Replies

1. 
   Shoeman_ | Dec 18, 2001 04:46am | #1

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   Chuck, I put Wicanders laminate cork flooring in my kitchen in May of this year. With the short time I have had it, it is hard to say what the wear will be like. The manufacturer recommends a top coat dressing once a year. It is a liquid that goes on much like wax. It is fast drying and really a simple process. You simply pour it on and spread it around with a mop or lambswool applicator. Like I said this is a laminate floor much like Pergo, but with a thin (1/8") layer of cork and a 30 mil pvc wear layer over that. So far it has held up great - for the whopping 7 months we've had it. Seems to me that it will hold up well though. Like the looks and feel, and get lots of compliments on it. If you decide to go with this you will want to make sure that you do a good job of glueing when you install. Want a little to squeeze out all along the joints making sure you get a water tight seal, and then put a top coat of the dressing on to be sure.

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   Michael_Ampula | Dec 18, 2001 05:19am | #2

   *I put cork tile (product with a vinyl top coat) in a bathroom. Even with three dogs, four cats and two people in and out there was very little wear after a year and a half. There's an article in FHB from about four(?) years ago concerning cork floor. It was written by a flooring installer I think.

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   Steve_Brehm | Dec 18, 2001 02:10pm | #3

   *I've had cork in a bedroom(prefinished poly 12x12 tiles), and a den(waxed planks). The prefinshed seemed to wear no differently than hardwood with a poly finish; in a high traffic area I'd expect to screen/refinish every few years. The waxed finish does need at least annual care. It's time to do mine now, and I plan to clean, the use bowling alley wax on it. A kitchen may be different, what with possible water. One more thing...I don't think I'd buy the prefinished poly again. I'd instead buy unfinished tiles, then finish myself like a wood floor. Even with a careful installation you'll have small gaps in a prefinished installation that could let water/dirt in.

2. 
   ChuckT_ | Dec 18, 2001 02:10pm | #4

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   Anybody got any thoughts on cork flooring? Some of the articles that I've read suggest a need to refinish annually if not sooner for kitchen applications. Also, is pre-finished better than field finished for use in a kitchen? Annual re-finishing seems undesirable to me.