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Many installers know how to heat weld vinyl proficiently, but struggle when it comes to linoleum. The reason it is such a struggle is that it is a different type of welding. With vinyl you have a thermo-fusion process; that is, a melting and fusion between the rod and the material. With linoleum the process is completely different. The linoleum and the rod is a bonding process, not a fusion process. The rod acts like a glue stick. With linoleum, the groove is deeper, the rod doesn’t stick immediately and the skiving has to be done while the rod is warm.
Following is the step-by-step process to follow in order to ensure that the heat-welding is done efficiently and correctly.
Photo 1:The seam must be cut slightly open and time must be taken for the adhesive to dry. Unlike vinyl adhesives that are pressure-sensitive and can be heat welded immediately, linoleum adhesives must be allowed to dry and take overnight to set up.

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The first pass with the skive knife and the trim plate should be almost immediate. The difference is the linoleum rod permits this. If you tried this with a vinyl rod you would get severe concaving from the rod.

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