Fashionable Flooring Choice Applauded By Environmentalists (NAPSA)—Whatclassic floor- ing material is enjoying a new wave of popularity for its durability, design flexibility and “green” characteristics? If you answered linoleum, you may have a firm foundation for making a fashionable flooring choice. Initially designed for the home, linoleum has enjoyed a resurgence in commercial settings and is now back in favor once again for the home. Armstrong first launched genuine linoleum as a new flooring category in the U.S. almost a century ago, and linoleum remained the flooring of choice for more than 50 years. It drifted out of favor in the 1960s, with the advent of easy-care vinyl that did not require weekly waxing. Armstrong, one of the last U.S. manufacturers, stopped making it in the firm’s Lancaster, Pa., plant in 1974, after producing 957 million square yards of the material over 65 years. “Today homeowners and designers have rediscovered that this material has advantages that others don’t,” said Roger Oates, vice president, marketing, Armstrong Residential Flooring. “It’s soft underfoot. It’s extremely versatile. And it can be created with custom patterns.” Today’s genuine linoleum is not a recreation of old linoleum designs or technology. The Marmorette™ line, for example, comes in an assortment of vivid hues, and is delicately but evenly marbled in harmoniously coordinated color gradations. Since the color and construction go all the way Genuine linoleum is back as a high-quality, high-fashion flooring product. through to the backing, as the flooring wears, different layers of color are gradually revealed and the effect is distinctive. It also “blooms” with age, undergoing subtle color changes over time and when exposed to light. These special characteristics can give a room distinctive character. Manyarchitects and designers view linoleum as a “green,” environmentally friendly product. Genuine linoleum consists of the same natural materials all the way through to its jute fiber backing. The original recipe of linseed oil, cork dust, wood flour, resins, ground limestone and pigments, is still used today by Armstrong. “Armstrong’s new residential linoleum collection, like its predecessor, inspires eminent architects as well as everyday homestylists. The ecologically compatible materials are a tribute to current preferences,” said Oates. For more information, call 1- 888-ARMSTRONGoraccess www. armstrong.com.
