How to Fix Linoleum Flooring That Was Rolled Up

Sometimes linoleum flooring tends to roll up near the edges where it contacts walls or thresholds. This is usually due to not enough adhesive between the subfloor and linoleum. Often, little adhesive is applied to the edges because baseboards and thresholds keep the edges down. Temperature changes and moisture, however, will cause the linoleum to expand and contract over time, resulting in the edges pulling away from baseboards and thresholds. Fixing linoleum flooring that's rolled up requires cleaning the subfloor and softening the linoleum. Once soft, it's possible to reglue the linoleum to the subfloor.

Small pry bar
Hammer
Putty knife
Laminate adhesive
Hair dryer
Plastic putty knife
Helper
Board, 2-inch-by-4-inch
Books or blocks for weight

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the baseboard from the area where the linoleum floor is rolling up, if the edge is near a wall. Pry the baseboard from the wall with a small pry bar and hammer. If the linoleum flooring is rolling up near a threshold between rooms, remove the threshold from the floor.
- 2
  Scrape the subfloor with a putty knife to remove as much old adhesive as possible. Unroll the rolled-up linoleum as much as possible, and scrape off any large or loose chunks of adhesive with the putty knife.
- 3
  Spread new linoleum adhesive onto the subfloor with a putty knife. Apply the adhesive according to the manufacturer's instructions on the label.
- 4
  Heat the linoleum with a hair dryer for 10 minutes while the linoleum adhesive begins to cure. Hold the hair dryer 6 inches from the linoleum, and sweep the dryer back and forth on the high setting. This process of drying makes the linoleum softer for laying it back down on the floor.
- 5
  Starting where the linoleum is still glued to the floor, begin pressing the rolled linoleum back onto the floor. Press the linoleum with a plastic putty knife to remove all air bubbles. Ask your helper to hold the linoleum down while you set up weight for the flooring.
- 6
  Place a board across the edge of the linoleum and place heavy books or blocks on top of the board. Place more books over the top of the linoleum flooring. Allow the weight to remain on the flooring for 24 hours. This is enough time for the linoleum adhesive to cure and hold the flooring.
- 7
  Remove the weight from the floor once 24 hours passes. Reattach the threshold or baseboard to complete the repair.

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