Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Marmoleum, it's like a garden on my floor...

So you’re thinking what the heck does Marmoleum have to do with gardening, right? Well several of you asked about it when I blogged about my new floors and my broken ankle. So, I thought I would share a little information with you. First of all, Marmoleum is an all natural product. It is made of linseed oil, pine rosins (not a typo), wood flour, environmentally responsible pigments (ok that sounds a little suspect, but I’m going with it) and jute fibers. So see it is just like a garden on my floor!
Contrary to most people I really like the old fashioned linoleum floors too. I’m not talking about vinyl that everyone seems to refer to as linoleum but the real thing. My 1949 home in Spokane had linoleum tile under the hideous shag carpet. I think it was also fairly typical in grade schools of a certain era.
Marmoleum is the new and improved version of the original linoleum. It’s warm on your feet, doesn’t off gas harmful VOC’s and comes in fabulous vibrant colors and patterns. If you want a shiny floor that screams “I’ve just been moped and waxed” then this product isn’t for you. I prefer a matte finish myself, and something that is very low maintenance.
We put chartreuse in the kitchen and charcoal in the bathroom. We originally considered putting down cork or bamboo floors, but since we have hard woods through-out the rest of the house I thought a splash of color would be a nice change. Plus what research I did on those materials pointed to a lot more care required than for the Marmoleum.
Before we ordered it I did a stain test on the samples we had. Red wine, coffee and water sat for hours, pooled on the surface. They washed right off! No stain.

Another benefit? This…
...produces a lot of hair. With the subtle pattern of the Marmoleum you don’t see it. Of course it’s still there…but not seeing it is nice.
You probably think the grey in the bathroom has a sort of institutional look. Well you’re right, but I like that. Bright colorful new accessories (towels, shower curtain) and some classy black and white photography (of plants, of course) will jazz it up just fine.

21 comments:

  1. That picture of Lila is ADORABLE! (Considering she shys away most of the time, right?) I can't wait to test the floors against a spilled mojito!! :)

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  2. It looks fabulous--exactly what we expect from a design diva like you.

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  3. Shrugging off red wine is a big plus. It has a cool pattern, and color is always good too.

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  4. The floors are interesting, but I nearly spilled my cocktail when I scrolled down and your dog appeared. What a cute and funny looking dog.

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  5. My husband just installed some rubber matting in our 'exercise' room, and it stinks so much! Something that doesn't off-gas sounds great in comparison.

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  6. That picture of Lila is postcard worthy!
    I love the colors you picked. I like the grey too, black and white rooms are my favorite.

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  7. Nice material! The colour you chose is great. Btw, I like your stool, so cool! I am a fan of matt look as well.

    Have a blessed Christmas to you and your family. Enjoy the holidays and your nice kitchen :-D I am sure you would be cooking some delicious food from there.

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  8. Hi Loree~~ Lila is such a cutie pie. And to think a flooring that downplays pet hair? That's a bonus worth considering. In fact I see no downside. I hope your ankle heals swiftly. Love your nail polish!

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  9. So, how is your ankle doing?

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  10. Hope your broken ankle is feeling better. Your floors look great! :) And that dog... toooo cute!
    FYI Forbo is running a contest on our facebook page www.facebook.com/forboflooringna "Why I love my Marmoleum floor" Please enter. You have a great story.

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  11. D + N, uhm...I didn't think of the sticky test like mojito's, maybe we can try on the sample first?

    Patricia, Design Diva huh? Those are some mighty powerful words your tossing around there!

    Pam, my parents once had a master bedroom/bathroom suite with white carpet. Talk about a mess waiting to happen!

    Les, careful with that cocktail! Lila is a pug/chihuahua mix which accounts for part of her look. The rest is all her personality!

    VW, I love the rubber matting with the raised circle design, was it that? I would totally consider putting that in our house too...but the smell factor, not so good.

    Megan, usually Lila runs when I have the camera pointed at her, but since I've been injured she always at my side. I took advantage of this and used the word guaranteed to get a head tilt..."Chia wa wa" this one gets her everytime. We don't know why. If you say it the right way (Chihuahua) you don't get nearly the reaction.

    Grace, thanks! I was just looking at my polish and realizing I needed a little freshener. I can do my good foot...but the other one I can't reach! I wonder if the husband could be talked into it?

    Dan and Deb, hello! Thanks for visiting and asking about my ankle. I had surgery last Friday and hopefully I'm on the mend. Everyday is a discovery in this process.

    Piera, hello again. Thank you for the info on the contest, I'm afraid I'll have to pass since I am not a facebook'er...a $500 visa gift card would be nice though!

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  12. Yikes Steph, I missed you! Thanks for the visit...that kitchen stool is turning out to be life saver. It's a place I can set in the kitchen and reach the coffee pot, fridge and microwave all w/o getting up!

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  13. I adore my bright red marmoleum - chartreuse ran a close second! And I have a 2 shedding french bulldogs that look quite a bit like your pug - considering our love for the same kind of plants, I can't imagine what else we could possibly have in common without being the same person. Is your husband half Czech/ half Swiss?
    If so, we REALLY need to meet!
    XO and stay warm!

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  14. That dog needs her own cartoon or sitcom show !
    Too cute. ... I can't stop laughing at her facial expression.

    I'm looking for a new 'forever' four legged companion and truth be told, his or her fur has to match the colors in my furniture and carpets.

    I know the fur is there, but as long as I don't see wads of it floating across the floor I'm good.

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  15. I love marmoleum! It's my number one choice for re-doing the floors in our 1956 ranch bathrooms in the future. And the matte finish is definitely preferable to me. Love the colors you chose!

    Although I'd like it if my future marmoleum came with a cute sidekick like Lila, keeping up with the cat hair from Elvis and Pearl is enough of a project already. I see a gray, black and white pattern in my future...

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  16. I like the green!! Very pretty!

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  17. I love MarmoleumDecember 28, 2009

    Love your floors and the colors you've chosen. Lila is the perfect accessory to them. An FYI note - because of the ongoing oxidation process of the linseed oil contained in Marmoleum it is naturally antistatic. Which makes cleanup of those little hairs that Lila leaves behind (that you don't see) a breeze.

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  18. Just put in Kyoto (burnt orange) in our kitchen and love it! Bleekerstreet (deep red) was a close runner-up. It feels great on bare feet and is easy to clean compared to vinyl. The orange really brightens up our day. :o) Hope you're still enjoying yours!

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  19. I think it looks great. How did it hold up? (Asking in 2024)

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