Restoring Linoleum?

I have an old linoleum floor that is definitely showing its age (yellowing with age, dull luster). Does anyone have ideas on how to restore it to at least a shadow of its former self? It seems as though a deep cleaning would clean some of the yellowing since much of it is ground-in dirt, but everything I try, professional, bleach or vinegar, has produced minimal results.

And there is no shine to it. We will eventually be moving and the new owners will probably gut the kitchen, so we don't want to invest in a new floor only to have it ripped up by the new owners.

Thanks,
Mpfickling from Pittsfield, MA

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By Nancy. (Guest Post)

February 15, 20060 found this helpful

I saw on HGTV the other day that you could paint a linoleum floor. May Be that would be the way to go.

By Peach (Guest Post)

February 15, 20060 found this helpful

Have you tried plain old ammonia or Top Job or Mr Clean or Spic n Span? That is what they used in the old days. Let it soak on for an hour or so and then sponge mop up.

By Prairiefloozie (Guest Post)

February 15, 20060 found this helpful

Peach is right. You need to let the ammonia sit and do the work of taking the old wax off. You may have to use the ammonia almost full strenght, especially if you used some of the one step products on it.

Then use a scrub brush get up all the old stuck on wax and dirt. Rinse the old the ammonia off, then scrub with a stiff scrub brush with a good cleaner like Dawn. RINSE. After you are sure there is no residue on it, use an ACRYLIC wax. It will take 2-3 coats of acrylic wax. I too had this problem for a long time, as I could not afford to replace the flooring in my kitchen and dining room.

Holly
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 364 Posts

February 16, 20060 found this helpful

After reading the responses I was reminded of something that happened a long time ago. My new washer dumped gallons of water all over the kitchen floor. Because of the time it took to get it all wiped up, the linoleum separated where the flooring rolls were lined up and now we can see the lines of demarcation.

So if you are planning on laying down a lot of liquid cleanser, keep in mind that there can be consequences.
The reps from Montgomery Ward came out and were very concerned that I was going to demand a new kitchen floor from them. I told them that if they replaced the washer, I'd be satisfied as the floor was as old as the house.

Susan Sanders-Kinzel
Diamond Feedback Medal for All Time! 1,023 Feedbacks

February 16, 20060 found this helpful

Hi,
Get one of those floor machines (usually you can rent them or find out if a friend has one to borrow) and a good cleaner (something with ammonia). The brush or scrubby pads will really scrub it good. Yellowing is usually wax build up. Once you have it as clean as you can get it, (rinse it over and over) get some good quality wax and use the floor machine to buff it up. That should bring back the shine.

If the floor is too small or that is impractical, get some scotch brite type pads and scrub it good with an ammonia based cleaner. Like one of the posters said, you need to let it sit a while to loosen the wax. Then make sure to rinse, rinse, rinse. Linoleum is much stronger than vinyl and will stand up to a lot of years of wear.
Susan from ThriftyFun

Rebekah

February 16, 20060 found this helpful

I would suggest just painting over the floor! My parents did this when we were kids, we lived on an old farm and with 7 kids there was no point in putting down a new floor just to have it trashed! It does need to be primed first and I remember my parents putting some very fine sand into the paint to give the floor some texture and help keep the floor from being too slippery since it was the laundry/mud room.

I want to say they used any oil based primer and paint and sealer but I'm not sure ... maybe ask at Home Depot or somewhere like that ... and I'm sure the floor will need to be cleaned well before painting. You could even paint "throw rugs" and make it very decorative. The paint lasted years and didn't make it any more diffcult to replace once we were all older!

Good Luck to you!

Kim McGrantham

February 18, 20061 found this helpful

There is this great product that I got from QVC.. It gives your floors back that shine! It really works. I went to QVC's website and copied the info for you. The results are awesome..made our kitchen linoleom shine again.

Product Detail

Item Number V22173
Rejuvenate Floor Restorer and Protectant 40oz

QVC Price $19.81
Shipping and Handling $5.47
Save! Buy two or more and save on S & H. Click here for details.

Give your floors a showroom-quality shine with Rejuvenate Floor Renewer and Polish. This revolutionary polymer-based finish helps to instantly restore any dull or dirty floor. It fills in scratches, seals, and protects from stains while producing a vibrant shine. Ideal for almost every type of floor, including concrete, ceramic tile, sealed marble, vinyl, terrazzo, sealed hardwood, laminate, slate, and linoleum. Simply apply every two to three months. One bottle covers approximately 800 square feet. Easy-pour spout.

Net weight 40 oz.

By (Guest Post)

December 21, 20070 found this helpful

To clean, use OxyClean. Let it soak for 30 minutes and wipe up and rinse. It will remove all of the ground in dirt.

annie.lou.nelson

September 29, 20180 found this helpful

I've been researching this issue myself. I've read a lot of reviews on amazon about Rejuvenate products and that's what I'm going to try. I'll use the cleaner and then the one that makes it shine, fills in scratches, is used on multiple floor types and easy to apply.

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