Are you looking at glue down tiles?

I have cork click lock in my kitchen, and actually, everywhere but the baths. They require more attention than the tile, but much nicer underfoot.
are you using glue down?

OK...so here's the scoop on cork flooring - from a Cork Flooring Expert (that's me).

1. Cork is water PROOF (the cork itself...it's what kept the champagne bottles on the Titanic FRESH while sitting at the bottom of the ocean for 100 yrs). So those who say it disintegrates when wet are misinformed.

2. The FLOATING flooring version sits on HDF (most of it made to exacting specifications with less VOC content than a regular engineered hardwood). The HDF is the stuff that gets upset when wet...but there is a way to deal with this = seam sealer or topical polyurethane applied in kitchens, etc

3. The FINISH on a cork floor is what makes it tough. If you go LL or HD or Lowe's or Rona cork then you are in for a rough ride. Tearing of cork is RARE. Super rare. So rare it means the people who are tearing it are beyond 'dumb'. If they would do that to cork they would damage ANY floor in place.

Now for the 'fading' and the 'buckling'. Fading is going to happen to wood. Cork is wood (sigh...it's a shocker I know but it is...it is the SOFTEST hardwood in the world). Wood fades in direct sunlight. Cork just does it FASTER. That's it. That's all. Nothing to see here.

As for buckling - that's on the installer and the HOUSE. Cork floating floors are DYNAMIC! And I mean they EXPAND and CONTRACT nicely. THAT'S OK! That's NORMAL! Cork DOES THAT!

The INSTALLER needs to know this and ACCOUNT FOR IT! A 12mm cork floating floor (www.icorkfloor.com) needs (wait for it...) 12mm of expansion at ALL WALLS and vertical obstacle. The caveat being...ALL floating floors require their 'thickness' to be left at all walls. And 11mm laminate needs 11mm of space at the wall. A 5mm vinyl needs 5mm at the wall. Do you see where this is going? Right.

So...cork is FINE with LARGE swings in humidity. In fact, it is one of the EASIEST wood products to deal with when it comes to indoor living conditions. It does well between 35% - 65% humidity. That is the LARGEST 'happy' range of ANY wood product on the market! But the issue is not the humidity...it is the INSTALLER who ruins cork flooring.

Now on to homeowners who want the 'comfort of cork' but who want the durability of tiles. And the PERFECTION of tiles. Hmmmmm....I ALWAYS predict heartache when I see someone who worries about 'durability and fading' when they want the comfort of cork. It never ends well.

Homeowner Know Thyself (To Thine Own Self Be True)! If you CANNOT stand change (fading) then stay away from cork. If you CANNOT stand a floor that dimples (dents can be removed with a hot wet cloth...like ironing a linen shirt) and dents and scrapes (all can be dealt with DIY) then STAY AWAY from cork.

I love cork. It is fascinating. It is EVER CHANGING! It is BEAUTIFUL in its FADED FORM (think Marilyn Monroe or Gwen Stefani bleach bottle blonde hair). I LOVE faded cork. Love it! I love it fresh out of the box...but I CANNOT WAIT for it to fade down to perfection.

That's me. You need to know who YOU are before you work with the DIVA of the flooring world. Like all Diva's you have to LOVE everything they give you or you will hate them forever.

Thank you all for your comments! I still have questions if you have more patience.

I do not know about floating or glued down yet. Your opinion and experiences with either is welcome. If I didn't have to rip out the old ceramic floor, that would be excellent. Floating means installed on top of the current floor?

SJ McCarthy, you rock! You've given solid guidance and inspiration. My fear of fading is about how uneven that fade might be. Both kitchen & family area are banked by large west windows that get strong afternoon sun. Am I going to have distinct "shadows" if I ever rearrange my furniture? Or a giant dark rectangle where a door mat is? I'm trying to gauge the fade level. Would that dark Tasmanian Burl be OK, or should I go with a safer, already mottled color like Logan (iCork colors)?

The fading will vary depending on things sitting on it...but it all gets there (the terminal colour) in the end. The sun 'swings' in the sky (from east to west; down to up to down again; winter - summer - winter). These swings mean different angles will be 'hit' at different times of the day, and the year. These swings 'even out' over the years.

And light 'bounces'. UV rays will bounce off of glossy things, off walls and then back onto floors. That means the floor will have subtle variations (NOT striations) from left to right and from close to the windows to the furthest wall. These variations are SOOOOOO subtle, you HAVE to leave something on the floor for 6 months or so to reveal how much the floor has faded around it.

And remember: the brain will convince the eye that it is seeing something 'normal'. An example:

A darker floor that is in a dark corner = normal. A light floor in a well lit area = normal. That means a floor that has NO fading (down a dark hallway) will look NORMAL so long as it is in a 'naturally dark' setting. A HEAVILY faded cork floor sitting directly in front of a large window = normal looking.

As for furniture shadows, they even out. Yes you will be a little surprised at first (the first time you move the sofa) you will get used to it by week two. After 12 months, the fade will be almost unnoticeable. Almost.

For these reasons, I always recommend leaving the area rugs off the floor for the first 6 months (or at least through the first FULL summer). Once the floor has been given a chance to mute its colour, you can then place the area rugs. That means the next time you move the furniture, the difference between the rug shadow and the faded floor will be less intense. Again, you will take a bit of time to get used to it...and then you will forget it was ever an issue.

Tasmanian Burl is a fantastic COLOUR. The COLOUR in Tasmanian Burl is a STAIN. The stain will remain 'live' for 2 years or so...and then the fade will take hold and you will lose almost all the colour you paid for.

Logan is the MOST EXPENSIVE cork finish on the market today. Where Tasmanian Burl costs money because it has a STAIN (stain adds cost), the Logan adds value because of how EXPENSIVE the cork veneer is (large pieces of cork are EXPENSIVE and RARE). So the two come close to the same price...but for two different reasons.

Here's how I liken the two products:

Tasmanian Burl = Swirly Zebra Stripes under a pretty stain that fades quickly

Logan = Natural Travertine looking cork that FADES to natural LIMESTONE colours!!!

Logan looks a bit like a dry laid stone pathway. It is TRULY stunning. It starts life in the Travertine Peach/Gold tones and then fades down to the LIMESTONE cream colours. I love BOTH the look of Travertine AND Limestone so I love the look of Logan either way.

If you love the depth of the Tasmanian Burl, I think you will be disappointed to see it fade out heavily. I've faded out this colour myself. It turns to a grayish beige that is not what most people want when they purchase an Gunstock brown cork floor.

If you like the movement of the 'burl' but want the easy life of the Logan, I would look at the Desert Arable in the 10mm. It is SOOOOO cool in a larger pattern. It really looks like etched sandstone (imagine the striations of the Grand Canyon). Desert Arable might be 10mm, but you can bump up the cork quantity by adding 3mm cork underlay for LESS than the price of the Tasmanian Burl.

Just my 2 cents. Considering I used to sell ALL of these products, I can help as much as you need me to. First things first: order your samples and then make some of your decisions after you have them in your hand.

10,000 Thanks!

I am no expert and defer to sjmcCarthy for all technical details. I only have my personal experience with cork. We had glue down tiles (thin all cork tiles glued onto a prepared subfloor (plywood). My understanding is that the cork telegraphs imperfections in the subfloor so subfloor has to be done well. We installed cork that was stained white and loved it.

After quite a few years we gently buffed it with fine sand paper and re-sealed it because the white stain was wearing off in a few places. We had no issues with it for years until our elderly cat decided it made a great scratching pad. The scratches were only on the surface and we would periodically re-stain and seal those patches.

We had a heavy antique table and it would made dents in the cork. When we moved the table, the dents would bounce back and you couldn't see where they had been.

When the floor was nine or ten years old, we had a house fire and a pipe burst. Water rained down on the floor for hours, then froze. The floor still looked fine, but the insurance co. decided to replace it fearing the subfloor had been compromised. We replaced with the same cork and have again been happy with it (except for cat scratching it again).

We are not divas, so our level of acceptability may be different than yours. We have 2 fairly calm kids (girls) and no dogs. But we also have the cork at our front and back entrance (with small rugs) and it shows no wear there.

We have it on our guest house floor. The house is built on a concrete slab. You would never know it- the floor is warm, attractive and comfortable to walk or sit on. 10 years so far and no regrets.

Thank you for your personal testimonials daisychain01 & mramsey. They are very encouraging!

A glue down cork tile is a different beast than the easier to install (and therefore cheaper at the end of the day) cork floating floor.

A glue down tile is the creme de la creme of cork flooring products. It requires a seasoned, skilled installer who knows EXACTLY what they are doing and WHY they are doing it. The cost to install a glue down cork tile = same as porcelain or stone. Then the cost of the product + adhesive + polyurethane becomes one of the most expensive wood flooring products we have.

A glue down tile is water proof (so long as you use polyurethane AFTER the install). it is allowed in bathrooms and in kitchens. It has a longevity second only to stone (the Library of Congress received their cork floor in the 1880's and it is still going strong). The most experienced installer I know is capable of laying 300ft in one day. That's it. Even with two people, it only gets you 500sf per day. It is a slow process.

A cork floating floor is a form of laminate with cork on the top, HDF in the middle and then cork on the bottom. It is a more costly floor to PURCHASE but the install is the same as vinyl click flooring (about $3/sf or so). It is fast and easy to install. It is allowed in kitchens and entrance ways (so long as you follow the rule for seam sealer or extra polyurethane). It is NOT allowed in bathrooms - ever.

SJ, are you busy in January? Can you come to South Carolina and install a floor for us?

@annohas, I only had cork in my tiny (3'x5') kitchen but I loved it for the 20 years I had it, despite its nominal flaws (a bit of buckling here or there, mainly due to constant sloshing from doing dishes and dropping cat's water dish, etc.). Somewhat oddly for my non-crafty self, I decided to paint it with blue and white milk paint (nontoxic, but otherwise so unlike our typical style). I've tried to post pic three times--I give up.

@SJ McCarthy, if you're not currently on a flight to South Carolina, curious to hear what you think is the "best value" cork flooring these days? (Maybe something like this from iCork? )We decided to do engineered hardwood (that gorgeous Genuine French Oak from PanTim) in most of the remodel, but want something a bit softer/warmer underfoot for our small office and family room. Just trying to make a quick but smart choice. Also considering Marmoleum plank since it's currently on sale for $3.99, with free shipping, but cork still calls my name.

Mittens cat: when uploading photos, wait for them to come to full color and then hit submit. :)

@Sammy, I did that (I've learned!) but it still won't upload. No biggie. It's just a picture of a blue and white checkerboard cork floor...with knife and fork stencils!

:-D

I usually have to type up my post and save/post it to Houzz, then go back to edit and add my photos. Sometimes I have to post 1 or 2 photos, save and come back and edit again and add more photos.

@Mittens The 12mm Autumn Leaves from iCork is the same quality as the 12mm Logan (which is the highest value cork they sell). The only difference is the VALUE of the pattern. The pattern of the Autumn Leaves has an 'easy to make' pattern whereas the Logan is a very tough pattern to create. The larger the pieces of cork in the pattern, the higher the value of the product. it is a simple way of evaluating the VALUE of the cork. Regardless of the pattern, all of iCork Floor's 12mm floating planks are all of the same quality. They have 3mm wear layer (industry standard) and 3mm attached underlay (2mm MORE than the 1mm industry standard).

You need to like the pattern for this to work for you. You've already had a traditional, 'granulated' cork tile in your life so this won't be a difficult transition for you. The larger slices of cork come from the 'off-cuts' of the wine-cork industry. When a wine-cork doesn't come out 'right' it gets sliced and diced for use in the flooring industry...as part of a pattern. Another indication that the cork industry is a ZERO waste industry. Every speck of cork is used. And I mean EVERY speck.

Thanks as always for the helpful input @SJ McCarthy! I don't really have a preference between the two looks, so I might as well go with the lower priced Autumn Leaves. Overall, still seesawing between cork and Marmoleum, though... p.s. This space might eventually be converted into a rental unit, so I guess Marmoleum would be the better choice in that regard?

@annohas, one other perk of cork: if you're thinking of eventual resale value, you can play up not only the mommy-friendly stuff (nontoxic, antimicrobial, fire resistant, etc.) and the environmental-friendly stuff but also the fact that it was the flooring of choice of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. (Take THAT, "luxury vinyl"!) :-D