There are various ways to solve the problem of joints of individual strips of linoleum. Many of them do not require special skills or specific equipment. But for commercial coating, hot welding is the most suitable method. It is she who allows you to get a smooth homogeneous surface. In its implementation, you can not do without a special kit for welding linoleum. Let's find out what tools should be included in it, which kit to prefer and how much it will cost.
What does the hot welding kit contain?
Commercial linoleum joints are soldered using manual, semi-automatic, or automatic devices. The last two varieties greatly simplify the process of welding seams, however, they are very expensive. These machines are purchased, as a rule, by large construction companies that carry out a large volume of orders. Small contractors and lone craftsmen prefer to use a manual linoleum welding machine. With skillful handling, it is able to provide the required quality of joints, while its price is much lower.
The minimum set of items included in the kit for hot welding of linoleum:
- Building hair dryer (soldering iron). Temperature control is required. Usually welding is carried out at a temperature of 300-400 ° C, but an extended heating range will be useful.
- Nozzle for a welding rod. In most cases, a cord with a diameter of 5–6 mm is used, so the nozzle should also have this size.
- Special cutter or rustication. Needed to prepare the required profile of the seam before welding.
- Sickle-shaped knife. With its help, excess frozen bar is removed.
- Special sled for a knife. Allows you to make the primary cutting of the cord quickly and efficiently. With them, the blade will easily slide over the surface of the coating. It is very difficult to maintain the same angle of inclination throughout the entire length of the seam without this device.
Welding equipment may include other useful additions. For example, a cord cutter, a special rolling roller or a cork board with rounded corners. The latter serves to smooth linoleum in hard-to-reach places. The master determines the final composition of the kit for himself.
Which set to choose?
Even a hand tool designed for welding linoleum is not cheap. Therefore, the choice must be taken responsibly. Preference should be given to trusted manufacturers. It would be useful to read user reviews or consult with friends employed in the field of construction services. For a one-time use, it makes sense to rent a set of tools.
The market offers a wide range of kits, including a welding machine and accessories for it. It would be advisable to consider some of them: the products of Gerat, Leister and PHENOM.
Gerat 30150
It is one of the most popular models in the Russian market. The set for welding Gerat 30150 linoleum includes the following items:
- Tornado thermal hair dryer with a power of 1600 W.
- The nozzle is standard, diameter - 5 mm.
- Sickle blade and slide for fast primary cutting.
- Special cutter to create the desired seam profile before joining.
- Sealing roller, which allows you to conveniently place the bar between the connected fragments.
- Steel suitcase for easy storage and transport.
Advantages of Gerat 30150 Linoleum Welding Kit:
- The possibility of long-term continuous use of the hair dryer due to the use of heat-resistant metal in the design of the nozzle.
- A three-meter network cable allows you to work at a considerable distance from the outlet.
- The heating temperature is smoothly regulated by turning the handle.
- Lightweight hair dryer compared to analogues.
- Overheat protection.
The price for this set from different suppliers ranges from 51-54 thousand rubles.
Leister Triac S
Products of the famous Swiss company Leister are famous for their reliability. The set from Leister compares favorably with the previous set in cost: it is 33-35 thousand rubles. But it should be noted that only the hair dryer and a plastic case are included in the package. All nozzles and necessary tools will have to be purchased separately. For convenience, the manufacturer has arranged kits depending on the type of work.
So, the set for hot connection of commercial linoleum includes:
- Standard nozzle.
- Nozzle for fast coating welding.
- A cutter used to open seams.
- Knife in the form of a month and an additional nozzle for it.
Experts note the following advantages of this set:
- Protective tube equipped with a cooling system.
- Electronics protects against overheating.
- Ease of maintenance: it is possible to change the brushes as needed. In case of critical wear of the brushes, the welding gun motor switches off automatically.
- Good supply of spare parts and consumables in Russia.
- High ergonomics of the hair dryer.
PHENOM
Russian analogue of popular Western models. Inferior to them in reliability, but wins in terms of cost: it is 21 thousand rubles. The set includes:
- Building hair dryer.
- Nozzle for fast welding by a bar.
- Special cutter for processing seams.
- Traditional sickle-shaped knife and sled for it.
This Russian development is being assembled at a Chinese enterprise. The manufacturer carefully monitors the quality of manufactured products. The distinguishing features of these devices include complete interchangeability with Western brands, the presence of a special LED that monitors the temperature of the heating element.
The process of hot welding joints of linoleum
First, it should be noted once again that this process is only applicable to commercial linoleum. The household version of the floor covering simply will not withstand the heating temperature.
The solid cost of welding equipment and the complexity of the work have led to the fact that it is very rarely done by hand. In the vast majority of cases hot welding produced by professionals.
Before starting the operation, linoleum must be securely glued to the floor. Then the following manipulations are performed:
- Using the cutter included in the kit, or rustication, a chamfer is removed from the seam. The resulting groove in the form of a trapezoid is thoroughly cleaned of debris and dust.
- The hair dryer warms up to operating temperature. It is pre-equipped with the required nozzle.
- welding cord is inserted into the nozzle, the nozzle is pressed against the seam for a few seconds. After that, a slow movement of the hair dryer along the connection line begins. It should not be too fast and not too slow. The molten polymer should protrude slightly from the groove.
- Cutting the cord with a sickle-shaped knife is carried out in two stages: immediately, while the bar is still hot, and after its final cooling.
As a rule, the joint is filled with two pieces of bar, which are slightly more than half the length of the joint. Laying begins to lead from the walls and join in the middle. A better option is to lay the cords on top of each other in an inconspicuous place, for example, under stationary furniture.
After completion of the work, an even, uniform and sealed coating is obtained that can last for many years.
infrared welding
There is another method of gluing linoleum joints by heating, without using a cord, - infrared welding. For it, special devices are used, which are a heating iron, for example, Snail-03 and Pilad-1000.
This type of device heats the edges of the material to a semi-liquid state with infrared lamps.The device is manually moved along the seam, and the joint is sealed with heated material with the participation of jumpers located at the bottom of the device, a special forming element and a pressure roller. The method is only suitable for PVC linoleum.
