Please vote for our cork -- we're stumped (ha!)

15 years ago

Our plan is to pull out the nasty carpet in the LR, DR, two small halls and two of the bedrooms and put down cork. I'm still coming to terms with the (in my perception) clunky trim pieces that will be required and may yet scuttle the whole thing. But we need to pick a winner (or top contenders) so we can get quotes.

Here's a reminder of the big room -- the cork areas will be on either end in the symmetrical areas where you see the white carpet now, and also in the short halls you can see in the panelling photo:

Our challenge is all of the different finishes and tones in the house (which we won't be changing). You can see in the photo the brick on the kitchen island, the dark beams, the medium tone pine ceiling. I've put the samples on the brown pavers, and on the wll panelling, which they will abut.

These are our four finalists. I think we would be happy with any of these four. Oh, and there will be area rugs used also, under the dining table and in the main seating area in the LR. Those haven't been picked yet, but I'm not tied to anything -- I'll get them to work with the cork and everything else -- probably a neutral shag or tonal wool of some kind.

So, since DH and I have been staring at these things all week (the reject pile is bigger than these four, so at least we've accomplished something), please help draw attention to anything we may have overlooked. Thank you!

Against the wall: A-B-C-D

{{!gwi}}

On the avers, clockwise from top left: A-B-C-D

{{!gwi}}

Close ups of the pattern:

A:

{{!gwi}}

D:

{{!gwi}}

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Comments (33)

mlraff53
15 years ago
eventhough I like the darkness of B, I would vote for A or D in that order. I like the big chunks in A and the lines in D.
eandhl
15 years ago
B vote here. I like the close up of the pattern as well as the contrast. The room looks so nice and bright.
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Thanks for all the input so far. Suero - I didn't understand what you were asking about the entrance being in the office, then I looked at the plans again and I totally see where you are coming from. You can't actually tell from the plans, but the entrance is actually at the bottom of the plans - the stairs go down towards the bottom wall, so that at the bottom of the stairs, you see the TV area to your right and the door to the exercise area to your left. The door under the stairs is a closet in the office where my hubby wants to put the router, printer, fax machine, etc. There are only two small windows - one is behind the furnace (go figure) and the other is in part of the basement that is a crawl space (everything above the "top wall" on the plans is only dug out to half-height, so the floor in that area is about waist high if you are standing in the full-height part of the basement. 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This is really hard to explain - perhaps a pic will help (excuse the mess - we've purged a lot of stuff out of the basement since these were taken): To address some of the other concerns you all brought up, I don't expect that hubby will be using loud saws or whatever while someone else is watching TV (for one thing, the tv is primarily for him, LOL!) The workshop is pretty small (the whole darned basement is cramped, to be honest). I mainly just wanted an area where I could do projects - strip a piece of furniture, use the miter saw for a quick cut or two, etc. And somewhere to store my massive collection of paint cans, LOL! Also, as far as finishing the exercise room, the original plan was to have 3 rooms, one being a dedicated exercise room. But when we got down there with our painters tape and marked it out on the floor, the exercise room ended up being so cramped that it felt claustrophobic. And we don't want to finish that whole "unfinished area" because we still have the furnaces and a whole bunch of well stuff (water softener, a few tanks, etc.). So we figured we'd just omit the wall and leave the exercise area as part of a bigger unfinished room. The shelves/desk along the stairs are for my kids - I envision a long countertop with two kneehole openings to serve as "desks" for the kids. I do plan to use the area under the stairs -- part of it will be a closet accessible from the office and the lower part will be accessible from the exercise area for storage of random stuff. And again, the sliding closets along the top are there in part to incorporate the half-height area. Here's a pic to show you what I am dealing with: I want the closets to be about 2 feet deep at the bottom but where the openings to the half-height area are, the shelves will be deeper, going all the way to the back of the columns that support the ceiling there. 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User
15 years ago
I like B and C, however on my monitor when they are standing up against the paneling, C looks a little off in color
kimbo2008
15 years ago
Definitely LOVE A. I don't think there is enough contrast b/w the walls and B, and the pattern of A is more interesting - in my opinion! What a cool house...
oceanna
15 years ago
I vote B for not showing anything. BUT I would not even think about having a cork floor unless they could give me a lot of assurances. My mom had a cork floor way back when and she swore AT it regularly. I'd need to know that cork had come a long way baby in terms of both maintenance and durability. For looks, it's scrumptious. For walking on, it's soft.
susytwo
15 years ago
The cork in our kitchen is very similar to A. We love it. It is so easy to care for and is so forgiving. Dings and scratches that would ruin a hardwood, or crack a ceramic tile, practically heal themselves in the cork. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
les917
15 years ago
D, no question, imo.

The first (A) has too large a pattern, B is too dark, and C from a distance looks like plywood. I like the subtle texture and lines in A, and think it will work with all the colors you have, plus not fight with rugs that you may want to use.

Love your house!
carriem25
15 years ago
I tried, but I couldn't love the big amoeba shapes in A, and I thought C looked a bit like constriction grade OSB. I just couldn't love D at all, so B wins for me, hands down.

Carrie
organic_smallhome
15 years ago
I'm terrible at these types of decision, but I think I like C best. Definitely not the darker one, though.
prairiegirlz5
15 years ago
Way cool digs! I vote for D, it looks classy and subtle, the pattern on B is too "cork board" looking. I do agree with Carrie about crossing A and C off the list. Have fun!
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
I vote for D since I like the lines in it and the color.
Happyladi
15 years ago
I like D the best and B second.
april2929
15 years ago
I have "A" in both of my bathrooms and I absolutely love it. The funny thing is that my first choice was "D", but I got a really good deal on "A" so for the sake of our budget I 'settled' for "A". I'm glad I did! I thought the same thing when I saw the sample, those awful amoeba shapes... but when you see it in a large area it is stunning! It hides all dirt, too.

PS I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your MCM house ;)
mimi_2006
15 years ago
I vote for A! It's beautiful.
susanlynn2012
15 years ago
April2929, can you share a picture since then maybe I will like A also. I find that sometimes I see a sample I love and I hate it in a big area and other times the sample is not great but when it is in a big area it is wonderful.
mahatmacat1
15 years ago
I vote for D. Has design, isn't overwhelming.
sonepi
15 years ago
Would say C or D because the color is lighter. I think if you go with the darker cork, the room may be too dark with all the dark wood. Personally, I like the lines in D.
april2929
15 years ago
Mine is Cleopatra by Natural Cork, which looks nearly identical to "A".

Here it is on the bathroom floor:
{{!gwi}}

And I loved it so much I also put it on the bathroom counter:
{{!gwi}}
callaloo
15 years ago
I have your pattern A in my kitchen, but the color I have is "Toledo." As you can see, the pattern reads quite subtle unless you are close to it. We love it because it's soft and warm underfoot, wears wonderfully (we've had it for over 2 years so far), and is quite unique. It's the feature of our new kitchen that gets the most attention -- all of it positive.

Of the choices available to us, we liked A because it seemed the most "corky" -- i.e. it reminded us of the bark of a tree (which is what it is).
jakabedy
Original Author
15 years ago
Wow, you guys are amazing!

My tally of the votes:

A - 8
B - 4
C - 1
D - 6

You've all hit on the reasons why we may favor or disfavor a particular pattern at any given moment.

I knew "A" would be a contender, because it has that pattern that most readily identifies it as cork. DH's only fear with that one is that it might compete with any granite we eventually put in the kitchen (probably next year). I don't think it really would, as the cork is not in the actual kitchen area, but it is a concern of his.

I was surprised "B" didn't get more votes. I think maybe I'm so tired of the light carpet and the stark contrast of it that I thought "B" would provide some consistency throughout the room. It was actually the winner of the first samples we brought home . . . then we went back for the second batch.

I never thought of "C" looking like OSB! I do think it is the least interesting of the four, and I do think there may be a pinkishness to it that doesn't quite work.

D, I think, is my favorite. But I think it may also be the most expensive.

On with the quotes!

___________________________________

April - your floor appears to be glue-down squares rather than floating planks. I thought about doing glue-down to avoid a lot of the trim, but my floor folks told me even the glue-down would need expansion room (and all the edge trim) because of the nature of the cork. But it looks to me like you have laid the glue-down like I thought one could -- like vinyl squares, with no need for expansion.

Can you tell me how that worked out? Has it worked mainly because of the small space? Have you had any trouble with edges coming up where it can't be tucked under a baseboard? Or buckling? And what a cool idea to use it on the vanity! A very nice room, all around.

callaloo -

Is yours glue-down or floating? Have you been satisfied with the trim at the walls and transitions? It looks like your floor folks did a good job matching the stain on the trim to the cork floor.

Thanks again, everyone. This board is awesome!
callaloo
15 years ago
jakabedy,

Our flooring is floating planks (from Natural Cork). The trim at the walls and transitions is not any different than the trim in rooms in which we have hardwood flooring. And I can't say that they undertook any special effort to match the trim stain to the cork color. I honestly wasn't paying much attention, because my GC and the flooring sub were so excellent that I felt quite re-assured to let them use their experience and judgment.

In going with cork, you will find that there aren't all that many contractors experienced with the installation. However, we were fortunate to have one who did have experience -- and had done entire houses with cork flooring -- so I could afford to be trusting.

If you are planning to DIY, I suspect the manufacturer will be very helpful with any questions/issues you might have. They seem very interested in getting their product out there, and every good result sells their product for them.
april2929
15 years ago
Jakabedy,

Yes ours is glue-down tiles. I was highly advised to use these in the bathrooms instead of the planks. I would probably do planks if I do another room. I followed the manufacturer's instructions and used 1/4" expansion space at the outer edges of the room. In this room in the picture I forgot to stagger the tile (basketweave) like they tell you but in the other one I did it correctly so there are not four corners meeting and I like the look of it better. The cement dries fast and if you don't work fast it dries too much and you have to keep putting it on and waiting for it to get tacky, kind of a pain to get the timing right. But the tiles cut like butter and are easy to fit in odd spaces.

I haven't had any problems with lifting edges but it's only been 6 weeks since it was finished. All edges are covered with baseboard or threshhold except at the tub. We used caulk at the tub, as well as made sure the manufacturer's edge was on the tiles at the tub (no home-made cuts).

I did the countertop about 6 months ago, I did it first to practice and I'm sure glad I did, I recommend a practice piece if you use the glue-kind. The manufacturer only says to put the contact cement on the subfloor, but I got a tip to also "butter" the back of the tiles to make them stick better (like they do with Formica on a counter). It's a pain but they are sure stuck down good! I put three coats of polyurethane on it and it's holding up great.

April
organic_smallhome
15 years ago
april and callaloo: Beautiful floors (and counter)! I'm so surprised, because a contractor I know once told me that cork should not be used in wet areas such as kitchens and baths. I see that he was wrong. :)
ronniroo
15 years ago
I vote for A as well, it's what I'm dreaming of for my kitchen/dining room/ds's room/bathroom. Can't wait to have the budget available to get it done, I'm so jealous of all ya'll's gorgeous cork floors!

~~Veronica
hoosiergirl
15 years ago
I didn't read all the responses, but my eye immediately went to B -- love the way it blends! Just thought I'd throw that out there for you.
User
15 years ago
Another vote for D here!
brutuses
15 years ago
D here also.
judiegal6
15 years ago
I like A and D. A for the drama and D for the subtlety. I think B and C look look too much like buletin boards.
ctlane
15 years ago
In case you still want another pic here is our bathroom. We also put it in the kitchen and office. It is floating planks that we installed ourselves. It looks much like A.
abbycat9990
15 years ago
We have "A" in floating planks in all of our bedrooms. We installed it ourselves--it was a bear! Hopefully your installers are experienced with Natural Cork Products.
Here's the floor:

I don't love the busy-ness of the pattern in enclosed spaces, although it really does hide everything, including kitty regurgitations...
ladyish2
15 years ago
Can I still Vote???

My vote if for D ... I like the (hint of) lines. It seams like it would work the best with all the other lines in your house and not compeat. It would also look less busy for your granite counters when you do those. Granite does tend to be busy... but you could always not use granite.

we are in the middle of picking cork flooring for the upstairs. I haven't picked a company or a color yet. Our flooring will be a DIY project

Good Luck
pammyfay
15 years ago
How do you clean cork flooring? (yeah, i could google it, but i'm lazy tonite!)

Please vote for our cork -- we're stumped (ha!)

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