Linoleum
For many designers, linoleum is a material that is associated with strong emotions. They see the flooring as a revelation: a sustainable, versatile and natural material with a unique feel. Linoleum was one of the first products in the range of the flooring manufacturer Tarkett. It was first produced in 1898 in Narni, Italy, then as now using largely the same recipe and processes.
The company has now announced a revised Lino collection for March 2022. The new edition is based on extensive research and numerous discussions with representatives from architecture and design. It marks the metamorphosis of a traditional floor covering into an exciting, contemporary material with exceptionally high environmental standards for climate-positive, circular building.
Exceptional sustainability
Tarkett Lino meets the highest sustainability standards and is a perfect example of Human-Conscious Design®, the flooring manufacturer’s commitment to the transition to a circular economy. Behind the concept is the development of products that make a positive contribution to the well-being of the environment and people throughout their lifetime.
Tarkett Lino is made of up to 97% natural materials such as linseed oil, pine resin, wood, cork flour and jute. The collection is also the world’s first and only linoleum that can be fully recycled after use. The company’s in-house research and development team has developed a process to separate the jute backing from the linoleum and optimise the recycling of the two material streams. As the recycled linoleum paste is turned into new linoleum flooring in the next step, the cycle is closed at this point – a groundbreaking success for the flooring industry. As part of its ReStart® take-back and recycling programme, Tarkett collects the old linoleum again after use, with impressive results: every square metre recycled saves around 5.4 kilograms of CO2 eq.
Moreover, the entire Tarkett linoleum range has been awarded the Cradle to Cradle® Silver certificate. The Lino Originale collection is even the only linoleum worldwide to be Cradle to Cradle® Gold certified. The centrepiece of the collection, Tarkett Lino 2.5 mm, delivers the smallest negative carbon footprint on the market in its category and over its entire lifetime: the flooring is “Cradle to Gate”, i.e. climate-positive from material extraction to production.
Modern design
“It surprised us during the exchange with the designers how many of them reacted emotionally to the linoleum theme. For most of them, it appealed to the senses and evoked memories of places and times. It was precisely these feelings, as well as authentic and natural materials that are in no way inferior to stone, wood or clay in terms of honesty, purity and depth, that we wanted to incorporate when revising the collection,” explains Daniel Mai, who is responsible for the Tarkett Linoleum product range in the DACH region as Segment Manager Education, among other things.
One of the first steps taken by the Tarkett design team was to give the entire Lino collection a matt finish that emphasises both the naturalness and authenticity of linoleum. Furthermore, the colour palette was adjusted to provide architects and builders with 105 contemporary shades. The colour spectrum now ranges from a neutral light brown that reflects the look of pure, natural linoleum (décor 100 % Linen) to trendy terracotta, pink and khaki shades available in five modern yet subtle designs – Veneto, Style Emme, Style Elle, Etrusco and Trentino.
Modern performance with patented xf2™ surface
Tarkett’s patented xf2 surface finish with its matt finish seals and hardens the surface for greater resistance to stains, chemicals and daily wear and tear. All floors in this collection are therefore ideally suited for high traffic areas. As Tarkett Linoleum xf² requires neither initial maintenance after installation nor regular care or coating measures, the consumption of water as well as cleaning and care products is also significantly reduced. This minimises costs and at the same time reduces the floor’s carbon footprint throughout its life cycle. The surface is certified according to Allergy UK and has extremely low VOC emissions for optimal indoor air quality.
