Cork flooring question

[guy99]

Hello,
We're considering putting cork flooring in the laundry room and two bathrooms of our stationary house. I know some of you have used this flooring in your Airstreams. I was hoping those who have experience with cork will offer your opinion about it's suitablity/performance for our application.

TIA

[53flyingcloud]

Guy99,
You really can't go wrong here..The real choice for you is color/pattern and, should you do free or glue for lay down.
Check back on some the previous threads for brands, etc..
ciao
53FC

[guy99]

We have a 120 pound dog. Any comments from folks with large dogs would be very helpful.

[Pahaska]

The Mayo Clinic put down some cork floors many years ago. They are still servicable after many years of heavy foot traffic, gurneys, etc.

The cork I put down in my 22' International was only in there for a few months before I traded the trailer, but indications were that it was almost indestructable. Dropped items just bounced off without leaving a mark.

[GetOutDoors]

I asked a very similar question (http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/cork-floor-270-4.html), but never received an answer.

Calvin

[uwe]

I bought this:
http://www.diyflooring.com/brand_134...-flooring.html

For my 1963 Overlander project.
Although it has only been on 2 trips so far, it was installed first, so the entire construction project was done with the new floor installed under it.
So far, it does ot show any signs of scratching or damage in any way. I even dropped pvc glue on it, which came right up after it dried, by scratching with my finger nail.
I don't think that a large dog would do damage to it.
I am not sure, though, if it is an ideal material for wet locations, such as a bathroom. The site above has good information on this material, andperhaps a call to customer service would clear up the rest of your questions.

[Over59]

There are several kinds of cork floor. What did you have in mind. I used 1x3 foot snap together sections in the caravel and in our kitchen. For this type the floor has to be near perfectly flat. Then there is the rolled cork. Glue it down and seal it. I think this would be better in a wet area as you don't have the seams. I think you can finish it with waterproof poly or exposy.

[ALANSD]

I read somehwere that cork was used in a Church and has been down for a hundred years or so...lots of traffic on it, still holding up great. I have had mine two yrs in the AS and love it, it is a breeze to maintain and feels great on the feet. In a laundry room, I would worry about the ever possible leaky washer though, and seal it up tight as mentioned above.

[Tarheel]

The Biltmore Estate in Asheville NC is over 100 years old built by Vanderbuilt and has cork flooring that is still in wonderful condition. The Whalehead club in Currituck County NC built in the 1920's has cork flooring that had been negelected for many years and had to be repaired because of a leaking roof, but most of the flooring was in remarkable condition. It is a wonderful product. The only problem I see with it is after you have it down for 100 years or so you might want a change in color.

[Golden Girl]

I've been researching cork flooring. When I contacted "Natural Cork", they would not recommend installing a cork floor in a travel trailer -- too much expansion and contraction with the temperature fluctuation. Can anyone who has installed a cork floor comment?

Do glue down cork tiles show seams after a cold winter? Do they unglue from the motion of a travel trailer?

The floating cork floor should resist expansion and contraction but I'm concerned about the additional weight of the floating cork floor. I calculate it will add 100# to my 25' Sovereign (vs 20# for the glue down cork tiles). I hate to add weight with gas prices soaring.

I really like the look of the cork flooring and I would like to hear back fron anyone who has installed a cork floor. I'm planning a big trip this summer and I would like to replace the original carpet in my 87 Sovereign with something that I can sweep clean.

Thanks in advance,
Penny

[uwe]

The weight penalty is minor. A floating cork floor will not react much if at all, to the motion of a trailers subfloor. Cork is lighter than laminate products, and supposedly weighs about the same as linoleum.
It is no heavier than carpet and pad.

[Pahaska]

I had glue-down cork through a winter and summer in my 22' International AS which was an unusually flexible Airstream. Even with the stabilizers down, it rolled and bounced uncomfortably whenever anyone moved about. Airstream issued a recall to add reinforcement to the too-light frame.

I fitted the 1'x2' non-tiles very tightly in non-flammable adhesive. The trailer went through a winter and a summer with absolutely no visible change in the cork before I sold it. The tiles stayed tightly adhered. The current owners are occasioally on the forum; maybe they can comment after 3 more years of use.

[CanoeStream]

I recall Pahaska's cork flooring posts very well. John, didn't you do some prep work on the floor to smoothe out some dings? An advantage with his 22' CCD was a one-piece floor IIRC. As I researched that for my Argosy, the seams between plywood sheets were a concern in how glued thin cork flooring might crack. I never pursued this so will rely on others to follow up. iFloor has been a source for many.

[ALANSD]

The only problem I had was using a glue originally that did not hold well enough ....since I reglued with a contact cement I have had no issues, thru seasonal weather changes, etc, The cork is warm in winter and cool in summer to the touch.

[NorCal Bambi]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

The only problem I had was using a glue originally that did not hold well enough ....since I reglued with a contact cement I have had no issues, thru seasonal weather changes, etc, The cork is warm in winter and cool in summer to the touch.

Do you remember where you got your clue down cork flooring? Does anyone else have venders to recommend?
Don

[uwe]

Originally Posted by NorCal Bambi

Do you remember where you got your clue down cork flooring? Does anyone else have venders to recommend?
Don

You might consider a floating floor for your application.
I believe that the glue-in floor is great for small areas in a finished trailer, especially with a one-piece sub floor.
Joined floor panes will soon move while driving, and cause problems with glued down flooring, such as cracks and lifting.
Since you have an empty trailer, is is quite easy to install a floating floor underneath everything. You can cover the entire floor and have a nice finished look when the trailer is done. It's nice to open a cabinet and have a finished floor underneath it all.
If you are going to re-install the existing furnishings, then you will have to trim the bottoms to make up for the floor height.

I bought my cork from diyflooring.com

I chose a 3-in 1 material, pre-finished. It has the underlayment, support material, and top floor all in one click type panel. No glue is required to join the panels. It insulates nicely against cold and noise.
My brand is Westhollow, my pattern is New Brunswick.

[Over_de_land]

First, cork is a wonderful floor. I am an architect. I push it on every project I have (not always with success). I have had it in two houses.

The vendor of the best cork flooring that I know of is Dodge-Regupol (www.regupol.com). Theirs is 12x12 glue-down. The best installation is to lay unfinished tile, then to finish with polyurethane. Waxed cork feels nicer to bare feet, but requires more maintenance (annual waxing and buffing). This is institutional grade cork: the type that lasts 60 to 100 years with proper maintenance.

I strongly recommend against the fancy cork patterns: you are getting a thin veneer over a low quality cork back. Because cork is relatively soft, it's also easily cut by dropped knives and other sharp objects. The Regupol cork absorbs this type of damage gracefully, but I don't think this type will. It is also un-refinishable because the surface you bought to look at is so thin.

Poor adhesion and adhesive failure is probably a function of moisture. If your trailer leaks at all, or if there is any moisture in the subfloor, you will have a problem. This is true for all types of glued-down flooring. Newer formulations of adhesives are much more moisture-sensitive than older adhesives (formulations changed to comply with air quality standards). If you can get hold of "cut back adhesive" it should be less of a problem.

Because of moisture issues, a floating floor might be a good compromise.

Re dogs: the only floors that will stand up to 120 lb. dogs with no damage are concrete, ceramic tile, and steel plate. I have rambunctious 70 lb. dogs, and they scratch the polyurethane, but the cork itself is unharmed. Also 4 boys. I'd do cork again in a heartbeat.

Louis

[Globie64]

That's the kind of recommendation I've been looking for. I've been looking at cork for projects for years, but the vendors I've talked to have always said not to use it in bathrooms or kitchens because of moisture. I've been trying to find a product I like for the kitchen in my house, and had concerns about two 90# dogs and scratches. I figured that since our kitchen is so tiny, I'd experiment to see how the stuff held up with dogs and dropped pots before trying to sell clients on it. I also wanted to put cork tiles in my Airstream, but wondered about seams in the plywood, humidity, flexing. I was looking at using 5/32" thick 12x12 tiles, glued to the plywood floor. Maybe a floating floor would provide more moisture stability?

Many thanks

[ALANSD]

I had cork in my AS motorhome, and loved it a lot. Easy to install, easy to maintain and clean. Warm on the feet in the winter, cool in the summer. Can't get better stuff for your Airstream I think.

(Guess I already posted some of this above, but that is another vote for cork.)

[guy99]

We installed cork flooring in our 'mud' room. This the anti-chamber between the back door and the house properand is the entrance we use most. We also live in snow country so this is where we change shoes when entering and leaving on snowy days. It also houses our washer and dryer.

We used the floating style (not glue down) flooring, our vendor had us apply 3 coats of finish (instead of 2) becaue of the water. They also had no heart burn about kitchen or batroom installations.

It's been in for about six months and the floor shows no wear. We have a 115 pound Dogue de Bordeaux (french mastif).