FORBO FLOORING AND MARMOLEUM LINOLEUM
Forbo is the linoleum company. Marmoleum is the only mainstream commercial floor covering made from natural raw materials and it is the reason a specifier reaches for Forbo rather than another sheet manufacturer. Around it sits a broad offer covering vinyl, safety flooring, LVT, entrance matting and textile, so Forbo answers for most of a mixed building from one catalogue. It sits alongside the other manufacturers on our commercial flooring brands hub and across the wider commercial flooring range. Surface Specialists works across every major manufacturer and is tied to none of them. Where a Forbo system is the right answer, it is specified and installed by an experienced specialist contractor from our network. Listing Forbo here does not imply a partnership, approval or accreditation.
What linoleum is and how it differs from vinyl
Linoleum and vinyl are chemically unrelated products that most buyers use interchangeably. Linoleum is made from natural raw materials: linseed oil, wood flour, limestone, rosin and jute. Vinyl is a PVC product built from petrochemical feedstock. They sit next to each other in the same sample box and share almost nothing in composition.
That single distinction drives the whole environmental argument for Marmoleum. Forbo’s current wording is that Marmoleum is made of up to 98 per cent natural raw materials and is climate positive without the need for offsetting, a weighted average across the Marmoleum portfolio measured cradle to gate. The case rests on what the floor is made of rather than on a recycled content figure, which is why Marmoleum keeps appearing on projects where a sustainability target has to be evidenced rather than asserted.
Composition also changes how the floor behaves in service. Marmoleum has natural bacteriostatic properties and Forbo describes it as among the best scratch, stain and water resistant flooring products on the market. A commercial vinyl floor is a different proposition built for different reasons, so the two are never simply two grades of the same product.
The Marmoleum collections
Marmoleum runs to over 300 colours and over 12 structures across sheet and modular tile. The collections group by visual character rather than by sector.
Marmoleum Marbled is the classic mottled linoleum look and holds Real, Vivace, Fresco, Terra and Splash. Marmoleum Solid covers the plainer and more contemporary structures through Concrete, Cocoa, Piano, Slate and Walton. Marmoleum Linear carries the directional grain of Striato Original, Striato Textura and Striato Colour. Marmoleum Modular takes the same material into tile and plank formats.
Three specialist products sit alongside them. Marmoleum Decibel adds an acoustic backing rated at 18dB. Marmoleum Ohmex is the conductive version for environments where static control matters. Corkment underlay takes acoustic performance to 14dB beneath standard Marmoleum. Forbo makes Bulletin Board and Furniture Linoleum from the same material for vertical and worksurface applications.
The Forbo range at a glance
Marmoleum is the reason Forbo gets specified but it is not the whole offer. The table below covers the range families across every category Forbo works in.
| Range | What it is | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Marmoleum | Linoleum in sheet and modular tile, made from natural raw materials | Projects where the environmental profile of the floor is scrutinised |
| Eternal | Heterogeneous multi-layer sheet vinyl. Eternal design vinyl sheet, Eternal de Luxe and Eternal Next | General commercial areas needing a designed vinyl surface |
| Sarlon | Acoustic sheet vinyl rated at 19dB | Floors above occupied space where impact sound has to be controlled |
| Sphera | Homogeneous single-layer vinyl. Sphera Element, Energetic, Elite b+, SD and EC | Heavy traffic areas and controlled environments including ESD zones |
| Step | Safety flooring. Surestep at R10, Safestep at R11 and R12 | Kitchens, wet areas, plant rooms and circulation with a contamination risk |
| Allura | LVT. Allura Dryback, Flex, Click Pro, Click Flexcore, Puzzle and Decibel | Retail, hospitality and offices wanting a wood or stone look |
| Coral and Nuway | Entrance flooring. Coral is the textile system, Nuway Internal and Nuway External are rigid | Entrance zones, protecting every floor beyond them |
| Flotex | Flocked textile floor covering, waterproof and washable | Areas wanting textile underfoot where a conventional carpet would not last |
| Tessera | Tufted carpet tiles. Tessera Planks, Evolve+, Union and Acoustic, plus needlefelt tiles | Offices, education and general contract interiors |
The safety flooring range is called Step. Surestep is the R10 tier, running through Original, Star, Balance, Stone, Wood and Laguna. Safestep steps up to R11 and R12. Surestep Laguna and Safestep Aqua are the wetroom products. Forbo’s claim for the range is guaranteed slip-resistant performance throughout the lifetime of the product, delivered by slip-resistant particles distributed through the matrix plus a PUR coating. Forbo cites R ratings on these products, where Altro publishes pendulum test values and Polyflor cites EN 13845 and the pendulum test. That matters when a specification names a test method rather than a product.
Allura is the LVT range and it comes in six formats: Allura Dryback, Allura Flex, Allura Click Pro, Allura Click Flexcore, Allura Puzzle and Allura Decibel, the acoustic option. Modul’up is Forbo’s adhesive-free sheet vinyl at 19dB. For ESD and cleanroom work the options are Colorex EC, Colorex SD, Colorex Plus, Sphera EC, Sphera SD and Marmoleum Ohmex. Every one of these floors is only as good as what sits beneath it, so subfloor preparation is settled before the covering is chosen.
Acoustic performance across the Forbo range
Forbo describes itself as an acoustic specialist of over 30 years with a range spanning 14dB to 19dB. Sarlon is the headline acoustic vinyl at 19dB and it is the product that gets named when impact sound drives the decision rather than appearance or durability.
Acoustic performance is a live specification driver in education, healthcare and multi-occupancy residential, where the floor finish is often the last element left to solve a sound problem the structure created. The 14dB to 19dB band covers most of what a designer needs: Corkment underlay at 14dB, Marmoleum Decibel at 18dB, Sarlon and Modul’up at 19dB, plus Allura Decibel in the LVT range and Tessera Acoustic in the carpet tiles.
Entrance flooring and the textile ranges
Entrance flooring is a serious category rather than an afterthought. Forbo states that Coral stops up to 95 per cent of walked-in dirt and moisture, which makes the entrance zone the most efficient place in the building to protect every other floor. Dirt that never gets past the door never has to be cleaned off a floor deeper inside, so this is a maintenance argument as much as a design one.
Coral is the textile entrance system. Nuway is the rigid one, supplied as Nuway Internal and Nuway External. Nuway External is handmade in the UK and carries product guarantees of up to 15 years.
Flotex deserves explaining because flocked flooring is genuinely unusual. Rather than tufting or weaving loops of yarn into a backing, flocked construction stands millions of short fibres on end and bonds them to a waterproof base. Forbo calls it the only truly washable textile floor covering on the market and states that it is completely waterproof. The result feels like a textile underfoot and cleans like a resilient floor. The collections run through Flotex Naturals, Flotex Colour, Flotex Planks, Flotex Advance and Created by Flotex.
Tessera is the tufted carpet tile range, covering Tessera carpet tiles, Tessera Planks, Tessera Evolve+, Tessera Union and Tessera Acoustic, plus needlefelt tiles.
Where Forbo floors are made
Forbo Nairn UK Ltd at Kirkcaldy in Scotland is Forbo’s second linoleum manufacturing site. It produces Marmoleum in modular, tile and plank formats plus Marmoleum Decibel. The main Marmoleum sheet plant is Assendelft in the Netherlands, so a UK-manufactured claim holds for the modular formats and not for sheet. That distinction is worth getting right on a tender document.
The rest of the range is made across Europe. Coevorden in the Netherlands produces Eternal, Allura and Step. Giubiasco in Switzerland makes Colorex. Reims in France makes Sarlon. The company traces its milestones back to 1928 and the Continentale Linoleum Union, later renamed Forbo. The UK entity is Forbo Flooring UK Limited. Forbo publishes third-party verified EPDs plus a CO2 calculator, which is the level of evidence a sustainability claim needs to survive scrutiny.
Frequently asked questions
Is Marmoleum the same as vinyl?
No. Marmoleum is linoleum, made from natural raw materials: linseed oil, wood flour, limestone, rosin and jute. Vinyl is a PVC product made from petrochemical feedstock. The two are chemically unrelated even though they are sold side by side and specified for the same rooms.
What is Marmoleum made from?
Linseed oil, wood flour, limestone, rosin and jute. Forbo states that Marmoleum is made of up to 98 per cent natural raw materials and is climate positive without the need for offsetting, a weighted average across the Marmoleum portfolio measured cradle to gate.
Is Marmoleum made in the UK?
Partly. Forbo Nairn UK Ltd at Kirkcaldy in Scotland is Forbo’s second linoleum manufacturing site and it produces the modular, tile and plank formats plus Marmoleum Decibel. The main Marmoleum sheet plant is Assendelft in the Netherlands.
Which Forbo range is the acoustic one?
Sarlon is the acoustic sheet vinyl at 19dB. Forbo describes itself as an acoustic specialist of over 30 years across a 14dB to 19dB range, which also takes in Corkment underlay at 14dB, Marmoleum Decibel at 18dB, Modul’up at 19dB, Allura Decibel and Tessera Acoustic.
How does Forbo safety flooring compare with Altro and Polyflor?
All three manufacture sheet safety vinyl for the same environments, but the published evidence differs. Forbo cites R ratings for its Step range. Altro publishes pendulum test values. Polyflor cites EN 13845 and the pendulum test. Check what the specification asks for before treating the ranges as interchangeable.
Who provides the quotation for a Forbo floor?
The specialist contractor does, after the survey. Surface Specialists arranges the survey and matches you to the right contractor in its network, but the written quotation and the contract for the works sit with the contractor who carries out the job.
Key takeaways
- Marmoleum is linoleum, not vinyl. Linseed oil, wood flour, limestone, rosin and jute give it a completely different environmental profile from any PVC-based floor.
- Forbo’s current wording is up to 98 per cent natural raw materials and climate positive without the need for offsetting, measured cradle to gate as a weighted average of the Marmoleum portfolio.
- Sarlon at 19dB anchors an acoustic offer spanning 14dB to 19dB, which is often the deciding factor in education, healthcare and multi-occupancy residential.
- Coral stops up to 95 per cent of walked-in dirt and moisture, which protects every floor behind the entrance.
- Kirkcaldy in Scotland makes the modular, tile and plank Marmoleum formats plus Decibel. Sheet Marmoleum comes from Assendelft in the Netherlands.
- Flotex is flocked rather than tufted, which Forbo describes as the only truly washable textile floor covering on the market.
Get the right Forbo system specified
Tell us about the building, the traffic it takes and the environment the floor has to survive. We match you with a specialist contractor from our network who knows the Forbo range across linoleum, vinyl, safety flooring, LVT, entrance matting and textile. We arrange a free site survey. The contractor assesses the substrate, specifies the system and provides the written quotation.