I'm thinking about putting cork on my kitchen/breakfast room/laundry room floors.
by
Marilyn S
+15
But I can't find much information about it. Has anyone on this site used it in their home? How does it hold up and how does it look???
18 answers
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Cork floors are popular because they have great memory and are a little easier on your body than tile or hardwood. Care should be taken however. You need to treat cork floors with the same respect you would a wood floor. I like the Wicanders product. A little more expensive but great quality, with a number of fashionable looks! Try Creative Floors in Casselberry : www.creativefloorsonline.com
Bob H -
on Sep 24, 2011
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I did some tile work in a clients home a few years ago in which he had new cork installed. during the first week of this install he had a guy "clean up" during this process a damp mop was used...all of the joints and seams of the cork swelled up and looked really bad...even weeks later the floors never came back to their original looks....bummer as this whole second floor only looked good until the first cleaning.
KMS Woodworks
on Sep 24, 2011
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My sister in Texas had cork installed in the same areas you're considering, and after 2 years had them removed. DON'T DO IT!
Patti
on Sep 24, 2011
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Patti, can you tell me why your sister had to remove the cork? I kind of had my heart set on it. I can't think what to use instead. I'm so tired of ceramic tile and I hate grout. I have rather delicate cherry wood in my adjacent living room and wouldn't dare continue that into my kitchen and don't see using different wood right next to it. Just yesterday, I had laminate installed in one of my bedrooms and frankly, I don't like it much at all. I'm in a quandary...
Marilyn S
on Sep 25, 2011
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Marilyn....what flooring is in there now? Tile is the best for any place that can or may see water. There are many stories here on HT were people have have lots of damage to flooring due to a water leak...this can be from a drippy faucet, an ice maker line or a dishwasher. I have ripped out tons of hardwood in kitchens that were damaged this way...but never had to rip out tile because of a water leak. The key to a simple tile project that is low maintenance is to pick a color scheme that hides dirt. I have close to 400 sq feet of granite tile in my kitchen and office area ( the laundry is part of that space which will be tiled soon) This granite has brown "spots" and a somewhat busy appearance the grout is a dark brown. We can go months with out having to "clean" it because is never looks dirty. Light colored grout is fine in a shower or bath but makes not sense in any floor application. In a similar vein when it came time to choose the grout color for our small cabin...I actually took a sample of the local soil into the store to select a grout color that perfectly matched the dirt. The soil there is the same as Custom building products "Tobacco Brown"....your results my vary.
KMS Woodworks
on Sep 25, 2011
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Thanks for the answers, but I'm still hoping for more ideas. Thanks for your long, interesting and thoughtful response. I love the idea of grout the color of dirt! There is tile in the area in question with light color grout that I once paid a guy $360 to "clean and renew." I'll never fall for that scam again!
Marilyn S
on Sep 25, 2011
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The grout could be removed and a darker color installed...a tool called a grout saw can "grind" out the old grout..then a new darker color could be installed...or rip it all out and start fresh...especially if the tile is so so.
KMS Woodworks
on Sep 25, 2011
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There are gorgeous tiles and wood or wood like products that look so real and like cork but easier to install and maintain. Good carpet/ tile dealers have good samples. Hope this helps
Mar M
on Sep 25, 2011
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This is the response from my sister, who had her cork removed..... cork swells when wet and buckles so it is not good to put it in Baths, kitchens or laundry.Of course I was sold that it was ok, then my fridge had a small leak and the floor started buckling with mold underneath.And stunk.
Patti
on Sep 25, 2011
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Patti, I guess you've sold me (or rather "unsold" me) on cork. I can't afford to take a chance on it. Please tell your sister I said thanks.
Marilyn S
on Sep 25, 2011
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Isn't this site an INCREDIBLE resource?
Patti
on Sep 25, 2011
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Have had a floating cork floor for 5 years in my office and love it!!
Laura D
on Sep 26, 2011
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Laura..most home offices do not have leaky ice makers, dishwashers etc. If the cork Never gets wet it will look good.
KMS Woodworks
on Sep 26, 2011
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Remember, you should never take a lot of water to any wood, laminate or cork floors. You will most certainly cause swelling. You should use a dry, Swifter style mop and an approved wood/laminate cleaner. Spray the mophead....not the floor! Also, it is important to but a cork floor that has a good locking system like Wicanders....or look for the Unilin/Uniclic locking mechanism. It is the best!
Bob H -
on Sep 29, 2011
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When we were in Portugal, the home of cork, the cork they used in kitchens had a clear PVC coating on top that is impervious to water. I have to think there is something like that available here. CP
Peace Painting Co., Inc.
on Feb 01, 2012
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Peace...the top may be coated but that leaves all of the numerous seams vulnerable. The cork floor I saw that got ruined by "mopping" had failed at all of the side edges and ends, the backing substrate swelled and made all of the joints open up.
KMS Woodworks
on Feb 02, 2012
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DK, Kev. I wonder if the cork laminates suffer the same.
Peace Painting Co., Inc.
on Feb 02, 2012
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Peace...probably...the same any fiber based backer is going to be vulnerable to swelling it it gets wet. Again this it why I always preach ...tile in the wet areas...tile in the wet areas.
KMS Woodworks
on Feb 03, 2012
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