Linkrusta

Lincrusta wallpaper in an Art Nouveau pharmacy in Stuttgart (floral decor, original from 1901)

Linkrusta or Lincrusta is a made-up word from the two Latin word components linum ' linen ' and crusta 'hard shell'. It is a material similar to linoleum , which is mainly used to make wall coverings . This stable, pressure and impact resistant wall covering was developed in the last quarter of the 19th century by the English chemist and inventor of linoleum, Frederick Walton .

Manufacturing

Linkrusta is made from oxidized linseed oil ( linoxin ), colophony , copal resin , wood flour, and dyes and fillers . Linkrusta is tough and very water-resistant. Solid paper as well as fabrics made of jute , cotton and (less often) hemp can serve as a carrier for the Linkrusta mass ; meanwhile only firm paper is used. The surface can be finished with lacquers or wall paints, and gold leaf plating is also possible.

Frederick Walton combined the linseed oil layer in paint cans, which had dried as a malleable mass on the surface of the paint, with wood flour, chalk and paint. The mass was applied to a paper web while still hot with pattern rollers. After drying and by oxygen connection and cooling, the webs were ready to be rolled up.

History and application

Original left rusta wall cladding from the Dresden suspension railway

Soon after its market launch in 1877, the new type of wall covering proved to be a resounding success in a number of areas of application - from royal residences to furnishing railway or suspension railway wagons. In 1884 the Lincrusta-Walton factory in Hanover was the first of its kind in Germany.

Linkrusta wallpapers were particularly popular at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries; they can be found in the Cafe Royal in London , in New York's Carnegie Hall or in the Raffles Hotel in Singapore . This type of wall cladding also found its way into many town houses, primarily in staircases, but also in salons and library rooms. The material is still produced today, but due to its high price it has become an exclusive one. It is mainly used in the restoration of historical buildings.

Web links

Commons : Lincrusta  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Lincrusta on materialarchiv.ch
• Application instructions for Lincrusta (accessed August 13, 2020)
• LINCRUSTA 1877 - 1887: THE DEVELOPMENT, DESIGNS AND CHARACTER OF LINCRUSTA-WALTON (accessed August 13, 2020)
• The materials and techniques of relief elements in John Singer Sargent's Triumph of Religion murals (accessed August 13, 2020)