I’ve never seen cork flooring, but I like the idea of it. Have any of you used it? Do you have any strong opinions pro or con? Where can I find out more about what’s available, what it costs, etc? Thanks – Jim
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There's good and bad out there. I've never installed it myself, but have spec'd it a few times though not recently. The better cork is quite remarkable...very warm look, warm underfoot, and somewhat quite.
I'm very much pro-cork, and would push more of it except for I do a lot of rfh. It can work over RFH, ubt it's one of those things...
I can;t recall the maufacturer, but the floorings I've used were in the $8-$12 a sq foot range. Inexpensive stuff can go for as little as $3.50 or so.
If he doesn't show, try emailing Gabe. I thought a while back he mentioned he was/is a distributor...something like that. Sorry if I got it wrong, Gabe. He had good, accurate advice regarding adhesives/installation on another thread.
Edited 5/11/2002 2:03:52 AM ET by Mongo
Gabe's the dude. Try Fusco.com. Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
In the real cork tile, the two most common are 1/8th thick tiles, either 12x12 or 12x24 inches or their metric equivalent and cork floating floors.
Being that it's made from the outer bark of a special oak tree, mainly in Portugal, harvested every 9 years, it's one of the few renewable building products.
Cork being a wood product is finished exactly the same way and both the tiles and the floating floors are fully sandable to refinish later. Can be stained or painted. Will outlast most hardwood floors.
It has a thermal resistance similar to styrofoam and is refered to a a warm floor. This means that you get a warm feel when you walk on it barefoot because you get your own body heat back.
It doesn't promote mold and is considered non allergenic. It is non conductive and has a 98% or so memory so it recovers well from dents.
Costs is relative to where you buy. The true cost of tiles would be .75 to 1.00 US and floating floor panels are about 2.50 per sq. ft. US.
Expect to pay 2 to 3 times that amount depending on where you live.
Gabe
Thanks, you guys.
Gabe - do you know where I might find some literature? "12x12, 12x24" that seems like a lot of joints for a wet area. Are these tiles dimensionally stable? What do you use for grout, or do you?
Cork over radiant ? Does its insulating value work against it in this application ?
The tiles are only 1/8th of an inch thick so they have little effect on radiant heat other than to make the floor feel warm when it's off.
Gabe
Tim,
As Gabe mentioned regarding cork over RFH...the R-value of the cork could be a factor, but due to the thinness of the cork tile...especially if using 1/8th-inch tiles...it really doesn't come in to play. If you got up into the thicker tiles...then you'd be more concerned with including it in the floor's heat calcs.
Due to the size of the tiles, dimensional stability can be a concern. Usually tiles are darkened by undergoing a baking process. The darker the tile, the longer, of the higher temp it's been baked. This baking does increase the diemensional stability of the tile, thus making it less susceptible to temp-induced gapping betwen tiles.
Not all dark tiles are more stable than lighter tiles. Tiles that have been darkened by baking are, in general, more stable. Tiles that have been darkened by staining will have the same dimensional stability as lighter tiles of the same material.
In the end, you can use cork over RFH...but it may not be the best choice, though it depends on the product chosen.
Jim,
Being a wood product, they have to be regarded the same way as you would an oak floor strip flooring. You climatise to room temp. and humidity before proceeding. They are subject to water the same way as any wood floor would be.
Personally, and this is only me speaking, I don't install them in wet or likely to be wet areas.
I love em in bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, home offices and dry basements. They are unbelievably comfortable wherever that you have to stand and work and this is why people insist on having them in kitchens.
Gabe
Jim,
You may find this supplier's site informative.
http://www.wecork.com/corkinfo.html
Gabe
Actually, the first place I saw cork flooring was in a bathroom in an older house in Norway. Very common there - they use the sheet flooring (not tiles) and it's coated with something (?) so that it's not damaged by water. I like it so much, I plan to use it when we add a shower to our half bath. There are lots of shades available, and you can get it with a sealer as well. I guess it's used alot in Australia as well.
Thanks, Gabe. I'll follow that link, too. I am specifically interested in using something other than wood in a kitchen, but I really don't like vinal or tile.
Kathleen - What's this about "sheet flooring"? That's what I was hoping to find. Do you know of a manufacturer? Or maybe a supplier? I was talking with a carpenter in Australia about this yesterday and he said the biggest he's seen is maybe 1'x3' tiles, like what Gabe describes.
Jim,
Talk to Dave Lahr or Bill Warner at Wood Floor Distributors in Orange County, CA. The phone number is 949-622-0885. They are the biggest wood floor distributor in the USA. The 800 number may reach them but it usually goes to the nearest location vs your prefix. 800-585-7700. One of my contractors talked to Dave, (manager), about cork and the price was about 5.00/ft for squares or plank. I have also seen 1/4" rolls of the stuff. I remember it was about 4' wide by lin. footage. Used as a sound deadener. GW
If you can get me $5.00 US per sq. ft. for cork tiles, I'll send you down 50,000 square ft in a heartbeat and delivered by me personally.
If you can get me $2.50 US per sq. ft. I'll still send you down 50,000 or any multiple of that in a heartbeat.
You guys are getting ripped.
Gabe
I will check price tomorrow and let you know what brand, sizes and price for premium grade. Are there different hardness/density levels of cork? If prices fluctuate much between manufacturers, what are the items one looks for in a quality Cork purchase? GW
The amount of black specks or spots indicate the degree of outer cheaper bark in the tile. Good tiles have none.
Gabe
Good info. on the pricing Gabe. I think it's one of those "not many people have it - it must be expensive" deals that the manufacturer can get away with.
Another possibility is that it's not the same quality as the more expensive stuff.
Sorry but no cigar.
There is very little difference in the quality of cork tiles across the board in Portugal. The producers and processors have a very high standard and most companies are rated internationally for consistency and quality control.
What you see in the market place is not unlike what you see in the gas market. They will charge as much as the market will bear without too much squawking.
Gabe
No - unfortunately, the sheet flooring I saw in Norway was in a 45 year old house. Interestingly, where the cork met the wall, the cork actually crept up the sides a bit to form a well out of the floor. All bathrooms in Norway have a drain in the floor (often under the tub), and many tubs actually dump the water onto the floor under the tub to drain.
Here's a manufacturers website with lots of info
http://www.expanko.com
Their tiles are either 12" x 12" or 24" x 24" and varying thicknesses. You can get them coated with polyeurethane or wax or uncoated.
My husband, the Norwegian, actually installed cork tiles in his parents kitchen 18 years ago. He said that once the tiles are installed, you can barely see the seam. He said it was not hard and really not very time consuming. It's quite common there.
The price I was told (at a local distributor) is $5-$9 per square foot.
Sheet cork flooring is used a lot here as well but mostly in commercial or hospitals.
All tiles can be sealed but it does require regular maintenance. It's the same as vinyl tiles in that if water gets between the cracks the sub-floor will swell but in the case of cork tiles, so will the tiles.
Gabe