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olivertwistkitchen

Cork floor

olivertwistkitchen
11 years ago

Best brand to get glue down (not floating) cork floor?

Also, what do I look for/ask for in terms of style/color to make sure it looks more like wood and less like a bulletin board? Thanks.

Comments (30)

  • Nancy in Mich
    11 years ago

    Marmoleum sells a sheet cork product with striations that have a wood-like effect. See the link below.

    We had sheet Marmoleum installed in our kitchen, family room, foyer, and halls in the past two years. They cut out pieces of luan to fit our spaces, then took it outside and adhered the Marmoleum to the luan, then brought in the luan and Marmoleum and used adhesive to install it to our subflooring. It is a durable product, we have had three dogs on it and it has no signs of wear. We have the more traditional swirly color linoleum look, in the color called Shitake. It cannot be mistaken for a wood floor, but has similar colors to wood.

    I have experience with a cork floating floor that is one year old in a low-traffic library/music room in this house and a linoleum floating floor that will soon be 10 years old in the house we used to live in, as well.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Marmoleum Straito

  • Nancy in Mich
    11 years ago

    Marmoleum sells a sheet cork product with striations that have a wood-like effect. See the link below.

    We had sheet Marmoleum installed in our kitchen, family room, foyer, and halls in the past two years. They cut out pieces of luan to fit our spaces, then took it outside and adhered the Marmoleum to the luan, then brought in the luan and Marmoleum and used adhesive to install it to our subflooring. It is a durable product, we have had three dogs on it and it has no signs of wear. We have the more traditional swirly color linoleum look, in the color called Shitake. It cannot be mistaken for a wood floor, but has similar colors to wood.

    I have experience with a cork floating floor that is one year old in a low-traffic library/music room in this house and a linoleum floating floor that will soon be 10 years old in the house we used to live in, as well.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Marmoleum Straito

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    I plan on using Globus cork tiles, they come in 3 patterns, lots of colors, and lots of sizes. I believe Wicander also sells tiles and has several textures. Harder to find the tiles, but I don't want floating floor of any kind in the kitchen!

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks.
    I've been browsing cork floors all night.
    I love it when they come in long planks and look like hardword floors, e.g. Almada cork, but it seems like this look is usually a floating cork tile. Are there any brands that make long planks to look like hardwood floors but are glue down?

  • luckymom
    11 years ago

    I lived with floating cork floors in the kitchen for over 10 years. 3 dogs (one a 90 lb giant schnauzer with a beard that could hold at least a quart of water), 2 cats, a son who wouldn't clean up anything spilled and my DH who sat at 'his" stool (an old metal legged thing that the metal was poking thru). It had 2 coats of extra poly applied when it was installed (to seal the seams). It was mopped with everything from a swiffer wetjet to a scooba (one of those self cleaning robot things) to plain old mop. It wasn't high end- back then even the cheap cork was $$. The only thing wrong with it was where that stool sat- it needed to be recoated with poly.

    Why does everyone think they need glue down? I felt the samples from Globus and honestly, they seemed more likely to have issues (dings, scratches) than the plank floating. When we had to replace ours this fall, I debated for weeks- ended up with floating cork again- my old joints and back want something easy to walk on- even got a matte finish on the extra poly. Love it. Oh, and got rid of that stool, too...

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    Sizes, in case you didn't see them.

    I decided on glue down based on what I've read about kitchen flooring. Floating floors mostly have particle board interiors, whether they are cork, wood, etc. it swells when wet. I know plenty of people still use floating floor. I also know swelling has been an issue for some. I have horrible luck in general, so I'm sticking with glue down (no pun intended). I'm hoping I love it, but like everything about this project it's a bit of a leap of faith since nobody I know has cork. Worked out well with induction though, so I'm optimistic!

    I'll let everyone know how it goes in May when the cork goes in!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Globus sizes

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Someone please just tell me if I am "barking up the wrong tree".

    If I get cork, is it going to look like a bulletin board?

    I like this look, but this is is Almada FLOATING. I like it because it looks like regular hardwood. Will I be able to achieve this look in a glue down cork? I can't seem to find the answer to this. Thank you!!

  • luckymom
    11 years ago

    This is a shot of my kitchen floor. Yes it's floating. No I an NOT worried about the edges buckling or lifting if wet- my SEAMS are sealed correctly. Cork isn't that different from wood flooring.

    As for glue down that looks like wood, I haven't seen any. Before I got this floor we called and spoke with the owners- they're in Texas and were really helpful. Have you gotten any samples of floating? Honestly, I think you should at least see some before totally deciding against it. Correctly installed, floating cork will last and you'll have the look YOU want with comfort.

    BTW- for those worried about flooding in the kitchen, chances are if you are at the point of needing to replace the floor- there's going to be a whole lot MORE to be replaced, too- cabinets, walls, etc. Flooring is cheap. The rest isn't - trust me, been there, got the new kitchen.

    Here is a link that might be useful: AMCork Website

  • luckymom
    11 years ago

    Oh, the patterning you want is probably Striata if you're set on Globus. Just realize the coloring is only the top finish, so to get a any colored shade, underneath it will be that same "corkboard" color- not sure about the pattern going all the way thru. Globus sends all it's samples attached to a piece of cardboard. The other samples I have of glue down seem to only have the patterns on the top-corkboard bottom. (to be fair, floating is probably the same way)

  • beekeeperswife
    11 years ago

    Not trying to convince you otherwise, but just letting you know we had the floating planks in our last house. Loved them. The tonuges and grooves were conpletely sealed from the factory. They suggested not doing a sealer after installation since the floor floats the sealer could crack during expansion and contractions. I am pretty sure ours was 100% cork all the way through.

    Good Luck!
    Bee

  • _sophiewheeler
    11 years ago

    I have to say, if you don't love cork for it's "corkiness" and prefer the look of wood, then you should be looking at wood and not cork.

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hollysprings, I hear what you are saying. What I like about cork is the eco-friendliness and that it is warm and soft. I'm not a huge fan of wood in the kitchen either (I've always had tile or cheapo linoleum), but I am trying to look for a happy medium. That's why I wanted to find long planks of glue down cork instead of square tiles.

    Wicanders cork sells a product in planks called CorkComfort. I *think* these are glue down. Anyone know about this?

  • oceangirl67
    11 years ago

    Gluedown is NOT recommended in a wet environment.

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Just got samples of Globus in the mail.
    Hubby said he can damage them with his fingernail!!!

    Very upset here...

  • ae2ga
    11 years ago

    Perhaps you might consider a floating floor or at least look into it? Check out CaliBamboo cork floor or BuildDirect cork floors - both are high quality with really good finishes, and you can order samples to put through all of the tests you can devise.

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Got samples today of Globus, Nova, and Duro. They all scratch, INCLUDING the floating samples!

  • labbie
    11 years ago

    We have floating Wicanders Corkcomfort with a 15 or 25 year warranty, I can't remember which. Correct that it is not cork 100% of the way through, but we have had a few spills (including one or two "semi-flood" near the fridge when DH left a glass to fill in our fridge door and walked away)
    We love the look of the floating, and based on discussions with our local flooring stores (each of whom also carry glue down) we decided to go for it.

    Granted it's only been 5 months but we've found the care to be no different than with our hardwoods (pads on our chair legs, no rubber backed mats, etc. And the comfort surpasses anything I could have expected.

    I understand that kitchens can have spills, and floods I guess if you go on vacation and have a plumbing leak or something, but I don't consider the kitchen to be as 'wet' an environment as say a bathroom.

    As a prior poster mentioned, correct installation is key. Our contractor opted to have the flooring store install it, since he had no experience with cork planks. We were here when it was installed, and those seams are tight (hardly visible). We also had it installed by the dealer so that the warranty if needed would stand.
    I'd encourage you to at least consider it. The 'wood look' samples we saw in the store were amazing (we opted for a slightly different look since we have hardwoods throughout everywhere else).

  • amandapadgett
    11 years ago

    OliverTwist---

    I am looking at cork flooring for our kitchen, and from what I learned the samples you get can be dented/scratched because they don't have the 4 or so coats of polyurethan that will be applied to the floor once installed.

    From what I've learned, many high-traffic buildings such as libraries and government offices have had cork in them for 50+ years, so I'm sure cork is not a fragile floor product.

    Just a thought (and I could be totally wrong).

  • CallMeJane
    11 years ago

    When I first started looking at cork, I got a sample of floating cork from Lowe's. Per another poster's recommendation, I left it submerged in a glass of water, only for a few minutes. Granted submerged is an extreme situation, however my results would deter me from floating cork. Not only did the middle particle stuff swell, but the outer cork was warped too. Before the water damage, it seemed like a solid piece, minimal scratching etc.
    I got samples from AmCork's tiled cork, though they appeared flimsy (and Im still worried about how they will do installed in terms of being easy on the knees and back), I did my submerge test on a sample lasting 2 days. Not a thing suggesting water exposure. Then I started dumping oil on it when I was frying, to mimic my messy sputter frying...nothing. The dent I was able to put in with my nail was barely there after a couple of days.
    Im still not 100% sold, but given the other options on back/joint friendly material, I may have to risk it.
    Regarding the plank look, you may not be able to get the long plank look, but AmCork does have various shapes and sizes...an of course you can cut them to whatever width you want, as I said, length may be a compromise for the look.
    I do very much like labbie's look.

  • deedles
    11 years ago

    I have Globus samples and I really had to reef on it with a bottle cap to seriously scratch it. I didn't do any damage with my nail that I remember. I mean, heck, you can scratch wood floors, too. We're going with cork in our kitchen, living room and entry since they are all open to each other and it's a small house. For us, the benefits that you mentioned are why we chose it. Easy on the feet and knees, natural product, quiet, soft and beautiful.

    The flooring place by us talked about a new cork product that is floating but has a layer of cork on top and bottom and 'something' (not sure what yet) in between. The guy said the edges are glued together, though. Have to look into this more.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    11 years ago

    Gf went with floating cork floor in her kitchen and so far is happy with it.

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    Like Deedles, I had to go to town with a bottle cap to actually scratch the finish on my Globus samples. Like any wood floor, you don't walk on the wood or cork, you walk on the finish wear layer. After a few minutes most of the dent my fingernail made was gone, by the next day I couldn't see it. I wanted to see what happened when I scratched off the dark color on my sample so I used the bottle cap. Didn't make it through to regular cork color with even serious effort, but I did manage to scratch the wear layer and make a dull spot. I suspect it would look fine again if I could reseal it. Try denting hardwood with your finger, see how long it takes before it goes away...

    Looking forward to my new cork floor in May. I will of course report back on it's progress.

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I understand what you all say about the comparison of cork to wood but I don't have wood floors in my kitchen. I have tile. I am trying to decide between cork and tile, not wood. So whether cork scratches as much as wood or not doesn't really help me. The only wood floors I have in my house don't have chairs moving on them or silverware dropping on them, etc

  • CEFreeman
    11 years ago

    I have cork, too, and it's click-down. Snap together? Just not glued down. My underlayment is also cork.

    If you want a wood look, go with wood.
    If you're freaky about scratches,
    Go with the wood porcelain tile.

    I'd suggest underfloor heat, though. I am constantly barefoot and wish it hadn't been stupidly expensive when we tiled our MB.

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Went to two flooring stores yesterday. Both sold cork but clearly were not knowledgable at all. One told me he couldn't remember selling it to anyone. Neither sold glue down. Actually one said, "we'll, I guess you could glue down the floating tiles."

    This is not reassuring at all!

    And I don't love in the boonies-this is Long Island!

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    Actually Globus is not far outside NYC. There is a bowling alley and some public lobby down there with their cork in it. Used to be labeled on the website before they redesigned it a few months ago. I bet if you called them they would be able to provide some addresses to see it installed. I keep meaning to take a field trip, but it's about 3 hours each way for me, might be closer for you!

  • olivertwistkitchen
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I hate to drive 90 minutes just to a flooring store, though. Which there was a more local viable option.

    "Hey kids, get in the car we're going to spend 90 min each way to go check out some floors!" isn't going to go over very well...

    And how to I know my local KD/GC are competent to install this? Doesn't seem too popular around here.

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    Ha! I'm up here saying "crap, all their installs on the site to visit and people to install it are downstate!". Call them, there might be someplace closer to you where you can see it in action. I don't think they have a store at the factory, but not really sure. You can always take the kids bowling...I think that place was in Brooklyn if I remember right.

    The instal should be like vinyl tiles and is supposed to be very DIY friendly. Globus has directions on the website. My GC is going to do this for me, he has done a lot of vinyl tiles so should be easy for him. No special tools needed. They even suggest instal labor costs comparable to vinyl tiles if someone is trying to price out a job and hasn't used the cork tiles before. They recommend calling if you have any questions and they can advise over the phone.

    I'm thinking I've read way to much about flooring lately, lol! I can't wait to get my life back after this is done! About 14 weeks to demo...

  • jse107
    11 years ago

    We're putting down Exapnko cork flooring (glue-down) in our kitchen remodel. They should be installed in a couple weeks. I can take pics if you want. We opted for glue-down because it IS recommended in wet environments (no expanding MDF). I got samples from Globus, DuroDesign, and Expanko. I wasn't impressed with the Globus, which i could indent with my nails. Expanko was the best bet and we ended up going with their Heritage cork--which is 1/2 inch thick.

    I spent a lot of time thinking about flooring--we have two young kids and a yellow lab! I know the dilemmas!

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    Ooh, yes, pics please! I have a few weeks before I need to order...