Hi all. We're considering putting down a cork floating floor in our 1970 Overlander (NaturalCork.com). I've read some posts about glue-down cork and also about other floating floors. Has anyone installed the floating type cork? I'm assuming that you need to leave a gap at the edges like other floating floors and then cover that with trim - which might be difficult along the curved walls. Any tips?
Thanks!
I recently installed bamboo plank flooring in my '74 Argosy MH. I did a glue-down installation using Bostik's Best, a polyurethane flooring adhesive recommended by the flooring manufacturer.
I'm very happy with the result; it looks great. I had also considered the floating flooring, but with the planks I got one very nice, yet unexpected, bonus. My subfloor is 1/2" plywood, and over the years it had gotten a little springy. It was structurally sound but gave quite a bit when you walked on it. Now, with the stiffening effect of the glued planks, the floor is solid as can be!
Granted, there are drawbacks. The glue is potentially messy and requires some technique to keep it from getting everywhere during installation (at least for an amateur floorer like me). Someday, too, when this floor needs replacing, it'll be more work to remove the planks and get the remaining surface ready for reflooring. I'm banking on that time being decades into the future, though. On the positive side, the bamboo can be refinished a couple of times, so it may well be the permanent flooring solution.
It seems to me that any floor which travels down a road must flex. It seems logical thta a fllor which is glued down to a floor which flexes must put a strain on that glue joint. In my 73 the PO installed a glued down parqait floor. I made the msitake of going down a washboard dirt road once faster that wlaking speed and found a good percent of my floor resembled a box of jigsaw pieces.
Similarly I recently saw a TV RV show that recommended vinyl planking because it flexes with the coach. The manufacturer I contacted said glued down vinyl tile would not work in an application which falls outside of the 50 to 80 degree temperature range.
I would welcome your thoughts,
Marshall in beautiful downtown Estancia, New Mexico
It seems to me that any floor which travels down a road must flex. It seems logical that a fllor which is glued down to a floor which flexes must put a strain on that glue joint. In my 73 the PO installed a glued down parqait floor. I made the msitake of going down a washboard dirt road once faster that wlaking speed and found a good percent of my floor resembled a box of jigsaw pieces.
In that case, the PO must have used the wrong adhesive. The correct adhesives are rubbery and have a lot of give. They never get hard enough to break and release the planking as you describe.
For my bamboo floor, I used an adhesive that holds like iron and stretches like rubber bands before finally tearing.
The parquet that I have seen is built up in several layers and is probably assembled with a hard glue. For that reason, I would not put parquet in a trailer. I would not be at all surprised if the parquet itself had fallen apart rather than coming unglued from the plywood underneath.
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John W. Irwin
2005 Classic 28 "Sabre-Dog III"
2004 Silverado 2500HD Duramax/Allison
WBCCI Region 9 Webmaster, #9632
I have had the glue down cork in my motohrome awhile now, and it has held up great.The only problem for me is the area around the refrigerator where there is an angled up rise in the wood deck under the cork, I have had to cut along the angle and reglue there.
The only thing I would do differently is the next time, I would used a shiny poly sealnt on it instead of satin... personal taste on that...but the manufacturer tells me I can reseal with the glossy over the satin if I scuff it up some, and it will be fine.
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Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
Pahaska -- What adhesive did you use for your bamboo floor? We're getting close to putting in a 3/8 in. bamboo that we found at iFloor.com. Any advice?
I have had the glue down cork in my motohrome awhile now, and it has held up great.
We're going to replace the carpeting in our trailer probably this coming fall. We want to go with the glue down cork and have it finished with the high gloss poly. Can you tell me if this is something that needs to be done by a professional. My hub is gone most of the time and I would be taking on the project myself. If I rip up the old carpet is it easier to have a professional come in and install it? What kind of cost am I looking at for a 28' trailer. We recently had our kitchen floor redone with Congoleum's DuraCeramic. It looks and feels like blue slate and is grouted. Is this something we could use just inside of the door to give us a place to take off wet/dirty shoes and also in the bathroom. They come in 15 5/8" squares and are 1/8" thick and are installed like ceramic tiles. Would these flex enough, would the glue hold? Any help is much appreciated. By the way what glue should be used for the cork?
Thanks
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"A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement." -Bo Bennett
WBCCI #9204, Region 1, New England Unit '02 Grey Lady, 28' not so Classic anymore
'08 GMC Sierra 2500 Duramax/Allison Crew Cab
cork is easy to put down, that is another reason i chose it. The cost varies depends where you buy it and what brand. Try I-floor.com for some ideas, they sell the cork and the glue, and you can get it prefinished. Look for specials.
Cutting it is easy, you scuff it up after its glued down, and then coat it if unfinished...with poly sealant. The glue I used was Elmers for flooring, but i would choose a different one if doing it over...it did not hold as well as I hoped in the hot weather. Had to reglue some areas. The cork feels great on your feet, and looks cool also.
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Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
Hi all. We did install a floating cork floor and it's wonderful. Got ours from NaturalCork.com - many colors and styles to choose from.
Very easy to cut and install. The planks are tongue and groove 1' x 3' planks, 3-layers with cork underlayment, water-proof fiberboard middle and high-density cork top with 5 layers of acrylic finish. The flooring feels great under your feet!!
No finish required. All we had to do was install molding long the side (thin, bendable molding that made the curve).
It'll do great in high heat, cold temps and is naturally moisture and mildew resistant. Because it floats, it'll also do great during travel. We're very pleased.
That looks great!! Wondering if you bought glue down or floating and where it came from. Want to do that in ours. Checked with I-Floor, but the shipping costs were ridiculous.
Also, that is a great built-in in the front. We have been considering doing something similiar to house computer and Audio/Visual stuff.
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Beth
67 Sovereign, double bed, rear bath-"Moby"
2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Hemi, Quad Cab-"Ahab"
"Living in the belly of the whale is cool"
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