Flaxseed, flaxseed everywhere, but not a piece of linoleum to be found.
That describes the situation Allen Kuhlmann found himself in when he decided to install linoleum as part of a home renovation project.
The long-time flax grower from Vanguard, Sask., looked all over Regina and Moose Jaw, Sask., but couldn’t find a dealer who could provide him with linoleum.
Some didn’t even seem to know what it was, using it as a generic term for floor covering.
“It certainly disappointed me but I don’t know that it surprised me,” he said. “I had to use vinyl and I hated it, but I had no choice.”
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Kuhlmann said it’s ironic that linoleum should be so hard to find in the heart of the world’s biggest flax producing region.
The solution, in the opinion of many in the flax industry, is to build a linoleum manufacturing plant in Western Canada.
“Why wouldn’t you produce it close to the source of the raw material and cut down on the costs?” Kuhlmann wondered, not to mention the beneficial economic spinoffs of setting up such a facility.
The same view is shared by Flax Canada 2015, an industry group committed to boosting the production, use and profile of flax and flax products over the next decade.
As the organization states on its website, “the establishment of a linoleum manufacturing plant on the Canadian Prairies would strengthen rural revitalization efforts by providing investment opportunities, jobs and economic spinoffs.”
There is bad news and good news for those who would like to see a linoleum plant in Western Canada.
The bad news is there are no concrete plans in the works for such a project.
The good news is that the world’s leading linoleum manufacturer says it will almost certainly happen in the coming decade.
“There is an 80 percent chance there will be a plant in Western Canada within 10 years,” said Jacco Vlaar, Canadian sales manager for the Swiss-based firm Forbo, which has been making linoleum for 140 years.
It will happen, he said, when demand for linoleum in North America increases to the point that the company can no longer supply the demand from its existing plants in Scotland and the Netherlands.
Forbo is working with industry groups to make sure that happens.
“The No. 1 thing is to get more linoleum consumption in North America,” said Les Rankin, director of industrial and fibre uses for Flax Canada 2015.
Linoleum was once a dominant player in the flooring market, but that began to change in the 1950s with the introduction of new types of less durable but cheaper PVC and vinyl flooring.
By 1982 Forbo faced a choice of closing down or launching a concerted effort to rebuild the market for linoleum. It chose the latter and by promoting it as a green product, demand began to take off.
Linoleum has a lot of things going for it these days with increased consumer awareness of environmental issues.
It’s biodegradable, made of 30 percent linseed (flax) oil, resin, wood flour, limestone and natural pigment, pressed onto a jute backing and emits no noxious gases when it breaks down.
It possesses natural anti-microbial properties, making it ideal for health care facilities, schools, commercial buildings and kitchens.
As well, it has significant Canadian content because all of the linseed oil used in Europe in the production of linoleum comes from Canadian flax.
Linoleum has always retained a place in the market for institutional flooring, but has remained a marginal player in the residential market. Vlaar said that’s starting to change.
He is confident demand in North America will increase to the point that it makes economic sense to build in Western Canada, adding the region’s access to flax, wood flour, and limestone and lots of space to set up a plant make it an ideal location.
The company would also save the considerable costs of shipping flax to Europe and linoleum back to North America.
“There’s a lot of freight that could be saved by having a plant in Saskatchewn,” Rankin said.
Because it takes three to four years to build a plant, Forbo has been having preliminary discussions with flax industry people in Canada.
World demand for linoleum is estimated to be around 50 to 60 million sq. metres per year. One acre of flax yielding 20 bushels would produce enough linseed oil to produce 250 sq. metres of linoleum.
Canada produces one million tonnes of flax a year and exports 600,000 tonnes, mainly as seed along with a small amount of oil. About 65 percent of exports go to Europe.
