Page "Linoleum" Paragraph 3

Linoleum was invented by Englishman Frederick Walton.

In 1855, Walton happened to notice the rubbery, flexible skin of solidified linseed oil ( linoxyn ) that had formed on a can of oil-based paint, and thought that it might form a substitute for India rubber.

Raw linseed oil oxidizes very slowly ; Walton accelerated the process by heating it with lead acetate and zinc sulfate.

This made the oil form a resinous mass into which lengths of cheap cotton cloth were dipped until a thick coating formed.

The coating was then scraped off and boiled with benzene or similar solvents to form a varnish.

Walton initially planned to sell his varnish to the makers of water-repellent fabrics such as oilcloth, and patented the process in 1860.

However, his method had problems ; the cotton cloth soon fell apart and it took months to produce enough of the linoxyn.

Little interest was shown in his varnish.

In addition, his first factory burned down, and he had persistent and painful rashes.