Titanic's Linoleum

Cam Houseman · Sep 11, 2020

Hi. I thought I'd start a thread to collect Titanic's correct linoleum. Post here if you have additions, or corrections

1. 1st class Smoking Room

A-Deck 1st class Smoking Room Linoleum.png

2. Gymnasium Tiles

3. Reception Room carpet
.

4. D-Deck Dining Saloon

5. Officer's Quarters and Second Class Staircase

6. Third Class Stairway under the Poop Deck (with many thanks to Thomas Krom. Such a smart man)

Mike Spooner · Sep 12, 2020

Hi Cam,
I would be interested where the lino was made. As there was a local company to me called the Staines Lino Company near Heathrow airport London. This subject has been brought up before in the past. The inverter was Fred Walton in 1855 from Yorkshire England a highly inflammable material in manufacturing. As Fred found out in his first factory resulted in been burnt down. Fred then tired in with a London business man for the money to build a new factory in Staines known as now Staines upon Thames. Fred was also the first to introduced colour patterns but was very much focus on the up market for top quality. London on his door step was captive market indeed. The local museum have records of the lino factory and lino was sold to White Star Line, Cunard Line and Union Castle Line. However the dates when sold are a little bit vague.
If the lino has FW printed on the back that has come from the Staines lino factory. Needless to say with great regret the factory has long gone and now is the Two Rivers shopping centre.

Cam Houseman · Sep 12, 2020

They stopped using the kind of linoleum Titanic had, because they found that it eroded when seawater was exposed to it--Oops!

Mike Spooner · Sep 12, 2020

Thanks for the excellent film on linoleum which I have never seen before. There was another reason why linoleum was stopped used on warship decks. After the attack on Peral Harbour 1941they found to be too flammable.

Steven Christian · Sep 12, 2020

Interesting. Never heard that before. The best thing about linoleum in my opinion was that it covered up and preserved a lot of old wood floors in houses that could later be restored.

Cam Houseman · Sep 12, 2020

Mike Spooner said:
Thanks for the excellent film on linoleum which I have never seen before. There was another reason why linoleum was stopped used on warship decks. After the attack on Peral Harbour 1941they found to be too flammable.

absolutely, always happy to help! The linoleum burning probably didn't help them trying to put out fires on the burning Warships!

Cam Houseman · Sep 13, 2020

Steven Christian said:
Interesting. Never heard that before. The best thing about linoleum in my opinion was that it covered up and preserved a lot of old wood floors in houses that could later be restored.

oh, and I'll try to add more linoleum later, as well as the Stern fantail and Portside

Cam Houseman · Sep 13, 2020

Linoleum Continued:

Reading and Writing room carpet:

First Class tile:

Veranda Palm Court:

First Class Lounge carpet:

Fireman's Spiral Staircase landing linoleum:

rafaam2301 · Jan 8, 2021

Just wanted to contribute with my grain of sand to this
Many of them come from the video you posted before

First Class Dining Saloon

Second Class Dining Saloon

First Class Smoking Room (HQ)

Second Class Smoking Room

Enquiry Office - Elevator cars

Turkish Bath

Grand Staircase

And finally, as a bonus, the Britannic's Grand Staircase tiles (used by Olympic post war)

Steven Christian · Jan 8, 2021

Thanks for posting these you guys. I recall from sometime past there was company that reproduced some of these patterns.

Steven Christian · Jan 8, 2021

Cam Houseman said:
They stopped using the kind of linoleum Titanic had, because they found that it eroded when seawater was exposed to it--Oops!

That was an interesting vid. Thanks. Didn't know it was invented before the civil war.

Cam Houseman · Jan 9, 2021

Steven Christian said:
That was an interesting vid. Thanks. Didn't know it was invented before the civil war.

Yeah!!
Dumb question, sorry. What’s the difference between the tiling, and linoleum?

Steven Christian · Jan 9, 2021

Cam Houseman said:
Yeah!!
Dumb question, sorry. What’s the difference between the tiling, and linoleum?

Most tiles are made of ceramic. But the term tiles is also used for linoleum when it comes in the smaller squares like a lot of people use in their bathroom floors instead of the whole room large rolls. You can make a "tile" out of anything but its mostley a size thing not really the material.

Definition of TILE

a flat or curved piece of fired clay, stone, or concrete used especially for roofs, floors, or walls and often for ornamental work; a hollow or a semicircular and open earthenware or concrete piece used in constructing a drain… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Mike Spooner · Jan 10, 2021

Steven Christian said:
That was an interesting vid. Thanks. Didn't know it was invented before the civil war.

This subject has been brought up many years ago now. I have looked into this a bit more details as I an interest in the Linoleum Company based at Staines Middlesex England was set up by Frederick Edward Walton in 1864. Which was about 6 miles away from where I live at present. I can see a bit of confusion here the difference between. Linoleum (shorten to Lino) Litosilo and Veitchi. Hardings Litosilo is covered in the TITANIC Ship Magnificent book to. Litosilo is a material similar to cement were it is trailed on the decks to make a smooth surface over rivet heads and uneven metal plates then the lino is placed on top.
Although the Litosilo was waterproof rat proof and infection proof to. However after time they found Litosilo was soaking up water and the magnesium chloride was rusting the decks out. So anywhere the decks open to water was not used anymore.
Veitchi was next used and what I can see proved to solve the problem.
There is a claim it was used on RMS/HMHS Britannic ship! However the dates don't tie up. If Veitchi was invented 1917 in Glasgow. Britannic ship was completed December 1915 and sunk November 1916?
Frederick Walton set up factory in America 1870 in Linoleumville New York State highly successful and profitable to.
FW 1877 went on to invent Lincrusta a heavy duty thick embossed wall paper. Which was on Titanic on some of the first class cabins. He also went on to invent Hardboard but that is another story.

Cam Houseman · Jan 10, 2021

Mike Spooner said:
Although the Litosilo was waterproof rat proof and infection proof to. However after time they found Litosilo was soaking up water and the magnesium chloride was rusting the decks out. So anywhere the decks open to water was not used anymore.

W a t e r p r o o f

Steven Christian · Jan 10, 2021

Cam Houseman said:
W a t e r p r o o f
View attachment 75138

DOH!

Mike Spooner said:
This subject has been brought up many years ago now. I have looked into this a bit more details as I an interest in the Linoleum Company based at Staines Middlesex England was set up by Frederick Edward Walton in 1864. Which was about 6 miles away from where I live at present. I can see a bit of confusion here the difference between. Linoleum (shorten to Lino) Litosilo and Veitchi. Hardings Litosilo is covered in the TITANIC Ship Magnificent book to. Litosilo is a material similar to cement were it is trailed on the decks to make a smooth surface over rivet heads and uneven metal plates then the lino is placed on top.
Although the Litosilo was waterproof rat proof and infection proof to. However after time they found Litosilo was soaking up water and the magnesium chloride was rusting the decks out. So anywhere the decks open to water was not used anymore.
Veitchi was next used and what I can see proved to solve the problem.
There is a claim it was used on RMS/HMHS Britannic ship! However the dates don't tie up. If Veitchi was invented 1917 in Glasgow. Britannic ship was completed December 1915 and sunk November 1916?
Frederick Walton set up factory in America 1870 in Linoleumville New York State highly successful and profitable to.
FW 1877 went on to invent Lincrusta a heavy duty thick embossed wall paper. Which was on Titanic on some of the first class cabins. He also went on to invent Hardboard but that is another story.

Really good info...Thanks. Besides the rusting problem which I didn't know about someone earlier said it was also a fire hazard. That's why later it wasn't used aboard warships later on. You said "was" so I'm guessing that company is no longer there. Too bad as I toured some older factories in Scotland once. It was most interesting.
Edited by me...It was you Mike that said the it was a fire hazard not "someone". My bad...Haven't had my second cup yet.

Mike Spooner · Jan 11, 2021

Steven Christian said:
DOH!

Really good info...Thanks. Besides the rusting problem which I didn't know about someone earlier said it was also a fire hazard. That's why later it wasn't used aboard warships later on. You said "was" so I'm guessing that company is no longer there. Too bad as I toured some older factories in Scotland once. It was most interesting.
Edited by me...It was you Mike that said the it was a fire hazard not "someone". My bad...Haven't had my second cup yet.

Linoleum is made from inflammable materials. Like linseed oil, pine resin, cork dust and flax. In the production it like a cooking operation wear heat is applied. At this stage can be highly inflammable as Fred Walton found out in his first factory and was burnt down. FW became very fire conscious and picked a disused mustard mill in Staines where a water wheel was powered by a stream or a very small river named the Two River no more than 6feet wide into the river Thames at Staines.
He would straddle independent wear houses buildings over the river leave the side open were the raising dampest keep the materials cool. The wear houses were connected via 2foot railway line. He also established the first fire brigade for the town to. Yes we know it can be fire resistant but to what point of heat? Which I am still trying to find. He was to make a battleship grade lino was very hard wearing for the US Navy. The test to what heat it took to set a light came from Peal Harbour attack in 1941. All accounts it when up in flames and was banned to be used again.
I want to make clear I can not guarantee if it was FW lino used on Titanic. As he faces stiff competition from other lino manufactures. But it was know the top quality lino of the day. Very hard wearing to the point Queen Victoria used it in the horse stables at Windsor Castle. Staines is not to far from London were he had a captive market for many of the rich houses and properties where only the best will do. Which I can only presume was the same for Titanic. The local town Museum of the company which is long gone now, as information that lino was sold to White Star Line, Cunard Line and Union Castle Line. To which ship is not clear.

Cam Houseman · Jan 12, 2021

Cam Houseman said:
5. Officer's Quarters and Second Class Staircase
View attachment 49864

small error on my part, meant to fix this a long time ago.
Titanic's Wheelhosue and officer's Quarters had the red and cream tile variant, but the tiles had no borders,
like here:

Olympic had a green version of this, and Britannic's Wheelhouse and Officer's Quarters also had Red and Cream tiles without borders, seen here in 1975 when Britannic was found