How to eliminate linoleum swelling without having to dismantle it?

Heat and puncture

This method is suitable for eliminating bubbles if they are small in size and the covering was glued during installation. When heated, linoleum becomes elastic and easily adheres to the floor.

Regardless of where the bubble is: next to the wall or in the center of the room, it needs to be punctured with an awl or a thick needle.

The puncture will be less noticeable if you make it at an angle of 45 degrees.

Through the resulting hole, squeeze out all the air accumulated under the covering, then slightly heat the linoleum with an iron or a hair dryer. This can only be done through a thick piece of fabric folded in several layers.

After the material has heated up and become soft, it is necessary to draw a little solvent into the syringe and inject it into the puncture. The dried glue on the surface of the linoleum will dissolve, and a tight fit will be ensured due to changes in the properties of the material itself.

To ensure a tight fit to the floor, the area of the flooring that has undergone repair must be pressed down with a weight for 48 hours.

A dumbbell or a pot of water is ideal as a weight.

Cut without heating and glue

If the swelling is large, it will not be possible to eliminate it by puncturing and heating. You need to make a small cross-shaped cut in the very center of the bubble, release all the accumulated air from it and press it firmly to the floor using a weight of 10-20 kg.

The knife must be sharp, then the cut will be almost invisible.

After a couple of hours, you can start re-gluing the linoleum. To do this, you need to draw special glue into a syringe with a thick needle, carefully apply it to the back of the floor covering, and press it down firmly with a weight for 48 hours.

You don’t need to cut small blisters, just pierce them and glue them.

In essence, the technology is the same as when removing bubbles on wallpaper.

Video instructions

Another way to remove blisters on linoleum that is not glued to the floor without piercing on video:

If the bubbles have not disappeared after several attempts to remove them yourself, then when serious mistakes were made when laying the flooring. In this case, the linoleum will have to be re-laid.