How to cut linoleum

Material such as linoleum is used quite often today, taking into account the wealth of choice in terms of quality and color range of the material. It is easy to cut, if you have specialized knives that allow you to do the work quickly and accurately. The article will talk about the types of knives for cutting linoleum at home.

Retractable

This variety is also called a construction knife. The design allows you to adjust the length of the blade and, if necessary, shorten it during wear along the fracture lines marked on the surface of the cutter. When the blade is completely worn out, it can be easily replaced. Externally, the design resembles a regular stationery knife for cutting paper, only more durable and reliable. Suitable for cutting hardboard, linoleum, wallpaper and many other similar materials. The fastening is carried out by means of an adjusting screw, the recoil of which causes the worn blade to be replaced. When working with a knife of this design, you should control its progress and guide it strictly along the ruler, since it quite easily moves away from the intended cutting line.

Universal

As a rule, this type of knife is equipped with two cutting edges, parallel and at an acute angle to the handle. Much stronger than a retractable blade, and as a rule, does not have a replaceable blade, but requires sharpening. They also make options with replaceable blades, but this is rather an exception.In addition to cutting linoleum, it is suitable for leather, rubber, and textolite of small thickness. Easy to use, you can even cut wood with it if you have certain skills.

In addition to universal ones, there are specialized knives for cutting linoleum with a characteristic blade shape in the form of a crescent or hook. This form allows you to carefully trim the corners of the floor covering, as well as remove excess glue from the surface of the linoleum. Requires certain skills to work with this type of tool.

Disk

If there is a need to unravel several layers of linoleum, leather or fabric at once, you can use a circular knife. For an accurate cut, it is recommended to attach the edges of the material being cut using tape or double-sided adhesive tape to the work surface on which cutting is carried out.

Externally, the circular knife is a sharpened steel roller on a plastic curved handle. Thanks to this design, the tool does not crumple the material being cut; even several layers of it can be cut with relatively little pressure. This tool is often significantly superior to scissors in terms of sharpness and efficiency. Another advantage is the ability to change the roller blade if it becomes dull or breaks.

Scissors

In principle, ordinary tailor's scissors are also suitable for cutting floor coverings during installation, provided they are well sharpened, but there is a specialized tool for these purposes. Externally, such scissors are more reminiscent of pruning shears, with the handle located at an angle to the cutting edge, often a saw type. This design ensures reliability and ease of use.In addition to linoleum, they allow you to easily cut plastic and carpet evenly. The price of a product depends on its quality; a more or less professional instrument will cost about a thousand rubles. The advantage over ordinary tailor's scissors is that the specialized tool does not bite the linoleum and does not move to the side, resulting in a much more accurate cut.

Scalpel

The instrument itself is very sharp, is usually made of high-quality steel, and in many ways the technique of working with it is similar to working with a construction knife, except that the scalpel is intended for more delicate work, for example, with soft tissues in surgery. As a rule, there is no possibility of changing the blade, but there is the possibility of repeated sharpening. Therefore, its use may be due to the fact that you do not need to make so many cuts in order to acquire a specialized tool, and there is a scalpel on the farm. Alternatively, there is no economic feasibility in purchasing knives for linoleum due to their infrequent further use.

How to choose a tool

When choosing a tool, you should pay attention to the following factors:

• the strength and reliability of the handle, since if its quality is poor, it can break under fairly strong pressure;
• the presence of replaceable blades in the kit if their replacement is provided for by the design of the knife;
• sufficient thickness and, accordingly, strength of the cutting edge of replaceable blades of construction knives;
• availability of skills to work with one or another type of tool;
• the thickness and strength of the floor covering being cut will determine the final choice.

Attention! The quality of the cut is ensured not so much by the convenience, strength and sharpening of the knife, but by the correctness and clarity of the preliminary marking. It’s rightly said - measure seven times, and let someone else cut once.