We are re-doing a pretty small bathroom in the basement. I originally wanted to replace the floor because I thought it was in really bad shape, but on closer inspection, it really isn't. The problem is that it's really dull. After some heavy scrubbing, it looks pretty good. There are no scratches, it's adhered really well (and I mean really, really well), and it isn't worn anywhere. Since I have a rug that will cover probably 75% of the floor and I don't mind the color or the style of the floor, I've decided I don't want the trouble of replacing it. But the dullness just makes it look super worn and dirty. Is it possible to put a layer or two of polyurethane over the floor to get the shine back and to protect it? I'm sure it's a pretty old floor, probably put in in the 70's when the rest of the basement was finished, so I don't really know what it's made of. It's very hard, much harder than the vinyl we put in the upstairs bathroom and the 10 year old stuff we removed from the kitchen. If I can polyurethane it, is there a special brand or quality I should be looking for? If I can't polyurethane it, are there any other suggestions for bringing it back to it's former mid-seventies glory?

We are planning to install self adhesive vinyl tiles in our kitchen. There is already linoleum on the floor. My question is do we need to remove the lino before installing the tiles or can we use something to "rough up" the surface of the lino? I don't want the corners of the tiles to peel up. Thanks!:confused: