Linoleum is a misjudged material. Its name is generally used as an umbrella term to describe any malleable floor covering in sheet form – including petroleum-based materials such as vinyl and PVC. Yet, linoleum is a natural, fully recyclable material – and one that demonstrates great potential in our current time of climate crisis.
Christien Meindertsma has been exploring the life cycle of products and raw materials for over two decades. By experimenting with materials and technologies, she seeks to develop responsible alternatives to the destructive systems of mass production that have become increasingly hidden in modern-day capitalism. Linoleum is one of the materials that Meindertsma has been investigating. In 2010, the designer bought a Dutch farmer’s entire harvest of flax – roughly 10,000 kilograms. She explored the material potential of flax by turning the plant into fabric, a chair and by extracting linseed oil – linoleum’s main ingredient – from its seeds.
Linseed oil is shown here, alongside linoleum’s other basic ingredients (a-d). First, the oil is dried and mixed with plant resin to create lino ‘cement’ (e). Wood dust and chalk are added. Heat and kneading then transform the cement into dough (f) which is pressed into a sheet using a rolling machine called a calender. In 2013 Meindertsma was successful in making fully traceable linoleum, by using only locally sourced, sustainable materials. The wood dust came from surplus timber and for the chalk, which is normally mined, she instead used the byproduct chalk from water softening processes. Meindertsma decided against adding any pigments, so the resulting product was a texture-rich linoleum in natural colours.
The history of linoleum dates back to the 19th century. It was patented in the UK in 1863 as a hygienic floor covering and rapidly became popular across Europe. Soon, the word linoleum was being used in Europe to describe any type of floor covering. The image below shows a section of linoleum floor designed by William Morris and manufactured by Morris & Co. in 1875. In Morris’ distinct aesthetic language, this panel shows stylised natural patterns of flowers and scallop shaped trellises interleaved with foliage against an olive-green background.
By the 1960s, 70s and 80s linoleum was ubiquitous across schools, hospitals and other public buildings. Unfortunately this period also saw the rise of petroleum-based materials like PVC and vinyl, which we now know release microplastics as they deteriorate, and are toxic to the environment. Wrongly, linoleum became associated with these materials. As the material fell out of fashion towards the end of the twentieth century, large quantities were ripped up and discarded.
In 2018, Meindertsma presented a solution to this problem. In collaboration with Forbo Flooring Systems, she conducted material research on old linoleum removed from schools or taken from commercial sample books. She discovered that by kneading old linoleum, the heat and pressure generated made it pliable again. This breakthrough demonstrated that ‘waste’ linoleum can be recycled, and vibrant colours could be achieved without additional dyes. Meindertsma named her recycled linoleum Renoleum.
More recently, Meindertsma has been exploring linoleum’s potential as a building material. Using the fully traceable method for making new linoleum, she developed linoleum in tile and block form. The modular forms can be removed and replaced as needed, and the discarded pieces fully recycled. The product could also be used to make furniture and other household items.
Meindertsma continues to expand her exploration into the material. In April this year Flaxwood was unveiled at Milan design week. This project, developed in collaboration with Dzek and Arquitectura-G, draws on her former experiments to produce larger tiles that can be used as cladding. Flaxwood aims to rebrand linoleum as a sustainable, desirable material.
As a net-zero present becomes more vital, linoleum is resurfacing as a fully recyclable, traceable material solution to the harmful, petroleum-based materials that populate the designed world.
