I have some old, worn, rustic linoleum. Some of it looks like it's pressed onto a rough burlap / type material.
I'd like to stain some hardwood plywood, and "mount" the linoleum pieces to it. Then put some sort of coating over the linoleum. These will be hung on the wall. Here are my questions:
How should I "mount" the linoleum to the stained wood? Some type of spray adhesive? Can I use Polyurethane to mount it?
How should I "coat over" the linoleum? Will Polyurethane work there too? I could poly the wood and linoleum in one shot?
How about that stuff that you can put items in, so when it dries, it looks like they are "floating" in the solid. I've seen tabletops like that. Might that stuff work?
Linoleum is still made today, and is an all-natural product. The 'burlap' you see on the back is jute.
I wouldn't put a coating over the linoleum because it will eventually cause it to discolor. Leave the top be. Mount it in a picture frame (sans glass) on the stained plywood.
Oh, for corn's sake, why not post it here? C'mon, have you not noticed how many posts that are NOT quilt-related show up here?
Many of the quilters here are also into woodworking, remodeling, home improvements, painting, flooring products & projects, and a couple even know what linoleum and polyurethane are. So why not ask here? Here, where we like to think of ourselves as one of the friendly spots in the big wide online world? ;-)
KathyA-- you got any advice on the lino-to-wood question? Woodworker/Quilter John--what say you?
And to jwill: are you cutting the lino into shapes to attach to the wood so that the stain would show thru'? Otherwise, why stain the wood? What's your intention w/ the polyurethane? Do you really need it? How much wood will show up under/between/around the linoleum? Will you end up w/ a lino-quilt pattern on wood? Can we see pics?
My 2cents is that if you cover the linoleum with any finish it will darken over time and then possibly flake off. What you think of as floating in suspension is probably Polyurethane bar top finish. You have to make a dam around the edge of whatever to hold the poly liquid and then you fill up the damed area and then place the item in the middle of the suspension of liquid. I have not done to much of that sort of thing but that is what I know of the process.
I'm sorry Kate, but I don't agree with this rather rude remark. Today's posts are about stoves, vacuums, woodworking, so where's the harm. Besides, he said he wasn't sure if this was the place. There's room for everyone. Plus always the possibility that someone could steer him to the right place. Gen
"Sandy Ellison" wrote in message news:C2D8EC7F.1A9F2% snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net...
No chit Cherlock! Advise here seems to range from de-fleaing the dog and auto repair to major surgical procedures and relationship issues, once in awhile we even talk about quilts!
I helped a friend "float" a bunch of stuff that was in her late father's dresser "junk bowl" in a coffee table. After working with her on this project we decided it now ranks right up there with good friends helping friends hide bodies. It's a lot of tedious, meticulous, very precise work. To keep that linoleum from turning dark you'll have to seal it first, per instructions, and the nature of the beast will most likely turn color over time just from exposure to light. You'll have to seal all the wood first too, per the instructions and dam* it as well. Once you are into this project you'll replace the * with an 'n'. The stuff you use is a two part epoxy resin that needs to be mixed and worked with as if you were making rocket fuel in a sterile surgical environment. It's touchy and the least little mistake, air bubble or specs of dust will screw everything up. There are no shortcuts and you can't hurry things along. We had to do close to a dozen pours, I can't remember exactly now, but it took a long time, as in several days, to make things look like they were suspended at different levels. The trick was to let each pour harden but not cure so we were doing a pour about every 5-6 hours around the clock. We essentially made a paper weight in this coffee table, it was probably close to 1 1/2 - 2 inches deep when we were through. I found a link that glosses over ( oh goody,a PUN!) the procedures and then you'll know what you are in for.
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BTW, when we were done that table looked awesome *BUT* it was a lot of work. Good luck!
I would have agreed if this was a regular poster... but this person has no previous posts... nor was it marked OT -- although clearly it is.
Guess we have officially opened the forum to anything about anything... from anyone.... anytime. I guess I'm in the minority about opposing that. I have no problem with occasional OT posts from regular posters... but this isn't what this was. I'll be happy to agree to disagree.
I see your point, Kate (not that you asked me, of course) ... the person didn't follow netiquette by warning "OT" and doesn't even seem to be paying any attention to subsequent posts (hint, hint, OP - a "thank you" to those who offered advice would be nice).
I admit that I've oft forgotten the ol' "OT" warning from time to time, but I don't recall ever asking a question and not being appreciative of others taking the time to respond ... THAT'S what I'd be irritated most about, personally.
But I think the mild chastising you received was other people thinking "Oops! I may have done that or made that mistake when I just started out ..."
Just my two cents (Hey! If we put our two cents together ... well, we'll have four cents!) :)
It is not a quilt so here would not be the logical place. However betwixt the lot of us We Know All. Though next time please be so kind as to mark something like this OT for Off Topic.
Being a somewhat educated artist I will give you what I know.
Bad choices both, they will peel. What works best for mounting linoleum is linoleum cement. I have used epoxy for making blocks in a pinch, but I have seldom kept linoleum blocks for extended periods so couldn't inform you as to how well that holds up.
If you need to gloss coat your work you would likely be better off throwing a sheet of glass or plexi over it. Coatings do not generally stick well to linoleum, or they damage it. You could use a wax medium, but you are not going to get a high gloss out of something like that.
Casting resin. Linoleum was never made to cope with full immersion in those kinds of solvents. I would be very dubious as to how well it would survive the process. Plus you would have to choose what kind of resin, consider shrinkage, exotherm, number of layers, calculations of catalyst, how best to frame it in, various finishing techniques, etc.
If you are bound and determined to give it a shot, I would contact the guys at Douglas and Sturgess
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and ask them for more info.
You might also inquire on rec.arts.fine Most of us over there paint, but there are some sculptors, print makers, and mixed media people who might have more complete answers for you. Just ignore the "the only real art is realist" troll.
I would go to a good flooring store and talk to the staff with the most experience, and then stop by a restoration place, too, if one is available to you. Of course, if you have plenty of the old lino, why not take some small pieces and experiment?
Normally a good plan. However unless he wished to wait a year or several, experimenting on little bits would give no clue as to the archival stability, unless of course everything went to heck instantly.
Artists have been bitten in the butt by chemical reactions that take place over extended periods of time for quite a while. Not all disasters are as immediately obvious as say for example DaVinci's Last Supper.
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