Linoleum
Linóleo
- Date
- 1860-1864 · confidence high
- Place
- Staines, Surrey, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Frederick Walton
- Field
- Tools
What it is
A flexible flooring made of oxidised linseed oil, cork dust and resins on a jute backing. It was a cheap, durable, easy-to-clean covering for kitchens, corridors and hospitals.
Walton noticed the skin of dried linseed oil on paint around 1860 and patented the process in 1863; the Staines factory started in 1864.
What it led to
- washable floors in homes, schools and hospitals
- the linoleum industry in Europe and the United States
- vinyl floor coverings in the 20th century