Question from InessaM
I am in the process of buying a house. Current owner used linseed oil as a sealer on all the floors in the house (all brick) and I am having really hard time with the fumes.
Does anyone know if the I can either removed it or seal it with another product?
Debra’s Answer
Readers, any suggestions?
I did a little research on this and found that linseed oil is extremely difficult to remove, even with very toxic chemicals, and brick is very porous, so that makes it even more difficult.
It is also difficult to seal because many finishes will not stick to the oily surface.
If you must buy this house, my recommendation would be to cover the floors with a physical barrier, such as heavy duty foil-backed paper, and then lay a new floor of your choice on top of that. Cement would also block the fumes–put a skim coat of cement over the brick and then use the cement floor as your floor or lay flooring over that.
