I have a linoleum floor that is 10 years old, and....?

Question

...in one place in my utility room there is a 5-6 foot area that appears yellowish in color. I've washed and scrubbed it with all kinds of cleaners - even those designed by Armstrong - the manufacturer of my flooring. Nothing gets rid of the stain. I wonder if somehow the glue or adhesive used to put the floor down is leaking through and causing the stain. Any advise would be appreciated! Thanks.

Answer 1

I did flooring for 13 years, and one of the biggest offender is rugs, especially if they had a rubber backing. Is this a concrete floor, if so there could be something bleeding thru, such as an older adhesive from previous floors. If this is a wood substrate, could be same problem with adhesives, also some subfloors have a tendency to produce a stain called tanic acid from tree bark in the wood. In any event when you replace it with new vinyl make sure you use a new subfloor (birch plywood) my favorite or have the concrete skimcoated with a cementbased flooring patch. or better yet go with tile, by far most durable and would stand up to flooding.

Answer 2

This is what the ingenuity of my wife did. She went to Ace Hardware and bought their paint. They make a paint especially for linoleum and tile floors.
She made her own pattern and primed the floor with a good sealer, then drew a pattern, she then painted squares in black and white.

It's been down for over two years and shows very little wear.

Answer 3

Bet you had a rug there, some rugs do that to vinyl,or the sun shines on that spot, so your choice is to put a rug there to cover it or replace the flooring. I vote replace it. 10 years old! You deserve a change.