Creative Uses for Vinyl Sheet Flooring Scraps and Remnants
Vinyl sheet flooring, which is sometimes referred to as linoleum, is one of those materials that usually require a homeowner to buy much more than they need in order to have a seamless installation. This seamless installation stops water and spills from seeping into the floor, and reduces the chance of the vinyl from curling. To create this seamless look however, an installer must order enough vinyl to reach the widest and longest parts of the kitchen or bathroom. This results in huge sections of leftover vinyl where it’s been cut away from cabinets and kitchen niches. Most contractors, like mine, will throw out those extra pieces unless the homeowner asks for it to be saved.
Floor vinyl is a durable product with all sorts of creative uses. Instead of throwing out the scraps, those pieces of vinyl flooring can be used around the house and garage in all sorts of ways.
Lining beneath the sink
In most homes, the cabinet under the sink is usually the dirtiest one of all. This is where most of us keep the kitchen trash can, compost bucket, and cleaning supplies. To protect the cabinet shelf, make a vinyl flooring pad to fit neatly beneath on the shelf. On cleaning day, the vinyl can be removed and washed outside with a hose.
Floor protectors
Heavy appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, freezers, and washing machines can damage the floors beneath with the incredible pressure caused by their leg supports or wheels. To protect the existing hardwood or vinyl floors from the damage caused by appliances, cut a piece of scrap flooring to use as cushioning.
Protect the floor of the garage
For cars that have oil leaks or for those times that you are changing the oil in your car, slip a scrap of vinyl flooring beneath the car to protect the concrete. It will also provide a little added insulation from that cold, concrete floor.
Line junk drawers and cabinets
We all have at least one kitchen drawer that is filled with odds and ends. To protect the surface of the drawer from oozing glue and leaky felt markers, cut a vinyl scrap to fit tightly instead the drawer. For utility cabinets in the laundry room or garage, strips of vinyl can be cut into reusable shelf liners to protect the cabinets from oil and paint.
Floors for wooden doll houses
When we were kids, my Dad used to line the floors of our doll house with scraps of leftover linoleum to look like the “real deal.” You can do the same by cutting scraps of vinyl flooring to size, and gluing them in place with contact cement.
Make a cheap potting table
To make a low cost potting table, I purchased a beat up old “lowboy” dresser from a thrift store, and glued a scrap vinyl flooring to the top. The drawers are great for holding small yard tools and empty pots, and the vinyl surface protects the wood beneath from warping.
Winter car mats
In period of wet & muddy weather, the floors of our cars get pretty dirty from snow, mud, and rain. To protect the carpeting, we cut an assortment of floor mats to size and used those instead of the fabric mats. A larger sheet of vinyl can also be used for the trunk for those times when you are hauling bags of peat moss or steer manure.
Do these ideas not work for you? Instead of throwing out the scraps, consider donating them instead to a building material recycling outlet, a Habitat for Humanity project, Desert Industries or listing them on Freecycle.com.
