Cork Flooring - Comments
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Hi Mel, I'm afraid I would have to steer you away from Cork flooring if you have a household of felines. Cork does not withstand sharp, pointy things well!
The Flooring Lady at July 15, 2009 01:26 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at July 15, 2009 01:26 PMThanks for your comment. We have moved the leaky pipe away from the building and replaced the water main, so hopefully there will be no more flooding. The tiles seem to have dried out, and the bowing has lessened somewhat. Just for the heck of it, I am going to try to weight down the bowed edges. I'll tell you if I have success in doing that -- before I call in the expensive professionals. I really appreciate your site and the advice you give to all of these individuals!
Roman at July 20, 2009 11:57 AM
Posted by: Roman at July 20, 2009 11:57 AMHelp! I'm moving into a beautiful rental apartment which has cork floors. They are 75 years old and the landlord doesn't want to replace them or repair them in any way. They are very dirty. My question is: Can they be professionally refinished. I will absorb the cost for this, but who can I contact to do this and what is the process? Can they be sanded, stained and polyeurathaned?
Please help me out. I love the apartment and want to move in, but don't know if there's any way I can salvage the floors. Thanks Paul
Paul at July 29, 2009 03:01 AM
Posted by: Paul at July 29, 2009 03:01 AMPaul,
Modern cork flooring can be refinished by gently sanding between polyurethane coats as the cork is normally quite thin. I would highly recommend you speak with a professional contractor who specializes in restoring vintage flooring.
The Flooring Lady at July 29, 2009 08:15 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at July 29, 2009 08:15 AMI have been entertaining the idea of installing floating cork flooring in my family room. I have two misgivings though. One is that the cork would butt up against bamboo flooring, and I'm concerned that it would look odd. My other concern is that the bamboo is 5/8" thick and the cork flooring seems to be 1/2" thick. Do you know of any cork that has a thickness of 5/8 inch? Have you seen bamboo and cork used ajacent to each other? Thanks for any help and info, Mary
Mary at August 29, 2009 03:45 PM
Posted by: Mary at August 29, 2009 03:45 PMMary,
In regards to your first concern. I've had both cork and bamboo separately. I see no problem mixing the two as both being natural products, go well together. I would suggest getting samples and setting them next to each other in your home with your decor and your lighting as it will make a difference in how the flooring is portrayed.
Every manufacturer has a different thickness of their flooring. Rather then choosing the company in the style you like you can shop the same manufacturer as your previous floor. If the floor is a must-have you can put down a cork underlayment about 1/8''to help with raising the floor. I have several articles in my archives regarding cork.
The Flooring Lady at August 31, 2009 02:29 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at August 31, 2009 02:29 PMHi ! We are thinking of installing cork flooring at our summer cottage. For many months of the year the heat is off and the house is below freezing. Can you advise how this will affect the cork? Should we look to a different flooring? Anything you can recommend other than carpet or hardwood? Thank you.
Murray at August 31, 2009 10:20 PM
Posted by: Murray at August 31, 2009 10:20 PMMurray,
I don't know how cork will respond to your specific situation although hardwoods can be stressed by the intense temperatures. They generally hold up fine, based on my experience with my cabin. If in doubt linoleum could be an alternative to consider -- beautiful colors,easy care, and fun patterned designs.
The Flooring Lady at September 2, 2009 08:54 AM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at September 2, 2009 08:54 AMWe installed a floating cork floor a few years ago and initially the look was great. Even though our house is situated such that it doesnt receive a lot of direct sun, the cork has faded irregularly and forget about areas that were covered by things such as an area rug or a well placed plant...permanent fade marks around the items. Shortly after our floor was installed we had a leak in the kitchen area that affected the surrounding areas. Even though the water was quickly removed and the flooring dried, we still had to take up the entire floor and have it relaid (one of the features touted by the manufaturer was that the floor could be relaid up to four times) over time, the tiles in some areas have gaps that cannot seem to be repaired. Now I am faced with either replacing the entire floor (very costly) or working with what I have. Do you know if anyone has reused these floating cork tiles and refashioned them into tiles that can be set into a proper adhesive and then grouted? Also what is your take on just filling the gaps and then using a paper bag technique to create a faux leather look until such time as I have the resources available to redo to floor entirely.
tigg at September 8, 2009 04:52 PM
Posted by: tigg at September 8, 2009 04:52 PM
Tigg,
I am not familiar with reusing water damaged cork in that setting. Although you may find my Cork Articles informational as you research.
Your dilemma leaves me with lots of questions. I don't know what kind of cork you have so I can't address your issues specifically. You may want to buy a different color cork flooring and make it a border around the "old" cork so that when you reinstall your cork floor -- if you go that route -- you'll have enough good pieces to work with. Thanks Tigg for stopping by!
The Flooring Lady at September 10, 2009 01:09 PM
Posted by: The Flooring Lady at September 10, 2009 01:09 PMComment Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
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