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GBlist: Natural Linoleum



       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 

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