there are lots of different cork patterns -- not all swirly. :) i considered it, but it was ewasier to do tile wall-to-wall and then put cabinets over it. i also tthought about how often i dump wet boots and umbrellas in the kitchen, so thought cork might not be the best choice. i really liked the wicanders i look ate, though.

We have had cork for about 6 years now, and we love it. It doesn't look swirly at all; most people think ours is hardwood at first. Cork can look all different ways; do some research and you will be amazed.

It is so quiet and comfortable, and nothing ever breaks if it falls on the floor (wish that were true of the granite counters).

But the best part is that it is SO easy on my legs! I recommend it highly.

gellchom... do you have any pics available of your cork floors? Would love to see them. Thanks for the input!

I have cork planks installed in my basement family/play room. I am in absolute 100% love with them. However, I wouldn't put them in a kitchen. Yes I know it is a hotthing in some of the magazines to do now.

The floors are AMAZING in terms of cleanup. We have the Wicanders brand mentioned above (far superior in my opinion to everything I researched) and it has some sort of ceramic coating (really thin layer-doesn't take away the soft quality of the cork). This stuff makes this floor IMPERVIOUS to everything. And I mean everything. My 2 and 5 year old have had accidents on the floor in the past, spilled all kinds of drinks, and colored with markers and crayons on the floor, and it wipes right up. No scrubbing.

It is also comfortable to sit and walk on, warm, and provides sound dampening.

So, why do I say not in a kitchen? The only problem is that it can chip slightly. Not really noticeable, but in a kitchen, where you drop utensils, have all kinds of abuse, I am not sure that it would be the best looking after a few years.

Ours is in the basement, so it is not that big a deal. Also, we have a light color, so it shows up more. The natural cork color would be far less noticeable.

One other positive is that it is a piece of cake to install.

Sorry about the encyclopedia version of my cork thoughts....Hope it helps!

I can take some pics tonight and post them later.

Thanks for the compliment... so mine is "contemporary" huh? I am trying to decide what to categorize it as for the FKB. Most of the pieces I used fell under "transitional" so I was leaning that way. Anyway - on to cork:

Hmmmm I've not had problems with chipping, and my wife has a habit of dropping things. It will dent and make me scared, but by the next morning the dent has disappeared. I don't want to argue with amberley as to which is best as I am not sure Wicanders was one of the brands I tested. I got samples from every place I could find and beat them up really bad on purpose (dropping things on them, taking things and try to scratch, draggin pointed chair legs with my full weight on one leg etc) and of the samples I had Duro-design was hands down superior (sigh, it was also the most expensive LOL). The difference was the clear coat that they use is flexible so the coat allowed the cork to take abuse and recover.

As far as looks what I highly recommend you do is go to the duro design website and request a sample package. They will send you, free of charge - or at least it was free a year ago, a package with samples of all the patterns (some are thin lines that look like bamboo if you don't like the "swirl"). Then you can ask for samples of colors in specific colors from there. I must have received 25 or so samples from them. Even if you don't go with the duro design brand they are really good at giving out samples so are a nice place to start (many of the other places charged me for samples).

I would take some close up pics of my cork for you but my DW is gone on business and took the camera with her so you'd have to wait till the 23rd when she gets back. You can send me an email through GW if you still want pics after that. (I forgot that was possible till I got some email today from a fellow GWer)

Hope that helps

It helps ALOT! thanks to all. And MM... I vacillate between referring to my future remodel style as transitional and contemporary. When I told my DH and son that yours was my inspiration kitchen... they thought I was a little obsessed. Unfortunately for them... I have yet to begin to obsess. I consider myself on the perimeter of obsession! And mystery... the pics you've already posted have been helpful and fabulous. Of course any close-ups whenever you get the chance would be greatly appreciated.

I've beeen reading through as many threads as I can find and did read some about cork chipping or peeling. It may have not been the better quality like Duro-Design or Wicanders. I have been playing with their site. I plan on checking out Wicanders as well. Other people love the engineered wood. I love the look but know I won't embrace the scratching. I've posted a similar question on the flooring thread but it doesn't seem to get as much action as the Kitchen forum.

Back to googling ideas! thanks!
Elyse

i have had cork plank floors by Wicanders in our kitchen for year and a half now

having dropped all sorts of stuff on them no damage to the finish

We have the polyurethane finish

I have also never had any thing break when dropped on it

I would do the cork floors over again in an instant

I read before that cork was not good for dogs... we don't have one YET (plan on getting one next winter after our 3 week long vacation in october) but we have had guests with dogs over and it didn't do anything to the cork. Maybe if the dog tried to dig or something - I honestly can't see how the dog would damage it unless it had really sharp claws and was a very large dog.

I've had porcelain tile since we did our kitchen three years ago and I love it. I had wood in the past and I wanted something more "heavy duty". I was really intrigued by cork at one time and limestone tile for awhile but in the end I went with some porcelain tile. I was concerned about the breakage factor and possibly more uncomfortable to stand on. We've broken one thing in three years that might have survived on wood or cork. As far as comfort it's not any different to me than the wood was. Mine is quite plain by choice but tile choices are far from boring if you want something more dramatic. Seems like tile would be a great option in Florida!

Another vote for cork here! I love my cork! My kitchen has been done for 1 year now. We don't treat the floors special: I have 2 small dogs who run around like crazy chasing each other. I come in with wet and snowy shoes all the time-no big deal.
I held off doing my adjoining entryway because I wanted to live with cork in the kitchen for awhile and see how it would hold up.
We also have the Duro-design.
I was a little concerned that the pattern that I chose would be too busy, but I really do like it.
One of my other concerns was that the wheels of the peninsula would sink in and make marks, but a couple hours after the peninsula is moved,the dents disappear.
I don't know how to include a photo the way everybody else does, but from this one you can get to my webshots album that shows my kitchen:

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen

I am glad I read this thread. I selected and paid for cork flooring - yet to be installed, we're not "there" yet. It seems like contractors are scared of cork flooring. Nobody wants to come in AFTER the cork is installed - hence the reason I was questioning our decision. So, it'll slow down our completion date a little bit - flooring is the very last thing going in. Anyway - I'm still happy we've chosen what we did. We selected Natural Cork - in "Toledo". The link below is to my choices of things, including the cork.

Here is a link that might be useful: Choices

We put in Natural Cork - Miranda Chocolate planks and I can't complain. We have original hardwood throughout the house and I would have loved it in the kitchen but they're hidden under the original 1925 linoleum tile squares.

It feels good under foot and is easy on my legs and back when I have my marathon baking sessions. So far I'm happy with my cork.

I'm lovin the cork more and more with each passing day. The difficulty will be with my DH. He likes the idea of tile because we play hard and 9 times outta 10 will choose something fun over something maintance on our time off together. Plus he's not sold on the look yet. I showed picture to my son thinking I'd employ him to help sell hubby and he told me he thought it looked like the bottom of a hamster cage or masonite. So much for the opinion of a 21 year old male! Actually, his room looks like a caged animal was let loose in there so it shoulda had a familiar feel....

I think all the cork pictures you've sent are absolutely beautiful and I love love love the idea of something that exudes warmth, is soft, and has NO grout lines. I'm off to order some samples from Duro-Design. Hopefully, the real thing will draw hubby over from the dark side.

ceramic or porcelain is NOT easy on old feet. I have both, old feet and ceramic.

We have 2 dogs (one about 50 lbs and the other a puppy we expect to be smaller -- maybe 35 lbs, but could be similar). Anyone have cork with medium to large, but not huge, dogs? We plan to put hardwoods inthe entry and formals, but not inth kitchen and family room -- I'd like to look at cork there.

lascatx: My dog weighs about 35lbs. but we won't have our cork flooring installed for about another month. I'm sure I'll post something on it when it's done - but remind me to tell you how the dog does on it. :)

After a fair amount of research, we chose - and love - cork glue-down tiles by Expanko. They've been in for just about two years now. We don't have dogs, but do have a teen son with lots of active friends, and our kitchen is the through-path for the rest of the house. They look brand new. No special care at all. We went with un-dyed tiles, which I think fade less. Even with large windows and a skylight, we haven't noticed any fading. I do recommend two additional coats of polyurethane finish (not too glossy) after installation, even if they are pre-finished, to help seal the spaces.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Seems that there is either snap together cork planks that 'float', or glue-down tiles. Most are pre-finished. Anyone have an opinion between the two styles?

It partly depends on your current floor. The tiles are very thin, while the planks are thicker (though the actual cork portion is very thin), so will raise the floor level more. On the other hand, for tiles, the subfloor must be absolutely smooth and flat. Any imperfections will show through after a while. One thing we prefer about the tiles is that they are just cork (plus the finish), so no concern about what kind of material the rest of the plank is. Also, the thickness of the cork in the Expanko tiles (though not all brands) is thicker than on the planks we looked at, so they can be refinished more often in the future (like solid hardwood compared to hardwood-surfaced planks). Another advantage of tiles is that it makes it possible to do patterns, whereas planks are just strips.

Here is a link that might be useful: Expanko cork tiles

Agree with debbie_2008, Porcelain and Ceramic are hard on the back, feet and joints. If you're cooking for many hours at a stretch, several days in a row, it'll most likely affect you regardless of your age.

Yet another vote for cork floors. It's now been 2 years since we installed Natural Cork planks in "Toledo". It's probably a swirlier pattern than you want (though you may not be able to tell from my photo), but there are other options. The seams are invisible, and the floor has been seemingly bullet-proof. Plus, I love the warmth and softness underfoot.

We'd had hardwood in the kitchen for 10 years prior, and that was also great, though less soft. (The only reason we changed from that was that the hardwood had faded close to the windows, and rather than try to salvage and re-finish it when we did the kitchen remodel, we decided to use the remodel as an opportunity to start over with cork.)

Prior to our 07 remodel, we had cork floors in kitchen, DR, entry and adjoining powder room for 18 years. I loved this floor! We didn't treat it with much care and didn't receive care information when the cork floors were installed. So, they received a far amount of water when washed, no added finishes or refinishing.

We also have a 22 pound dog who managed to scratch up a lot of woodwork around window areas.

The floors held up well. If you'd look close (like eyes a foot away), you could see many scratches from a variety of sources. The excess water caused some seams to curve up a little (only noticeable with bare feet).

I really wanted to put in new cork floors, but, got talked out of it by a KD who said colors/patterns weren't right for our new look. We put in porcelain tiles and standing on them hasn't yet been a problem. I probably don't stand on them for more than 90 minutes at a time.

If I were to put in cork again, I'd use the floating kind and panels or planks. When replacing the old cork floor, everyone was predicting big problems if we had to deal with glued down panels. The old floor came up easy because no glue. Cork is much more forgiving on uneven subfloors than tile. It took about a days work to even out the subfloor for tile (involved replacing some plywood and a lot of sanding). One of my friends just put in a high end glued down cork tile and they now wish that they had gone with the floating option.

We've had our Wicanders 1000 (floating, with the vinyl finish) for just about a year in the kitchen. Pretty much no sign of wear and tear, except that I recently found one "scratch" in the finish when I was spot cleaning on my knees (I'm guessing it was from having to move the fridge to install baseboard trim). No dogs, but two cats in our household.

We're very happy with it! I can cook all day in my kitchen without back pain, but in my mom's or sister's kitchen, I get achy after a couple of hours (they both have tile).

It took my DH a little time to warm up to the idea (at first he would have preferred to match the oak floor in adjoining rooms). But now, he'll try to "sell" cork to anyone who talks flooring with him. And he's talking about putting it in the basement when we finish it.

Yes, you may encounter push back from KDs, GC etc on cork... its simply the fear of the unknown. After doing my job however my GC says he loves cork.

Be sure to get samples before ordering cork. I completely changed my choice in pattern after seeing them in person.

FYI I put the same cork as the kitchen/dining in the entryway.

Porcelain for me: so easy to maintain, still looks brand new after 5 years. My [currently, 4] dogs are members of the family, and come and go as they please. The porcelain is impervious. Dropped items often [not always] break, but the solid body porcelain hasn't even chipped-- I know a lot of the stuff I've dropped would make a bad dent in a hardwood floor.

If you end up having foot or back issues, just do mats in standing areas. A lot depends on the structure of the house: if you have a concrete slab, half an inch of maple isn't going to provide much cushioning, either.

YAY callaloo! thanks for posting your positive experience with the EXACT brand & color of cork we've selected! That little fear factor that has been lurking in the dark recesses of my 2nd, 3rd and 4th guessing mind - has changed to one of excitement and "can't wait"!

remodelfla, you can see pictures of our cork floor on the finished kitchens blog.

We have a dog and 2 cats; no problem.

I don't want to rain on the cork parade ;-), but a word of caution.

We installed glue-down cork tiles from Duro-Design (the brick-like pattern with a light-colored finish) in our kitchen about two years ago. It has NOT held up well. We have several big dings/chips in the floor. And our two cats have scratched the heck out of it. Because the finish is light, the scratches into the darker cork below really show up.

All that said, I still love cork. It looks great, it's lovely to stand on, and nothing breaks when it falls on the floor. I may even try it again in our next house, but I'd probably go wth a different brand and a darker color.

Hi,

I am so glad the poster asked the original question that generated so much feedback on cork. It is great to read all this first hand info on cork (both pro and con). I am about to install the Natural Cork floating planks in my kitchen. But I agree 100% with boxiebabe that my GC seems afraid of the cork because I don't think he has much experience with it. The GC also said it will be the very last thing he installs in the kitchen (again similar to boxiebabe).

Not to hijack this thread, but everyone who has used the Natural Cork floating cork planks, did you put on a coat of polyurethane once the floor was down? I have 2 cats and I'm concerned about the maintenance. My KD says the planks are already treated but when I called the manufacturer to verify this, I got 2 different answers depending on who I talked to. You're comments would be much appreciated as I"m not sure what to do.

I'll post more on my experience with the cork once the floor is down. I'm looking forward to the softness of a cork floor in the kitchen because I cook & bake a lot and have a bad back.

Good luck in your choice of flooring.

Karen

Our planks were unfinished... we did 3 or 4 coats after they were installed. We were told this is the best way so that no water can get in between planks.

Thanks for your comments. I think maintaining cork is really important and helps it to look good inspite of all the wear.

Thanks again and I hope the OP goes with a cork floor too!

Karen