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Old 10-26-2007, 06:53 PM   #1
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1999 25' Safari
Sebastopol , California
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Cork Flooring - Square footage

I have a 1999 25' Safari and a 1984 31' Excella. I want to install cork flooring in each of these. I was wondering if anyone has installed new flooring in these models and if they know how many square feet I should buy. I'm planning on cork flooring which is glued down.

Also, exactly how flat does the plywood have to be for cork flooring. There are the usual anamolies in the flooring and I'd rather not have to sand the whole floor down.

Thanks,
Ben
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Old 10-26-2007, 09:22 PM   #2
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Waddell , Arizona
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aluminumb
I have a 1999 25' Safari and a 1984 31' Excella. I want to install cork flooring in each of these. I was wondering if anyone has installed new flooring in these models and if they know how many square feet I should buy. I'm planning on cork flooring which is glued down.

Also, exactly how flat does the plywood have to be for cork flooring. There are the usual anamolies in the flooring and I'd rather not have to sand the whole floor down.

Thanks,
Ben
I installed glueless laminate flooring in my 97 30' wide body Excella. We used about 200 sq. ft. Keep in mind that we removed 90% of the interior, installed the floor, then reinstalled the interior on top of the new floor.
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Old 10-27-2007, 05:04 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aluminumb
I have a 1999 25' Safari and a 1984 31' Excella. I want to install cork flooring in each of these. I was wondering if anyone has installed new flooring in these models and if they know how many square feet I should buy. I'm planning on cork flooring which is glued down.

Also, exactly how flat does the plywood have to be for cork flooring. There are the usual anamolies in the flooring and I'd rather not have to sand the whole floor down.

Thanks,
Ben
Hi Ben.
I am restoring from ground up 1973 26' Argosy which will include Lisbon cork flooring. I was fortunate to talk to someone who [according to business owner he works for] has installed hundreds of cork floors. It was strongly recommended to me that 1/4" Cork underlayment be installed first. The reason quoted was to relieve possible hard spots and provide a moisture barrier. He has even show me a SOB in which he installed the cork floor.
I was asked to take my shoes off and walk on it.
Aside of the color not being of my choice, I was sold on it in a minute. My floor is a 1/2" aluminum clad on both sides plywood, which makes it very stiff so the extra underlayment is not vital to me. However, my floor panels are joined with 1/16" cross section thickness aluminum H trim [as it was laying on its side]. This leaves 1/16" thick x 3/4" wide aluminum strip across the floor every 4'. I am going to router a channel in the cork underlayment to provide a space for it and eliminate high spots in flooring. I must add, that the feel of walking on the 1/4" cork tiles laying on the hard floor in the store, and those on top of 1/4" underlayment was considerably different.

I have 50' roll of 1/4" underlayment on order. I am not going to go wall to wall with it. Since my floor plan has not been made final, I am holding with ordering tiles. Surprisingly enough, price from a store down the road from me, is much lower than anything I could find on the net. With 12 " tile measure width X length will give you needed square footage if you are going wall to wall. Be sure your glue is waterproof. Thanks and good luck
with installation. "Boatdoc"
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Old 10-27-2007, 06:16 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boatdoc
I was fortunate to talk to someone who [according to business owner he works for] has installed hundreds of cork floors. It was strongly recommended to me that 1/4" Cork underlayment be installed first. The reason quoted was to relieve possible hard spots and provide a moisture barrier.
Excellent idea sourced from a craftsman in the trenches. Thanks for sharing boatdoc. It sounds like you've got a clear plan too.

I recall Pahaska's first thread on installing cork flooring. He had about a 2002 (?) 22' International with a 1-piece (good) chip board (bad for any moisture!) floor. Point is -- plywood floor seams are a potential problem area and will telegraph. I didn't pursue cork a few years back for this reason. So boatdoc's solution to bridging the gap is a good concept. Boatdoc? If it comes in rolls, do you know how stiffly it will bridge gaps or is there a recommended filler underneath?
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Old 10-27-2007, 07:25 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by CanoeStream
Excellent idea sourced from a craftsman in the trenches. Thanks for sharing boatdoc. It sounds like you've got a clear plan too.

I recall Pahaska's first thread on installing cork flooring. He had about a 2002 (?) 22' International with a 1-piece (good) chip board (bad for any moisture!) floor. Point is -- plywood floor seams are a potential problem area and will telegraph. I didn't pursue cork a few years back for this reason. So boatdoc's solution to bridging the gap is a good concept. Boatdoc? If it comes in rolls, do you know how stiffly it will bridge gaps or is there a recommended filler underneath?
Hi Bob; As I understood the seasoned older gentelman installer, the reason for underlayment is to absorb the tile expansion and contraction rate along with reduced surface deformation in tiles produced by uneven floor. He has recommended sanding down the underlayment across my trim, in order to relieve the high spots. But I can just as easily router a path 1/16th deep to accommodate the joint trim. 1/4" cork tiles are oil finished and come with 15 year warranty. There is no feasibility to alter them for thickness, but you can surely and easily sand the 1/4" underlayment in order to level the surface for the tile. Nice thing about cork is also the fact that is naturally resistant to microbial growth and is treated for such in addition to its natural qualities to resist mold. This may come as welcomed advantage, since my trailer will not have controlled environment year round. This should prevent mold from attacking enclosed areas.

The cork underlayment is not very stiff, but the benefit of it comes from forming of a expandable base, which will reduce stress on finished tile by absorbing expansion and possible floor flex, so that there is less transition of forces applied to the tile by floor discrepancies. Cork has a natural resilience to stretching, therefore the underlayment can be solidly glued to the floor while the flex or expansion in the floor surface will not stress the tiles. From what he has told me, more stable the surface, the better longevity of tile. If a stable surface cannot be achieved, adding of underlayment is in order to absorb some discrepancies. One of my posts "Boatdocs 26' Argosy project" has a pic posted of the 12"x12" cork tile of my choice. Thanks, "Boatdoc"
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