Everything you ever wanted to know about cork flooring, and then some
Update! 2/12/13
It’s been over a year since we put or cork floors in. This post has been getting quite a lot of traffic so I wanted to update readers on how they have held up. In a word- great! We have a floating cork floor that encompass or living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway. It’s all connected. There really isn’t any signs of wear anywhere on the floor. No scratches or dents that I can find. I tended to baby the floor when we first put it in because I was worried about how it would hold up. Now I don’t baby it at all.
The only thing I can see that might be a negative for some is that there is some fading near the our sliding glass door. This is an area that gets afternoon sun directly. It’s not very noticeable. You wouldn’t notice it at all even if you are standing right at the faded area. It just blends right into the darker area smoothly. If I point it out and you look for a while you can see it. It doesn’t bother us at all. Many species of hard wood such as cherry do this as well. You can see some pictures of it below.
As far as maintenance goes I sweep and mop it every other week. More often when needed but it usually doesn’t need it. It never looks dirty. The cork really does hide any dirt on it’s surface. It’s been the easiest floor to maintain that I’ve ever owned. I do keep felt pads on the feet of all our furniture. I replace them when they fall off or go missing. Not sure if this is really necessary but it makes me feel better. That’s been it for maintenance. I may look at the Bona brand floor polish once a year to keep the finish looking as good as it does now. The Bona floor polish for wood floors is perfect for cork floors. They are wood after all.
In our bathroom we put down glue down cork tiles. These are thick flexible cork tiles that come unfinished. They went down really easy. I used a contact adhesive meant for sheet vinyl floors to stick them down. It worked great. I finished the cork with 4 coats of Polyurethane. So far so good. They feel great in the bathroom. The floors are never cold and are nice to walk on with bare feet. I don’t worry at all about water on them as they are impervious to water. They should be very durable.
We are thinking about a few more locations in the house for cork. Our bedroom will probably be next. We can’t wait to take out the carpet. We are not carpet people and the carpet in our bedroom is gross. We’re not quite ready to do it so we haven’t decided if we’re going to go with floating or glue down. My experience is that one isn’t that much more difficult than the other. They offer different benefits. It might come down to a matter of cost. We’ll price out both options and see which one is more economical.
Would we do it again? Yes we would. We can’t imagine a floor we’d like better. The look has really grown on us. The warmth of the cork really works in our family room. It’s our favorite place in the house in part because of the floors. They have the look of hardwood floors but are softer, warmer, and in some ways more durable. We can’t wait to put more in.
Below are a few updated pictures of our floors after a year of wear:
- You can see the sliding glass door here. The cork has faded a bit in this area. It’s hard to notice though because it blends in as you move farther away from the door.
- This is a close up of the faded cork.
Cork Flooring Resources and Information
In my quest to know everything there is to know about cork floors before we made a commitment to them, I did a lot of research. I didn’t find any one resource that had everything I needed to know, so I decided to make one. I tend to over research things so you can benifit from my over-zealousness here. I’ve broken the post up with the jump links below so you can skip to the part that interests you most.
If you want a shorter (and she thinks sweeter) version, you can read Rita’s post about why we picked cork.
Quick Jump Links:
- Why Cork?
- What is It?
- Properties
- Advantages
- Refinishing
- Types of Finish
- Brands
- Installation
- Videos
- Colorfastness
- Care
- Bathrooms and Kitchens
- Links to Discussions on Cork Floors
- Here’s our living room before we bought the house. I’m over on the chair already calculating how much flooring we’d need to get rid of this carpet!
Why Cork?
We have 3 kids who don’t like to wipe their feet and 2 wiener dogs who can’t manage to stay potty trained. Light carpet was a non-starter for us. Luckily we were able to get the house for a price that would allow us to squeeze just enough money out for replacing the carpet.
As we thought about what we wanted in a floor we both knew we did not want new carpet. We both love the look and feel of hardwood floors and started out in that direction. Our needs were simple:
1. Durability- We know that whatever we decide we’ll have to live with for a long time. We don’t want a cheap temporary fix.
2. Dog proof- Well, we have those 2 wieners. They are neurotic and any big changes to their schedule and they are pooping on the floor. I’m sure if we were better pet owners this might not happen, but I don’t think we’re likely to change that very much.
3. Looks- We want something that is welcoming, informal, warm and natural. We don’t like formal dining rooms or rooms that look too “designed.” We don’t like furniture that’s too pretty to sit on. We are much more form follows function than high design.
4. Resale- We aren’t necessarily thinking of this as our forever house. I’m sure we’ll be in it 5-10 years or so. We want to make sure the floors we lay down won’t be an impediment to selling later. We’d like it if they actually add to the resale value. We were both willing to fudge on this a bit though if we find something we love that isn’t exactly resale value friendly.
That’s a pretty simple list. After checking out the sub floor during the home inspection we found out that the sub floor is particle board. That means that we had 4 options:
1. Use a floating engineered floor. The glue-less snap lock variety would work fine. It just lays on top of the sub floor. Doesn’t attach to it in any way.
2. Use a glue down floor. This is more work and messy. It also requires a more level and flat sub floor. The floating floor is more forgiving for imperfections in the sub floor.
3. Lay down plywood over the particle board and then put nail down hardwood. This is expensive, and since we were also doing the kitchen presented problems with clearance for the kick space on the lower cabinets.
4. Tear out all the particle board to see if there is a suitable substrate below and then nail down hardwood. This is also expensive and seemed like a lot of mess and time.
I was really set on nail down solid hardwood but after looking at the options I conceded that it was probably just too expensive and time-consuming an option. Especially if we could get similar benefits from a quicker, cheaper option. (As we wrote earlier, one of our guiding principles is Good enough is good enough.) With that in mind we decided to look at engineered glue-less floating floors.
This led us to examining cork as an option. We both liked the look and all the variety of colors and textures available. It did come in an engineered snap lock variety and the price point was right. As I wrote above, I tend to over-research things, so I went online and read everything there was about cork flooring. I’m certainly no expert now, but I do know a lot more than I did going in.
Cork Flooring- What is it?
- image courtesy of WE Cork, http://www.wecork.com/about-cork/
Cork flooring is actually made from the bark of the Cork Oak tree. The cork is sustainably harvested. About every 10 years or so the bark can be harvested from the tree–and then it grows back. The harvesting does not harm the tree. Most cork is grown in the area around the Mediterranean sea. The trees can be harvested after they are about 25 years old.
Click Together Floating Floor
Floating cork floors are a new product. They work much the same as other floating floors. They have an HDF (high density fiberboard) back and a thin layer of cork glued to the top. They click together with a snap together tongue and groove joint. No glue is required. More often than not they also have a thin layer of cork on the bottom that acts as an insulator. The floating cork doesn’t always work well in bathrooms because the substrate (HDF) swells and buckles when immersed in water for prolonged periods.
- Click lock tile. No glue needed. This floor “floats” over your subfloor. Image courtesy of- http://corkkevin.en.ec21.com/
Glue Down Tiles
The glue down tiles are often used in areas that get a lot of water intrusion. Glue down tiles have been around for a long time. You can often find it in turn-of-the-century libraries and churches. In fact, the Library of Congress has a tile cork floor.Bathrooms would be a place that glue down cork would work well. Cork is naturally impervious to water so it holds up well in this environment.
These tiles glue down with the same contact adhesive you’d use to lay vinyl tile. They go in fairly easy and can be easily cut with a pair of scissors or mat knife. These tiles usually come unfinished so you’ll have to put a coat of polyurethane on them after they go in. Water based poly works fine. 3 or more coats. Even the tiles that come pre-finished require an extra coat after they go in to make them waterproof. The finish seeps into the gaps and seals everything nicely.
Most specs indicate that glue down is not recommended below grade so install in basements may not work unless you get the floor tested for moisture content first. The moisture content won’t affect the cork itself as it’s impervious to moisture but it could affect glue adhesion.
- Cork glue down tiles. These require an adhesive to attach to sub-floor. They are better suited to bathrooms and other wet areas than the floating floor. They often come unfinished and need a polyurethane coating when installed.
Whether or not to use cork in bathrooms and kitchens has been a matter of controversy. A search of the web will yield many pro’s and cons. You will see stories of people having horrible results with floating floors in kitchens and bathrooms and other stories of people who’ve had them for years with no issues at all. I think it probably largely comes down to the quality of the product and how you use your floor. If you use bath mats and wipe up water from your floors after a bath I don’t see any reason floating cork shouldn’t last a long time in that area.
What are the properties of cork?
Antimicrobial- Cork resists growth of bacteria and other microorganisms. This makes it a healthy choice if there are allergy sufferers in the home.
Insulation- Cork offers insulation qualities. It’s a great sound insulator. This makes it a good choice in an upstairs room. No more sound of feet walking on floor. It also has some heat insulating properties. It stays warm in the winter. Unlike hardwood floors that can be cold on bare feet cork is wonderfully warm.
Ergonomics- Cork is great for your back! It has enough cushion that it’s like wearing cushiony sole shoes even when barefoot. This is great in a kitchen if you spend a lot of time there.
Much of these properties are due to the structure of the material. Cork has a very open cell pattern with micro air pockets. These pockets make the material spongy. This is also what gives it it’s insulating qualities. Cork will compress with force but it has a memory and will spring back to it’s original shape when the force is removed.
What are some of the advantages of a cork floor?
There are many. As mentioned above it’s a very comfortable floor. Bare feet just love it! It’s soft and cushiony. It’s also warm. It insulates both heat and noise. Cork floors are also very easy to clean. Once a week sweeping and a slightly damp mop every couple of weeks is really all that’s needed. No cleaning materials at all. Just plain water.
Cork floors are also durable. It doesn’t seem likely that something as soft as cork would be durable but a quality cork product is extremely durable. The material tends to give instead of scratch like hardwood. Also because of the nature of the material you won’t see the small scratches and nicks that will happen over time. They blend in with the material in such a way as to make them largely invisible.
While pricing used to be a concern with cork floors it isn’t any longer. Cork has really come down in price the last few years and is comparable to hardwood or bamboo in terms of price. The floating floor can be a do it yourself project so you can save the big expense of installation. No fancy tools are needed and the skills can be quickly learned and mastered.
Cork flooring can be refinished! Even the floating floors can be refinished. Because the material is so soft extra care has to be taken if using a commercial drum sander. Too much pressure can sand right through the cork layer. If you are a bit more diligent you can put a fresh layer of urethane on the floors before there is a need for a heavy sanding. A light screening to rough up the surface and brushing on the new layer of urethane is all that’s needed. I’d recommend using the square sanders that take the big pads. You can find these at the big orange and blue home stores, in the rental section. They don’t cut as fast or as deep.
- Home Depot Floor Sander
There seems to be some controversy around refinishing floating cork floors. Some reference material says no way–that the wear layer is too thin and that cork is too soft. Others have said that they did it no problem. This could be due to the variation in maker’s quality of finish or the expertise of the re finisher. Unfortunately the floating cork hasn’t been around long enough for many of them to need refinishing yet. I have a few scrap pieces that I’ll use to test refinishing when the time comes. I’m thinking a light sanding to rough up the top coat and then a few thin coats of a water based poly should work just fine.
Types of Finish
There are a few different types of finish available on the market. Most seem to fall into one of two broad categories. The finish either sits on top of the floor and bonds to it, or the finish penetrates the cork. A stain would be an example of this second type. We’ll look at the first type because it’s the most common.
Surface finishes are basically a combination of some type of resin suspended in a solvent. When you apply the finish to the floor the solvent evaporates and leaves the resin behind. The water based surface finishes work largely the same. The water evaporates leaving the resin. As the finish dries there is a chemical reaction that takes place that makes the finish impervious to the original solvent. This means that the water based finish is impervious to water once dry. The oil based finish is impervious to solvents.
Here’s a link to a great article that details the differences in finish by manufacturer. If you are looking at different manufacturers and are wondering how their finishes compare then this is a great read.
Manufacturers finishes compared.
Polyurethane Finish
Polyurethane finishes are the most common. They are usually a water based finish usually applied in layers. The more layers the more durable the finish. This is often the mark of a quality cork vs economy. The economy cork just doesn’t have enough layers of poly. Polyurethane come is both water based and oil based finish. It seems that the oil is easier to apply for a DIY person but the harsh chemical smell and off gassing may be a no go for some. The water based is easy to clean up and has no harmful fumes. Which is more durable is up for debate. The conventional wisdom used to be that water based poly was inferior but this may not be the case with newer technologies. My personal experience applying a water based poly on cork was that it was fairly easy. My advice would be to apply more thin coats instead of a few thick ones.
Wax Finish
This finish is not as common. You’d find it on old glue down tiles. If you have an old house and find cork hiding under carpet you can bet that it’s probably got a wax finish. You won’t find this type of finish being done much anymore on new products as it isn’t as durable and easy as modern polyurethane. Some advantages of a wax finish include: Wax finishes can be rebuffed and re-waxed without removing the existing layer of wax. Scratches in the wax surface can be easily removed by re-waxing the affected tile, without having to refinish the entire floor. Wax floors do however have to be re-waxed every 6 to 12 months, depending on the amount of foot traffic. Some people are stripping all the old wax off their cork floors and applying a modern polyurethane for ease of care.
UV Cured Acrylic
This finish is cured by UV light instead of heat. I haven’t seen any flooring with this type of finish in person. Not sure about refinishing this type of floor either. Here is a resource with some information on acrylic urethane vs polyurethane. My basic understanding is that the low end stuff sometimes uses acrylic finishes.
Several cork brands seem to have a good reputation. We went with Wicanders for price and availability. The WE cork looked and felt almost exactly the same as the Wicanders, and if we could have gotten a better deal on it we would have been happy to go with it. The brands listed below are all good brands and should give you a great product. This is not an exhaustive list. It’s just the ones that seemed to pop up over and over again during my research.
Wicanders- http://www.wicanders.com/client/skins/geral.asp
WE Cork- http://www.wecork.com/
Torly’s- http://www.torlys.com/cork
Globus Cork- http://www.corkfloor.com/
I did run over to Home Depot and looked at the cork they had there. Don’t remember what the brand was? They offer way more on their website than they do in the store, but at the store you can get free samples to take home. It’s a great way to test out the durability of the material. Grab a few and put them through the paces I did:
- Try soaking one in water to see how it holds up.
- Take another and put a heavy table leg on it overnight to see if it dents.
- Finally take one and drag a quarter across the surface hard to see if you can scratch it.
I did all this with the Home Depot brand and frankly wasn’t impressed. I found the cork and the finish to be thin. It was easy to scratch and I could damage it with my fingernail.
This was not the case with the samples from Wicanders and WE cork, which really made me realize the importance of both cork density and quality of finish. It felt like a completely different material. The Wicanders cork did not scratch. Not even when I drug a quarter across the surface VERY hard. A table leg on the sample left a tiny indention that bounced back in about 30 minutes. After that you couldn’t tell at all that I had placed a heavy table leg on it.
Installation
Plank cork is easy to install. It goes together much the same way the snap together floating hardwood floors do. One nice difference is that most cork planks have an underlayment built in. There is a layer of cork on the bottom of the HDF substrate that acts as an underlayment. This is often all that’s needed unless the floors are going in an area where moisture may be an issue such as a concrete floor below grade. In these circumstances a water resistant underlayment may be put down before the cork. Otherwise it’s all included in the plank.
- Our cork floors going in! View from the top of the stairs into the living room.
Want to see how installation’s done? Check out these videos:
Glue Down Tiles
Click Together Floor
Not cork but the install is exactly the same.
Colorfastness?
Cork does fade in direct sunlight. The lighter colors seem to fade less than the dark. Some manufacturers are adding UV protectants to the finish to minimize the effect, but you will get some fading regardless. It’s no different than hardwood floors, really. They also react to UV light. It’s not a defect of the material as much as it’s a natural process of an organic compound.
There are a few things you can do to minimize fading:
Install a lighter colored cork. Lighter colors don’t fade as much as dark colors. (I have heard just the opposite. One rep suggested that the darker colors have a UV protection built in that make them more light-fast. Best check the particular product for that information.)
Install UV film on your windows. You can find UV film at Home Depot fairly cheaply. It has the added benefit of reducing your cooling costs.
Install drapes and blinds to cut the direct sunlight.
Move furniture and rugs periodically to prevent hard lines and edges from forming where furniture protects the floor below.
Not much else to do other than pick a cork that has a UV protection built in. I’m not going to worry too much about fading. I consider it a natural process and will live with the color change as the floor ages. We did pick a lighter color that won’t look too bad if it fades.
Care
How do you care for your floors? It’s fairly easy.
Sweep once a week or so. Make sure that sand, dirt, and other substances that could cause scratches and abrasions are removed from the floor promptly. This will protect the finish and make it last longer. Wipe up all spills right away. The cork itself is fairly impervious to spills but the HDF substrate is not. It can swell if exposed to water. You can mop the floors periodically with a slightly damp mop. Don’t flood the floor with water though. Again this could damage the substrate. A mild detergent or soap in the mop water won’t harm the floor at all. Some people use the Bona floor products designed for wood floors. This is appropriate as the cork has the same finish as wood floors.
- This is the perfect floor for our wiener dogs! Their nails don’t damage the floor at all and clean up of accidents is a snap.
Rugs and runners are a good idea, especially in high traffic areas. We have a runner in the kitchen near the sink and rugs in the high traffic areas of the dining room and living room. We also have a small rug in front of the sliding glass door to the deck.
It’s recommended to not use latex or rubber backed rugs. Check the back side of the rug. Is it scratchy? If it is then you don’t want it on your cork floors. Soft natural fibers work best.
Also, felt pads under furniture legs are a great idea. This gives your floor some protection from furniture sliding across the surface and causing scratches. I haven’t found the weight of my furniture to be a problem but some people suggest circular discs under heavy furniture to dissipate the load a bit.
I’d certainly put a catch pan under potted plants to prevent moisture from sitting on the surface of the floor for an extended period of time. Other than that there isn’t much to do! I’ve heard some people describing high heels putting divits in their cork flooring. My cork floors would not have that issue at all. I suspect this might cause issues with a lower quality product but if you bought your flooring from a reputable manufacturer you should be able to wear your heels around the house no problem.
Bathrooms and Kitchens?
There is lots of controversy about cork in kitchens and bathrooms. It seems that glue down tiles in a bathroom are a great idea all around. They are warm and impervious to water. The click down floating floors in bathrooms may not be a good idea? My big concern besides the water intrusion is how to float the floor. The toilet will be bolted down to the floating floor and will impede the ability of the floor to expand and contract. Any leakage in the wax ring under the toilet could send water into the HDF substrate that the cork is glued to. This could cause it to swell and crack. I think you could possibly get away with floating cork in a bathroom if you are good about keeping your floors dry and wiping up water right away. Otherwise they may not be a good choice.
- Here’s a view of the kitchen before we bought the house. Cork went right over the top of these. You can see the bad carpet in the dining room beyond.
- We LOVE the cork floors in our kitchen. We needed something to break up the white cabinets/white tile/white walls. (Paint is high on our to-do list!) Very comfortable to walk on and easy to clean.
In a kitchen I think it’s an easier choice. The floors really are durable. After ours were installed I had to slide the stove over the floor a few inches to get it back into its place. It did no damage to the floor at all. No scratches or anything. The refrigerator is a big heavy beast and when I move it out to clean there is no indentation in the floor where it sat.
As long as you don’t have standing water sitting on your floors you should be just fine with cork in a kitchen. I did read a few stories of homeowners who had damage to their cork floors caused by a faulty dishwasher. A dishwasher that floods a kitchen floor would ruin most any floor anyway, and I suspect a flood of water on a cork floor left overnight would be disastrous. It certainly is something to consider, but I love the cork floors in our kitchen. They are super comfortable to walk on and clean up easily. I’d install them in my kitchen again in a heartbeat.
The manufacturer we chose does make a product to be used with the click together floors to seal the joints. It’s almost like rubber cement. You put it on the joint and then click the planks together. It’s supposed to improve the water tight seal. We didn’t bother. The tiles click together incredibly tight already. I didn’t think we’d need the extra protection. If someone wanted the extra peace of mind though, it’s available.
You can get it here.
- Living room all done. Walls need to be painted and new window coverings are also in the works.
That’s it. If not everything you need to know about cork flooring, it’s got to be most of what you need to know. See the links below for interesting online discussions about cork flooring. Sometimes it’s nice to hear other people’s real life experiences with a product instead of relying on the manufacturer’s claims. (And speaking of manufacturers and such, we don’t have any connections to any suppliers mentioned in this post. We aren’t big-time enough for perks or payment. Just trying to spread the wealth of everything we learned.)
Online discussions of cork floors
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/362702
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flooring/msg0517211128399.html?12
http://www.viewpoints.com/Cork-Flooring-reviews
Going cork: All you really need to know if you’re considering a cork floor | This (sorta) Old Life
Oct 14, 2011 @ 17:36:33
[...] Cane explains in his post about cork flooring, we knew before we bought the house that the carpet in the main living areas [...]
Is the 70′s split-level the new ranch? (Stop laughing, we’re serious.) | This (sorta) Old Life
Oct 28, 2011 @ 11:05:15
[...] is the guy who put in our awesome cork floors, and Rick’s wife is Brooke, a lovely 30something who loves our house. What was the first [...]
Dec 05, 2011 @ 00:35:33
Thank you so much for sharing your research and experience!
Dec 06, 2011 @ 10:31:58
You are welcome Maria. I had fun writing it.
Dec 30, 2011 @ 07:23:37
I am SO putting cork floors in my kitchen. Soon. Maybe today.
Dec 30, 2011 @ 08:12:30
Do it! I promise you won’t regret it. They hide a multitude of cleaning sins, and they feel great under your feet.
Jun 29, 2012 @ 04:37:25
I seriously value all of the demanding effort you’ve put into keeping this site available. I honestly hope this is around for a very long time.
dining tables recently posted..dining tables
Sep 07, 2012 @ 12:03:16
Cane, we put down cork in our renovated mobile home in 2005; it is a floating floor and so comfortable to walk and stand on, we are thrilled with it. We put a new finish on it after 3 years…it looked like a commercial floor finish and we applied it in several layers. First i washed the floor thouroughly and then colored in all the divots with brown or black markers and then applied the finish….it is the nicest floor ever.
We built a new house recently and put in a high gloss laminate floor from Armstrong and it is pretty but doesnt like to have things dropped on it or dog throw up and while it does not scratch from the dogs nails it does show every bit of dirt…i sweep at least twice a day…and wash once every two weeks…
we wish we had put in cork….but live and learn right?
Your blog is very interesting and i will be back to see what else you two are up to…cheers.
Dec 11, 2012 @ 20:25:15
Abby’s additional comments about cork in mobile home vs. newer installation of laminate flooring in house are very informative and, paired with Rita & Cane’s, are very encouraging to me as I’m seriously considering cork flooring for my kitchen which is occupied also by husband & 3 dogs. I would sure like to know exactly which line of Wicanders Cane & Rita installed and which brand and line Abby chose. I’m very curious to know which finish each of you chose. Thanks for all the helpful info.
Dec 12, 2012 @ 18:24:06
The series 100 is the residential grade; it has the WRT finish. THat’s what we used. We were told that the commercial grade couldn’t be refinished, and that it was harder than the residential. It didn’t have the same give to it. The commercial grade is super-tough, though. It probably wouldn’t need refinishing. We’re really happy with the cork we chose. It’s holding up great.
Sep 07, 2012 @ 12:05:08
oh, one more thing I forgot to mention, we put a piece of the flooring outside and left it there…it did not swell or really do anything…we could have installed it and you probably would not be able to tell it had been outside…we live on Vancouver Island…so it rains here…lots…no really, it rains lots….lol
Nov 14, 2012 @ 20:04:49
Love this post. I’m also researching cork floors to go in our future home. We are house-hunting and every place we see has carpeting or laminate floors. Ugh. Love cork. Can’t wait to try it.
Nov 15, 2012 @ 05:21:21
Good luck with the house hunting! (I loved house-hunting–it was so interesting to me to see what others had done to their homes.) And we still love our cork floors, more than a year later. We’re not carpet or laminate fans either, and cork was a really affordable alternative to hardwoods. Hope you get to try it soon.
Dec 12, 2012 @ 07:30:10
Is it a good idea to let the cork sit in the house for a couple days to acclimate to the temperature? I live in MN, and the temp outside is now 30 degrees outside. i know they remoccent it with wood and laminate flooring. 3 days.
Dec 12, 2012 @ 18:20:46
Our research said that we do need to let the cork acclimate. We let ours sit in our living room for several days, with the boxes open.
Jan 07, 2013 @ 18:37:23
great post! I have been sold on cork in the kitchen for about a year now, but the husband is not, yet. Maybe by the time we have $$ and time to tackle the reno I’ll have convinced him. Your floors look great, and I appreciate the info.
Jan 08, 2013 @ 19:38:01
Thanks for letting us know. We still love ours–and it was an economical choice, too.
Jan 11, 2013 @ 17:47:17
Cane and Rita,
Thank you so much for your wonderfully thorough and thoughtful posts on cork flooring. I’m no longer on the fence about it! I was talked out of cork once by a designer and by a contractor who knew nothing about it. Not this time!
Jan 25, 2013 @ 11:12:42
Are there any brands or flooring companies to stay away from? When I was researching Bamboo flooring, I soon found not all were equal. No one liked Lumber Liquidators.
I can’t seem to find any company/brand reviews.
Thanks
Jan 28, 2013 @ 21:01:37
Carolyn, we have the glue down tiles from Lumber Liquidators in our bathroom. I don’t think the cork is as dense as the wickanders. In a low traffic area like a bathroom it seems fine. I don’t know how it would hold up in a living room though? The brands that I listed in the post above all have very high ratings.
Jan 28, 2013 @ 17:40:40
Thank you for all of your research. I know I want glue down planks. Should I get high density cork flooring that is a little more expensive? I would be worth the extra money if it will wear better.
Jan 28, 2013 @ 17:57:15
I think the high density will wear better. The stuff they sell at Home Depot seems to be poor quality. I was able to drag my fingernail across it and really mark up the surface. I’m not sure if the Wickanders that we installed is high density but it is way more durable than the cheap Home Depot brand. Much of the durability though will be in the finish. The glue down stuff you have to finish yourself so you’ll be able to put enough coats on it to make it very durable I think.
Jan 28, 2013 @ 18:02:40
Thanks for your input. I didn’t think we would have to refinish it ourselves. Could be a messy job since it is the entire living room, dining room and kitchen. I have a Wicander sample that I can indent with my fingernail. No good that.
Jan 28, 2013 @ 18:43:06
Susan, usually the glue down tiles come unfinished. You glue them down and then finish over the top. This makes them fairly waterproof and great in kitchens and bathrooms. It’s a fairly easy job to finish them. I used a waterbased poly in my bathroom on our tiles. You can just sponge it on. Not messy at all. The cork will dent with your fingernail. It’ll spring back though. The Wickanders is good stuff that you can trust. The floating cork is great and easy to install. The benifit of the floating floor over the glue down is that with the glue down your subfloor needs to be very flat. Any imperfections will show through the tiles. With the floating floor you can get away with a subfloor that isn’t quite so flat. We have the floating floor in our kitchen for over a year and it looks just like the day it went in. No problems. Good luck!
Jan 29, 2013 @ 05:17:03
How can you tell if a product is high density? We are going with a floating floor and have received samples from:
USFloors-Natural Cork
Ifloors-APC cork, West Hollow Cork, and Woodstock
Any of the brands, or companies (or any others) that I steer clear of?
Thanks
Jan 28, 2013 @ 20:21:21
Thanks a million!
Jan 29, 2013 @ 09:51:08
Carolyn, I’m not familiar with those brands. One test I did try on my samples was to put the sample under a heavy table leg overnight to see how much it would dent. After I took it out and let it sit for a couple of days to see how much it bounced back. The good ones passed this test just fine. They bounced back and looked perfect. The poor ones didn’t recover so well. The other test is to get a quarter and drag it with some force across the surface. On a good cork it should not break the cork apart. It may cause a temporary indentation or lightly scratch the finish but should not cause chunks to come up. Beyond that I’d read whatever documentation comes with the material and any web reviews you can find. Home that helps.
Feb 01, 2013 @ 16:27:59
I’m curious about the different finishes, I’d like the glue down cork, and am wondering about toxicity/pet friendlyness of the available finishes. I’m visually impaired and have a guide dog and a cat that enjoy helping me cook and clean. Really appreciate any feedback
Feb 04, 2013 @ 12:19:28
Marie, I don’t know a ton about finishes. I put down a water based polyurethane on our bathroom floors. It had virtually no odor at all and seems to be durable enough. I don’t expect it would be problematic for pets at all. The water based poly is low in VOC and is an easy to apply finish for homeowners. There may be some finishes that are more green but for a cost and ease of use finish I’d recommend this.
Feb 07, 2013 @ 11:17:02
I’d strongly recommend against using prefinished cork click panels (as opposed to site finished solid cork) in a kitchen or a bathroom with a shower. Because no polyurethane or other sealant protects the seams in the cork, you cannot mop your floors. Unless you have exceptionally tidy habits, most people need to clean their floors. Additionally, we found that the cork does not survive in traffic areas (hallways, staircase landings) with 70 lb dogs. Their claws dig in to change directions and eventually the soft cork dents or chunks out. I just finished taking 400 sf of cork click panel out of our kitchen to try to salvage for use in an office that doesn’t have high traffic. Again, my personal experience is that cork is completely unsuited for traffic, dirt, or moisture.
Feb 07, 2013 @ 13:21:39
Thanks for sharing your experience Keith. I think the quality varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. I got a sample of Wickanders commercial grade cork and I can tell you that I could not scratch the surface no matter how hard I tried. The finish was like iron. We went with the consumer grade because it was softer and had more give to it. I agree that the click together pre finished cork is probably not a great idea in a bathroom. The cork would hold up fine. It’s the substrate that isn’t OK with water intrusion. It can swell and break apart if soaked in water repeatedly. We put glue down in our bathroom and floating click together cork in the rest of the house including the kitchen. After a year I can say that the floors in our house look just as they did the day we put them in. The only thing I see is some fading in front of our sliding glass door to our back deck. This is common and what happens with natural materials like cork. You wouldn’t notice the fading until I pointed it out to you. Doesn’t bother us at all. As for big dogs I’ve read quite a few reviews by people with big dogs that both corroborate and contradict your experience. I think it’s mostly due to density of the cork and the quality of the finish. That’s why I always recommend that people buy from reputable well reviewed manufacturers for pre finished cork. Not to pile on Home Depot but I found their click cork to be low quality. It felt low density and the sample I had fell apart with not too much effort. My best advice is to always order a sample and put it to the test to see how it holds up.
Feb 15, 2013 @ 17:28:05
Your kitchen floor is gorgeous! Which color of the Wicanders is it? It’s so hard to tell on a computer screen.
Feb 15, 2013 @ 21:54:50
Sarah, best I can remember it was the Originals Harmony.
Feb 15, 2013 @ 17:33:10
I forgot to ask if you encountered any examples of the oiled cork. I’ve found mention of a safflower based oil that gets rubbed into unfinished tiles. The site claims it’s the most natural feel and finish for cork and can be reapplied to any spot that needs more finish. The whole floor would need to be re-oiled in 6-12months. My floor will be low impact, so I’m considering it. The manufacturer is Jelinek cork.
Feb 15, 2013 @ 21:59:20
I haven’t seen an oil finish in person. From what I can tell this is an older type of finish that predates polyurethane. I think it’s usually waxed as well? I think the downside is that it requires more frequent maintenance. I’d love to see some in person though. Be sure to let us know if you go that route. I’d love to see pictures.
Mar 03, 2013 @ 01:02:18
Did you compare your Wicanders WRT floor to their polyurethane finished floor? I’m interested in the PU finish and wonder if it will hold up as well as your WRT finish has held up so far. I have a young child and am looking for the floor to be durable, non-toxic, and super comfortable. The color of your floor is one we are considering as well, so I am glad to see your updated pictures. Thanks! It’s hard to find enough pictures of the various colors (actually installed on a floor!) online.
Mar 03, 2013 @ 20:02:01
Tara,
I just found this really helpful resources on the different manufacturers finishes. Not sure why I didn’t find this sooner but it’s a great resource.
http://www.naturalinteriors.com/2010/10/cork-2010-style/#more-590
Mar 21, 2013 @ 11:08:59
Where did you buy the Wicanders flooring? We live in Carlisle, PA. Can’t find a dealer.
Mar 23, 2013 @ 08:30:32
We got it from Rug Bug Eco Flooring in Portland: http://rugbugecoflooring.com
Mar 27, 2013 @ 01:04:00
I really appreciate the effort you have put in to present your research on Cork Flooring!! Great post!!
May 09, 2013 @ 08:14:28
We are seriously considering cork flooring in our whole house as soon as we can afford it. Thanks for all of your great information in one place! I would also make the choice to put the glue down tiles in our bathroom as we have 4 children and that floor seems to stay wet. I know that you have to finish those tiles but I am wanting to know if you put any additional finish on your flooring planks that you put in the rest of your house once you got them all installed? Also, our house is on a concrete cement slab (one of reasons we would like cork) and I am wondering if we will need to place something between the concrete and the flooring before putting down the floating floor. I imagine that the glue down tiles in the bathroom can be placed right on the linoleum. A big factor for us in choosing a cork floor is making sure there are no PVC’s, formaldehyde, and little to no VOC’s used in the flooring. That information is not the easiest to find at times.
May 09, 2013 @ 14:50:00
Brittany,
Most click together pre finished cork does not need an additional coat of finish. Some people will apply a coat of poly as an extra measure though. We didn’t put anything on ours. The commercial finish on them is very durable.
Most click together floating cork floors come with an underlayment built in. Usually there is a thin layer of cork on the bottom which acts as an underlayment and provides some insulating qualities as well. On a concrete slab some people will put down a plastic vapor barrier if the slab has some moisture content. People don’t realize it but concrete is porous and if the ground has a high water content it can seep up through the concrete. If the concrete is below grade then a vapor barrier is needed. If it’s above grade then it depends on the moisture content. The vapor barrier is super cheap and very easy to install so it’s cheap insurance.
Gluing tiles right on top of linoleum should work fine unless the linoleum has a pattern or deep texture. Those will transfer right to the cork. If it’s flat and clean then the right glue should stick the cork down no problem. Water based Polyurethane for glue down cork is very low on VOC. It’s easy to apply and has virtually no odor going down.
Apr 08, 2013 @ 08:41:57
Hi,
Found this website and really appreciate all the information here.
We are contemplating putting in a cork floor in our 3 season cabin in Northern Wisconsin. We like all the things we are hearing about cork. We have found a floating/locking panel that we really like.
My greatest fear though is that our cabin goes unheated in the winter and temps can drop well below zero at times. Manufacturers don’t want to warranty any of their flooring in those cases.
However, I’ve found many comments on the web by people in similar circumstances that have put down laminates/engineered floors and not had a problem.
I wouldn’t think these cork panels would be any different.
Anyone out there have thoughts/knowledge on this?
Thank you!
Apr 08, 2013 @ 09:37:57
Tim, I wouldn’t expect that cork would have a harder time than any other type of floating floor. As long as it’s installed with the proper room for expansion and contraction I wouldn’t think it’d be a problem.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 21:12:07
Hello,
We have significant fading on our Braga cork floors that we purchased from Lowes about five years ago. We never applied any type of additional finish. We would like to restain them to match their original color (or close to it) to match areas under the rug that haven’t faded.
Any suggestions as to what type / brand of of stain to use?
Many thanks!
Brad
May 02, 2013 @ 13:51:27
That sounds like a tough job Brad. Since stain is meant to soak into the material and not float on top you’ll have some issues. You might get away with a poly with stain built in. Most likely poly is what your finish is now so a poly with stain would probably at least adhere with no problems. I have no idea if it would be streaky or how it would look. If you have any scrap pieces from your install you could test it. Or if you don’t you can get free sample pieces from the Depot or Lowes. Grab one and a small can of polyshades and see how it works. Floor guys would recommend a light sanding to get better adhesion.
Ours have faded as well but we are living with it as it doesn’t bother us at all. Good luck!
May 02, 2013 @ 12:15:23
Hi Rita, Cane and all the other helpful folks who have added to this website,
We have a small home 50′ from a lake waterfront that has 20 year old industrial carpeting throughout. Put that in because our kids were little and didn’t want anyone slipping and falling on wet or sandy floors when they raced in, soaking wet, from the lake! Kids are grown (still race in wet from the lake – lol – along with many now-very-tall friends!) and carpet needs replacing. MOST of the kids now know they can’t come in dripping (just wet, that’s ok), but water on the floor is still a concern, as is sand (sandy road, sandy driveway, etc). And our screenporch, also carpeted in indoor/outdoor, does get wet when it rains. Add to that a resident dog (small and just one at present — and yes, I know all about small dog accidents) and indoor-outdoor cat and 60+ homeowners (fair backs/knees) and we have interesting requirements.
I would again go back to the carpet — it’s served us well — except for one important fact. We have allergies. And my 28 year old son’s can be a problem in a small home with carpet. And this is his favorite place to be in the summer (close to his work, but allergies now prevent his staying many nights). So I’m delighted to find your website with all its additional comments.
I have two questions for everyone — (1) Can you feel sand on your feet on cork flooring? That’s a REAL problem for me on any hard surface as I HATE the feel of dirty floors and I walk barefoot whenever possible. (Sand just disappears into carpet.) I’m a decent housekeeper, but not into daily mopping/vacuuming (once a week usually). (2) Just how slippery IS cork on feet with socks?
I guess a third question would be whether or not we should even consider cork on the screen porch. Can’t keep the rain out. Dries out quickly (once it stops raining), but certainly can get wet!
Thanks again for the running and very helpful commentary!!
Lynda
May 02, 2013 @ 13:47:26
Lynda,
You will be able to feel the sand on your feet if you have cork floors. The floors are soft but any grit on the floor will be felt with bare feet. If you are putting the tiles in a place that gets wet I’d think the glue down cork would hold up better than the click together floating flooring. The cork itself is impervious to water and would fare well. It’s the substrate that the click floors are glued to that swells when wet.
Cork is less slippery than hardwood floors. Slipperiness is like old linoleum floors probably. One of our children loves to run across the room in his socks and slide as far as he can. He can slide pretty far!
I only mop our floors twice a month. They never look dirty. Even if they are.
May 02, 2013 @ 22:43:31
Looks like some parts of the house is made of one coat stucco products, in fact that is good as insulator as well.
May 06, 2013 @ 06:37:49
Fantastic resource, thank you!! I am having trouble figuring out whether you can do self-install, click-lock with 12 x 12 tiles at all? We want a checkerboard pattern. Is it only the planks that come in the click-lock style?
thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!
May 06, 2013 @ 12:13:49
Laura, I haven’t seen any click together cork in square shape. All the square tiles I’ve seen are glue down.
May 26, 2013 @ 13:06:30
I just did my guest bedroom and ordered a bit extra, as suggested. Well, I did not need the extra so I have a bit left over, enough to do my guest powder room. I understand the issues but a cork floor in the bathroom is a better way to use extra cork than having them in storage. Question, did you lay the cork floor fist and then install toilet/vanity over cork floor (nicer looking). Or did you put the cork floor in after the toilet, (treimming the floor and using silicon) to avoid the toilet crushing and damaging the cork floor. I think I have read both ways. What did you do.
May 26, 2013 @ 15:47:10
Brad, definitely put the cork down first and then install the toilet over the top. If you are installing a floating floor the floor should go up to the vanity and not under it as it won’t be able to float. I’d caulk very well along the edge where the cork touches the tub or shower to prevent water from getting under the cork there. Good luck!