12 responses so far ↓

• 1 Julie // May 7, 2007 at 11:53 am

  Hi there, I enjoy reading your blog and I plan to make my on when i FINALLY start my major renovation of my house in Linesville, PA.

  I just noticed that you are interested in old linoleum. I have a lot of it in my old house, that sadly I will not be reusing.

  Do you think that anyone is interested in having it? I would love to see it get a new life.

  However, it is somewhat brittle and I wonder how easy/hard it would be to move it.

  What do you think?

  Julie in Linesville, PA

• 2 linda // May 9, 2007 at 9:43 am

  I would love to have pictures to post. I’m not personally interesting in the linoleum because I have my own. I checked eBay today and there are some linoleum entries but none have bids at the moment. I have seen TV shows where they took the linoleum and cut it to whatever size you would like and made a linoleum rug out of it. You can paint the back side, seal the paint with acrylic or poly and use it like a rug. It is great for placing near a door that doesn’t clear normal rugs. If the linoleum is curled, you can flatten it out by covering it with an electric blanket and warming it (or put it in the sun). This works with vinyl, too. I’m going to try and get one repeat of my pattern and frame it for art. The rest I am going to make linoleum rugs out of it. It would be great for porch entryways. It is a very durable material if it is in good condition. I’m not sure what makes it brittle and if there is a way to add an oil coating to it to soften it. Something to experiment with.

• 3 Kathy McKay // Jul 18, 2007 at 12:24 am

  <p>probably too late to buy that linolium from Julie, but who knows!!??</p>

  *editors ntoe: I corrected the url link that had a typo and it now is correct.

• 4 Jane Powell // Jul 26, 2007 at 4:10 am

  The lino you found is fabulous! And you’re right, probably dates to 1920s-30s. ( I should know- I wrote the book…)
  It’s sad that I’ve never been to Erie, given that I spent most summers of my childhood in Conneaut, just across the state line. Have to rectify that someday.

• 5 vicky // Jul 28, 2007 at 9:11 am

  hi!
  i’m so excited to find your website while searching for info on vintage linoleum.
  i’m working on restoring my mid 1800’s home “taking it down to the last compound” and uncovered some old linoleum.
  i’m trying to date the lino mainly because i have removed some of it and now am afraid it may contain asbestos.
  i think it may be 1920’s which will predate asbestos but i’m not sure.
  can you offer any advice on how i can find out the date.
  i think my next step may be sending it out for testing.
  thanks!

  vicky
  west middlesex, pa

• 6 linda // Jul 30, 2007 at 4:57 am

  Can you send me a photo of your linoleum? I have the Linoleum book by Jane Powell and I’ll see if it matches any from the book. That can help date it. If you can see the backside it may be helpful, too. Does it have a felt backing or burlap backing? Are you sure it is real linoleum could it be vinyl? Per the” Linoleum” book, real linoleum rarely contained asbestos but the felt underlayment or adhesives may have. Old vinyl or those 50’s or 60’s -9×9 vinyl tiles often contained asbestos.
  email thisolderiehouse@verizon.net

• 7 Shannon // Oct 18, 2007 at 4:42 pm

  Hi!!!

  Soooooo excited to find your site. I just bought an old 1865 farmhouse and am trying to do it justice. It is my first home AND my first attempt to rennovate so it is a LOT to learn at once.

  The whole house has linoleum over top of other linoleum (or vinyl, not sure) over top of hard wood floors. We are going to peel back to the original wood in most rooms, but I hate to lose all that beautiful design (I’ll try and send photos). I can’t find the url you speak of in the above post. I am going to try to save some for little rugs and art if no one else wants them and the way I was considering the age is by the dates on the newspapers under each layer (1960-something and 1942).

  I’d love any other info or guidance. Thanks!

  Shannon@BigSkyScreens.com

• 8 kelly // Oct 28, 2007 at 7:56 pm

  where do you want me to email you the lano pics?

• 9 Linda // Oct 29, 2007 at 3:39 am

  Please email me at
  thisolderiehouse@verizon.net

• 10 Heather // Nov 17, 2007 at 4:37 pm

  Hi, interesting to hear all your stories about old linoleum. I have uncovered a lino rug in my 1896 terrace in pembroke west wales, uk! does anyone have any idea how much they are worth and how I would go about selling it? I do have pics, for anyone that’s interested

• 11 Mia // Jan 11, 2008 at 1:22 am

  <p>Hi,</p>
  <p>Three years ago my daughter bought a house built in 1950. The kitchen still has the old checkered sheet flooring. She is into retro and would very much like to keep it. Is there anyway we can restore it to it original shine? Mia</p>

  Anwer from Linda:
  I don’t know the answer to that. I would think any kind of those “Mop and Glo”-type products could bring the shine back though it would be temporary until the next time you mopped. I really don’t know what to tell you but when I get mine uncovered, and if it is in good enough shape, I think I will try on a small area some Waterlox and see if that would seal it and give it back it’s shine. If you have some Polyurethane you might try that in a small area but I don’t think poly products would hold up well over something made of dried linseed oil (which is what linoleum is made of.) I’ll keep searching around and see if I can come up with an answer.

• 12 Bonnie // May 11, 2008 at 12:14 am

  Hi,
  I have picked out of the neighbors trash some old linoleum that came from a childs room. The man that had it in his room as a little boy is now around 77 years old. It has on it childhood nursing rhyms, checkerboard, number game. The 3 little pigs, and other things on the boarder. It is really neat. Unfortunatly they tore it up instead of taking it up carefully. Just curious if anyone knows anything about it. I don’t have all the pieces but quite a few. It looks like it might have been a very large area rug size.

  Thanks,
  Bonnie

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