HI Stacys, Some cork flooring has used the "Wear Resistance Technology" on its surface. Kitchen use should certianly be OK. We have Cork floorings in all our offices at our business., just love it. A interior design will be the right one to talk about the blend in with the rest of house. I think it is a plus for resale compared to tiles, especially when now the green building materials are so popular to people. It is a great DIY product with click lock. If you don't like the floating concept,your only choice left to use cork will be glueing down the cork tiles which usually comes in 12"x12' squares.

I installed Natural Cork floating planks in our kitchen in the spring of 2007. We love it, especially when we drop something breakable. Also it is "warm and soft" on the feet. We haven't had any trouble with water spills since we clean them up quickly (including the spitting ice machine ice cubes). our cabinets are white washed maple, the counter tops are Baltic brown granite (a dark color) and the cork is a very dark brown called carbon. Installation was a bit complicated due to the shape of the kitchen-- a couple of 45 degree angles, a walk in pantry and a island.

We have cork tile in our kitchen and love it. It's warm & soft and stands up to kids & pets. Ours are Barriga tiles from DuroDesign in Cocoa and Praline.

I have two friends who have cork floors in their kitchens. Both love their floors and I like them as well. I am considering cork for my upcoming kitchen re-do. One of my friends has cork tiles, the other has a floating cork floor. The only issue for the floating floor was when a water leak caused them to have to pull up the floor because the cork boards were interlaced (not the right word). I personally think the tiles are the way to go.

I am getting ready for a kitchen renovation and need to decide on flooring.
I don't have a lot of "traffic" but am a messy cook. I also need a material that is good for legs and backs.
I am replacing ceramic tile with either cork, bamboo or wood-- what would you reccomend?

cork, for legs.

I am about to replace a cork floor, which we have had for only 5 years. We loved the cushion of the cork, but it just doesn't hold up in kitchens. We recently had a leak under the sink, and it traveled under the floating floor, causing all the edges to thicken. Even before the leak, the seams were beginning to show. I love cork, but would never put it in a kitchen again. I am looking for alternatives. We enjoy cooking, and spent alot of time in the kitchen. Tile is nice to look at, but very tough on a middle-aged back. Any suggestions?

patma, I don't think your problem was with the cork. It was with the floating floor which is a thin layer of cork over a cardboard type substrate. Wood-look or Tile-look laminate flooring also has that same problem. Our glue down tiles are fine with water. I have boys who constantly leave ice cubes on the floor(from the through-the-door frig dispenser) and I had a dishwasher leak that flooded the floor overnight once. The floor is fine because it was glue-down cork which is cork the whole way through. Think about it - cork sits in wine bottles for years and is fine.

metrotiles, please read this site's terms of service. Spam is not allowed.

My best friend has cork and she loves it. However, it has scratched from just her cats walking on it. My kitchen will have lots of through traffic (her does not) and we have dogs. So we are going with an oak floor.

I also have a cat and 2 very active boys(read as: scooters, hot wheel cars, and cleats.) There is no noticeable damage to our cork floors, the oak in the greatroom, however is covered in light scratches, a couple of deep gouges, and a few burn marks(don't ask.) It'll need to be refinished sometime after the boys have gone off to college.

I installed a floating DuroDesign cork floor in our kitchen 3 yrs ago. I had thought about tile, but glad I went with cork, as we are in our 60's and this is much easier on us. We have had no problems, even with a 45# dog. I guess water would present a problem with the floating floor, so you might consider the glue down tiles. We are planning to put cork tiles in our mast bath, as we tiled the main bath last year, and they are too cold !

I was at three flooring stores today and all three said "don't put cork in a kitchen or bathroom". I guess they didn't know what they were talking about. I know that for years decorators have been advising people to not use marble as a kitchen counter because it is so porous. I saw a beautiful spread in a Martha Stewart magazine on a huge kitchen in one of her homes which is all honed white marble and it is gorgeous. My next door neighbor has it in her kitchen and it is so beautiful and she makes candy and cookies and pastry right on it.

What I am getting at is that we need to use what we love and not listen to the experts every step of the way. That said, I am still researching what we like because not everything out there is high quality.

I'm sure there are reasons not to put cork in a kitchen or bathroom. We put a floating cork floor in our kitchen and we love it. Now, if I have a plumbing leakthere, I may regret it. If I don't, I won't. If you are careful in the bathroom, and don't have plumbing disasters, you'll be OK. If you get out of the shower and leave a puddle on the floor everytime (there are people that do this), then cork is probably not for you.