Tarkett is a European flooring company with a long history of leadership in markets around the world. The quality of the products is so high that Auchan, Ikea, Lukoil and others use them in their premises. An indicator of the level of the quality of the coating - laying on the floor in all leading facilities at the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
Features of the
Currently, the company produces three brands of linoleum, each of which finds its own admirer:
- Sinteros - floor coverings for those looking for good quality at a reasonable price;
- Polystyl - a new line on the Russian market;
- Tarkett - linoleum in the segment above average, but with excellent quality and long service life. This article will focus on the products of this particular brand.
Tarkett linoleum is divided into several types: commercial homogeneous, commercial heterogeneous and household. Each type, in turn, is subdivided into collections, which differ in design style, coating thickness, and wear resistance class.
Within each collection there are a large number of design variations, each of which is presented in three or four colors.
Commercial homogeneous
Homogeneous linoleum is a coating consisting of one layer, the pattern is applied to the entire thickness, respectively, it does not wipe off during operation. It is designed for premises with very high traffic; moreover, it can be repeatedly restored during operation.
The difference between this category of linoleum from other manufacturers is that the Tarkett company uses very interesting designs that are suitable not only for offices, but also for children's institutions. The catalog contains 9 collections, which make up two large groups: IQ and Plus.
IQ
The group is designed for commercial use in elite-class premises. If you pay attention to the financial component, then the life cycle of this coverage is the most cost-effective in the entire market. At the same time, its colors allow you to create any color combinations in the floor design.
- iQ Melodia - a collection that uses classic office colors - a non-directional pattern of warm colors. It differs in that it is easy to cut and fit in any direction without stitching the image.
- Linoleum iQ Monolit designed for laying in places with maximum traffic. His drawing is larger, although also not directional. Most of all, it resembles hewn granite or marble. One of its advantages is a design that masks all types of pollution, making it the optimal flooring for schools and children's hospitals.
- iQ Zenith has a uniform color interspersed with large particles of a different color. The design feature is a pearlescent sheen that highlights the structure of the linoleum. Great for beauty salons and massage centers.
- iQ Eminent and Granit Are the most wear-resistant and elastic coatings with special structure reinforcement. It contains particles that repel dirt, significantly reducing cleaning costs. Office colors, fine texture, muted grays or bright colors.
- iQ Megalit it has the highest abrasion class (T), flexibility and elasticity, ease of installation and an interesting design that resembles a frosty pattern on glass. It easily resists chemical contamination and does not lose its properties for 20 years.
- iQ Optima - a covering that gives the floor a 3D effect due to the fact that the design uses a special filling that allows you to combine colored and transparent elements.
Plus
This group of coatings is designed for small premises with high traffic: private kindergartens, development centers, art schools and others. They achieve an optimal balance between cost and high quality.
Primo plus features a structured surface and a uniform design. Thanks to the colors that match each other in tone, from the collection you can create not only beautiful combinations of stripes on the floor for the office, but also whole pictures for childcare facilities
Standard plus has a directional design in muted colors reminiscent of wood grain
A distinctive feature is the presence of an additional reinforcing layer Pur.
Commercial heterogeneous
If homogeneous linoleum is a purely commercial type of coating, then heterogeneous can be both household and commercial. Heterogeneous Tarkett linoleum consists of several layers, the difference between the type of coating lies in their quantity and thickness. There are five collections in the commercial coatings catalog:
- Travertine - a new collection with a protective layer of 0.5 mm for home and office, has a directional design in soft colors, is very resistant to heels, furniture legs and moisture.
- Acczent pro - a collection designed for natural materials - stone and wood, created using calender technology and has a protective layer thickness of 0.7 mm. Excellent for underfloor heating and is used in medical institutions.
- Prisma has an interesting design, including colors with imitation of sand, wide and classic parquet boards, natural stone and granite chips. The thickness of the protective layer is 0.7 mm, it is resistant to abrasion and has a high fire safety class.
- New acczent terra - a very popular collection among the owners of large offices. The maximum thickness of the protective layer is 0.8 mm, the coating itself copes well with the load and is very resistant to various types of dirt. Linoleum's high flexibility and ease of cutting allows for fantastic designs.
- Acczent esquisse - a new collection of solid colors with a very beautiful and unusual texture, reminiscent of feathers and artistic strokes.
Looks great on the floor in the apartment, has a protective layer thickness of 0.8 mm.
Domestic
In the catalog, this type of linoleum is represented by a huge number of collections (more than 20), which differ in design and durability. In this category, you can pick up a coating that imitates block parquet, granite chips, untreated planks, patterned marble floors and others.
Reviews show that the most popular collection is "Favorite", imitating parquet flooring in classicism or baroque style, natural stone, tiles. The Idylle Nova collection is in great demand for children's rooms and bedrooms, as it has increased noise insulation and good thermal characteristics. The Grand collection is one of the most durable in this category (semi-commercial), chosen for hallways, kitchens and nurseries. "Discovery" has unique colors for fur, mat, bamboo linen and high abrasion resistance.
How to calculate the required amount?
To select the width of the roll, it is required to measure the length and width of the room from point to point: from wall to wall, excluding skirting boards, but including all niches, doorways. Then lay at least 8 cm on the unevenness of the walls and non-observance of the right angle. For example, if the width of the room with all niches and projections is 3 meters, then it is best to choose linoleum with a width of 3.5 meters.
If it turns out that a joint is provided in the room, be sure to consult with the seller what increase to the footage will need to be taken in order to correctly join the drawing.
When buying, be sure to make sure the linoleum is cut from one roll. The discrepancy between shades of the same color in different rolls is not a marriage, and you will not prove anything. Therefore, if in doubt about the color difference, ask the seller to print a new roll.
Styling tips
Tarkett specialists give recommendations for laying household and commercial linoleum:
- If the transportation of linoleum was carried out at temperatures above 0 degrees, then the roll-up should lie in the room for at least 24 hours, if below 0 degrees, then at least 48 hours. Failure to comply with this rule may damage the protective layer;
- Do not lay linoleum on old flooring, painted wood floors, loose plywood or fiberboard, asphalt or bitumen. Ideally, the floor for linoleum should be leveled with a mixture;
- The moisture content of the base should be no more than 0.5% for gypsum and no more than 4% for concrete;
- The manufacturer does not recommend the use of substrates and insulation for their products;
- Linoleum should be unfolded for at least 24 hours. To avoid shifting the coating, it must be fixed with double-sided tape;
- Linoleum is cut only after it has been glued. The corners are cut gradually: the inner ones are diagonally parallel to the floor, the outer ones by pressing on the covering close to the wall and creating small cuts 0.3-0.5 cm in the corner, followed by separating the edges. The coating should not touch the walls, but should move away from them by 0.8 cm;
- The seams are joined only with an overlap: the material is placed on top of each other with an overlap of 3-5 cm, depending on the unevenness of the walls, pressed down with a heavy object and two layers of linoleum are cut along the line with a sharp knife;
- A non-directional pattern with a joint is laid in a reverse order, and a directed one - in one direction, then the joint will be invisible;
- In order for the coating to serve the time declared by the manufacturer, it must be completely glued to the base with glue, regardless of the area of the room.
How to choose the right Tarkett linoleum from the Grand collection, you will learn from the following video.