly water-tight. ”

“ More harm is done to linoleum by the use of such agents than in any other way. The chemical action of these substances disintegrates the oxidized linseed oil and cork in linoleum just as it destroys the varnish on hardwood. A good rule is to avoid the use of soda, lye, or potash cleansing powders and strong scouring soaps altogether. A good mild soap is all that is necessary. ”

“ For the bedroom, no floor is so sanitary and so easily cared for as linoleum. It appeals to the most fastidious. And linoleum is not a cold floor—in fact, it is as warm as any wood surface. We have said that linoleum is made largely of cork and linseed oil. Cork is widely used for heat insulating purposes. Engineers regard it as good, if not a better heat retainer than wood. And a linoleum floor has certain advantages over wood floors. There are no cracks or crevices to catch dust or harbor germs. ”

“ Every yard of Armstrong’s Linoleum is fully guaranteed to give satisfactory service. Your merchant will be authorized to make good to you any defect in manufacture, either by replacing the linoleum or by making an adjustment satisfactory to you. ”

“ When you purchase a good grade of linoleum to be installed as a floor in your living-room, dining-room, or even in the kitchen or bathroom, naturally you desire to have it put down as a permanent floor. The most satisfactory way to install linoleum is to cement it down solidly over a lining of builders’ deadening felt paper. This will give you a permanent floor, smooth, firm, without cracks or crevices. Owing to the variations in moisture conditions, any wood underflooring will expand in summer and dry out in winter, leaving cracks. ”

“ And, as the years pass, linoleum floors soften in color and deepen in tone, taking on a finish not unlike that of wood which has been mellowed by age.
Growing Use in America
In America, the makers of Armstrong’s Linoleum were the first to give attention to the designing of linoleum patterns that would lend themselves to acceptable use in the modern American home. Skilled designers were brought from the best European establishments and given carte blanche in the development of designs particularly appropriate to American ideas of home decoration [Pg 30] and conditions of living. ”

“ Patterns may be printed on its surface with oil paint, or by an improved method may be inlaid with coloured composition so that the colours are continuous through the thickness of the linoleum, instead of being on the surface only, and thus do not disappear with wear. Lincrusta-Walton is a similar material to linoleum, also having oxidized linseed oil as its base, which is stamped out in embossed patterns and used as a covering for walls. ”

“ Women should not buy unless they know exactly what they are buying.
Linoleum is made of burlap, linseed oil and cork, as the main ingredients. The oil is first boiled to thicken it. When it is cooled it is poured down over suspended [239] sheets or scrim and by coming in contact with the oxygen of the air, becomes oxidized and solidified. Then these oil-impregnated skins are ground up and mixed with gums to give the fabric elasticity and it is then mixed with ground cork or cork flour, the coloring matter, and the rosin, (to harden it) . ”

“ Scratching or rubbing should be avoided where possible. Avoid stimulating food and drinks, especially alcohol, and by all means keep the bowels in a soluble condition.
Cleaning And Polishing Linoleum.—Wash the linoleum with a mixture of equal parts of milk and water, wipe dry, and rub in the following mixture by means of a cloth rag: Yellow wax, 5 parts; turpentine oil, 11 parts; varnish, 5 parts. As a glazing agent, a solution of a little yellow wax in turpentine oil is also recommended. Other polishing agents are ”

“ An additional danger in linoleum making is that the mixture of cement and cork dust has the unpleasant property of spontaneously igniting if left in a warm place. It is, therefore, customary to mix the material a sackful at a time in order to reduce the risks of an explosion. ”

“ Many people find that printed linoleum wears better and retains its original freshness of coloring longer if given a coating of varnish or clear white shellac. It is economical to use only a high-grade waterproof varnish or a clear white shellac, as the cheaper grades are likely to scratch or turn white under water. ”

“ They take up oxygen from the air and become solid, hence are called [Pg 125] the "drying oils," although this does not mean that they lose water, for they have not any to lose. Later, ground cork was mixed with the linseed oil and then it went by its Latin name, "linoleum."
The next step was to cut loose altogether from the natural oils and use for the varnish a solution of some of the cellulose esters, usually the nitrate (pyroxylin or guncotton) , more rarely the acetate. ”

“ I was with a friend stepping along mossy paths below the beech-trees, and within me was a centre-point of consciousness that only wailed and cried out at the horror of existence. The glory of the autumn day was as magnificent as ever; the smell of the earth and the tea-like odour of dry leaves had in itself all the sting and thrill that belonged to it, and by my side was the friend with whom the laying of linoleum had been so wonderful a delight, because we laid it together, and I was cut off from it all. ”

“ If a woollen cloth containing cotton is soaked in dilute sulphuric acid, washed, and dried at a gentle heat, the cotton is acted upon, and can be beaten out of the fabric, the wool resisting the acid treatment.
Lignin.—The complex mixture of substances which is associated with cellulose in wood, jute, and other [Pg 34] ligno-celluloses. The conversion of wood into chemical pulp effects the removal of this material more or less completely. The well-known “phloroglucine” test for mechanical wood in papers is based upon the presence of lignin in the wood. ”

“ In the processes 1, 2, 3, there can be no doubt that a lead of linoleic acid is produced, and that this facilitates further oxidation in air, by forming salts with some of the acid products of such oxidation, while the oxidation of the linoleic acid continues. Heating with red lead favours oxidation, by the compound itself conveying oxygen to the oil. In the case of metallic lead, it must be noted that the metal is dissolved. Under certain circumstances, metals become dryers to oils; thus sheets of metallic lead are capable of acting as dryers to linseed oil. ”

“ It is a well-known fact that linseed oil, when applied to a clean surface, such as a glass plate, will undergo oxidation and take up oxygen to the extent of about 16%, forming a hard, elastic, non-sticky product which has been called linoxyn. This material, unlike the oil from which it has been formed, is insoluble in most solvents. Other oils, such as cottonseed, hemp, rape, olive, etc., are more fully satisfied in nature and have not the power to absorb the amount of oxygen taken up by linseed oil. ”

“ The dried vehicle, linoxin, is notable for its elasticity, and it is weak in crushing and tensile strength, and in hardness or resistance to surface wear. The fact that it is a semi-solid furnishes an opportunity to modify and improve those characteristics of a solid in which it is deficient. The semi-solid, rubber-like linoxin between the coarser particles of the pigment obviously uses these coarser particles as supporting points. The medium sized particles of the second group of alteration products serve the same purpose as the broken rock in concrete. ”

“ Writers seem to disagree as to what the acids are, and in what respect they differ from the acid properties of the non-drying fixed oils, but that is a question which need not be discussed here. The glycerine base of linolein seems to be common to all fixed oils, and is set down as an oxide consisting of one equivalent of water and five of oxygen; hence the affinity between the linoleic acid and its glycerine base.
Linoleic acid, like other acids, has an affinity for alkalies and the ordinary metallic oxides. It unites with them, forming neutral compounds. ”

“ Linseed oil forming the well-known putty.
3. Red or white lead and linseed oil.
These mixtures become very strong when set and are best diluted with powdered glass, clay, or graphite. There are almost an endless number of lutes using metallic oxides and linseed oil. A very good one, not getting as hard as those containing lead, is:
4. Oxide of iron and linseed oil.
IX. Casein, Albumen, and Glue.—These, if properly made, become very tough and tenacious; they stand moderate heat and oil vapors, but not acid vapors.
A very strong cement which stands moderate heat is the following ”

“ Coal, as is well known, yields a great variety of substances, many of which are essential to synthetic resin manufacture. Benzene is the starting point for synthetic phenol; naphthalene is used to make phthalic anhydride and maleic anhydride; coke is converted to calcium carbide, which in turn yields acetylene, acetic acid, and many other synthetics; carbon monoxide which is converted to methanol and formaldehyde; and the natural tar acids such as phenol, the cresols, and the xylenols. Limestone is a component of calcium carbide, and salt yields needed alkalies and acids. ”

“ The gradual wasting of plant-tissue in the formation of peat, lignite, coal, etc., may be estimated as averaging for peat, 20 to 30 per cent.; lignite, 30 to 50 per cent.; coal, 50 to 70 per cent.; anthracite, 70 to 80; and graphite, 90 per cent. of the original mass. The evolved products ultimately represent the entire organic portion of the wood--the mineral matter, or ash, being the only residuum. These evolved products include both liquids and gases, and by subsequent changes, solids are produced from some of them. ”

“ If phosphorus be present in the ore, the nitro-muriatic solution being rendered nearly neutral, will afford with muriate of lime a precipitate of phosphate of lime, soluble in an excess of muriatic acid.
When the sole object is to learn readily the per-centage of iron, the ore may be treated with hot nitro-muriatic, the acid solution filtered, and supersaturated with ammonia, which will throw down only the iron oxide and alumina; because the lime is not precipitable by that alkali, nor is magnesia and manganese, when in the state of ammonia-muriates. ”

“ When alum is used, two or three grains are sufficient for a quart of water. The alum decomposes the carbonate of lime; sulphate of lime is formed in solution, and the alumina precipitates in flocks, carrying with it mechanical impurities. This agent, however, adds nothing to the chemical purity of the water, but by converting the carbonate into sulphate of lime augments its hardness. Caustic alkalies added to lime saturate the excess of carbonic acid, and throw down the carbonate of lime, having an alkaline carbonate in solution. ”

“ It is in this way that lime, which occurs in the soil principally as the insoluble carbonate, is dissolved and absorbed. And phosphate of lime is also taken up by water containing carbonic acid, or even common salt in solution. The amount of solubility produced by these substances is extremely small; but it is sufficient for the purpose of supplying to the plant as much of its mineral constituents as are required, for the quantity of water which, as we [Pg 39] have already seen, passes through a plant is very large when compared with the amount of inorganic matters absorbed. ”

“ The inert crystalline pigments, when ground in linseed oil and painted out, distribute the oil so as to allow a great surface to be exposed to the air. Thus by physical action, and possibly catalytic or contact action, these inert pigments stimulate the drying of oil [91] paints in which they are ground. Lead and zinc paints, of course, have the greatest drying values on account of the added effect of the linoleates formed, as outlined above. The writer has made a series of tests in which the action of various pigments upon linseed oil is shown. ”

“ It has been found that metallic lead is even more efficient than copper in this respect, but this may be due to the action of free acid in the linseed oil, forming lead linoleates, products that greatly accelerate drying. ”

“ Not only does the acetic acid fail to prevent the precipitation of some of the lime, but it also dissolves more or less of the iron and aluminum phosphates. The solution of the precipitate and its reprecipitation by the addition of ammonia, may free the second precipitate from lime, but it increases the error due to the solubility of the aluminum salt. The methods recently introduced for the estimation of iron and alumina in presence of excess of lime and phosphoric acid are not entirely satisfactory, but are the best which can now be offered. ”

“ Melt an ounce of grain tin in an iron ladle, till an oxide is formed on the surface; then pour it from a height or distance into cold water. Pour the water from it, and it is fit for use, being then called feathered tin. Put this tin into a glass vessel or stone jar, and add to it eight ounces of nitric acid, eight ounces of water, half an ounce of sal-ammoniac, and two drachms of nitrate of potash. This preparation is better if made some time before it is used; it is a compound of nitrate and muriate of tin. ”