One of essential elements interior decoration the premises is his flooring. They are presented to him special requirements: beauty, ease of care, wear resistance. It is highly desirable that it is not slippery, so that it is comfortable to walk on even when wet. Modern cork material meets all of the above requirements.
Not so long ago, a floor made from it was an almost unattainable pleasure. Now, of course, it also does not belong to economy class materials, but many compatriots can afford it. Cork is the bark of a special cork oak tree, which is widespread in countries with humid and warm climates.
The largest plantations of this tree grow in Spain and Portugal, providing the countries with primacy in the processing of cork material and the production of various building materials from it. It is also cultivated in some Asian countries useful plant, but the quality of the resulting cork is lower there.
Cork floors - varieties
Conventionally, all types of coatings of this type can be divided into three types: technical, adhesive and interlocking. Floors that require an adhesive base are completely natural.
These are pressed solid slabs (or panels) - they can have different size: 45x15, 60x30, 30x30, 45x15. Their thickness can vary from four to six millimeters.
The material has a two-layer construction. Upper layer It is usually represented by high-quality high-quality veneer, the bottom one consists of cork chips pressed under pressure.
MDF is in the middle. The upper part of the structure consists of a special cork veneer. The stove has standard sizes 90 by 18.5 cm, with a thickness of 1.2 cm.
Just like the usual traditional laminate, cork has special grooves and locks. Thanks to this, the installation process is significantly simplified. It does not require sealants and an adhesive base, but a 2-3 mm substrate is required under it.
When the coating is laid and installed, several layers of varnish must be applied to it. Which grades to use for this are usually recommended by the manufacturers of cork laminates themselves. 
The technical covering made from cork is a remnant of production, therefore this material in fact, they are never used for final finishing. It is usually produced in granules, plates or convenient rolls.
Its main purpose is to use it as a substrate for laminate flooring. In addition, it can be used to mask and remove significant defects in the base.
Obvious advantages of cork flooring
The cost of cork flooring is higher than linoleum and traditional laminate. And yet, it can be considered quite profitable.
Let's look at the advantages of cork coating:
Cons of cork flooring
Cork covering, like any construction material, has not only advantages - it also has some disadvantages. What can be attributed to them?
Laying cork on the floor - preparation
To install cork floors, use various ways. The choice of a specific method in each case depends on the material chosen for the floor covering.
The floor can be adhesive (attached to the base) or floating (its individual elements are connected only to each other). 
It is advisable to carry out work in warm weather. This is necessary to ensure that the temperature difference in the rooms where the material is stored and where it will be installed does not exceed seven degrees.
Humidity limits should be no more than 65 percent.
Before laying cork flooring, it is necessary to prepare the base well, which should be dry and level. All cracks and crevices must be carefully sealed.
It is recommended to use vapor-tight and waterproofing materials that can create reliable protective barriers. You can use gypsum fiber sheets, moisture-resistant plywood or self-leveling screeds.
Minimal differences in height are acceptable. All existing joints are sealed silicone sealant, after which the seams are leveled. The surface must be primed.
Cork flooring - laying with glue
It is not recommended to unpack the tiles immediately after purchasing them - they must remain in the conditions in which they will be installed for at least three days. 
Humidity and temperature conditions should be observed - the indicators should be 65% and 18 degrees, respectively. It is recommended to start installation in the center of the room, and not from the corner, as is desirable for many other materials.
First, markings are made using a beating cord, which facilitates the installation process.
The adhesive composition can be dispersive latex-acrylic or polychloroprene based - it can be applied both to the slabs and to the prepared base. For the floor, it is better to use a special notched trowel; for cork, a soft roller is more suitable.
The applied adhesive is kept for a specified time (determined by the manufacturer), only then installation begins. Individual elements press against each other and against the base, tapping rubber mallet or ironed with a roller.
After this, the coating is left to dry for about a day, but the time period may vary for each specific brand of material. 
Then the finished surface is freed from debris and dust - it is convenient to do this with a household vacuum cleaner. After a thoroughly cleaned floor, you can begin to varnish it with special two-component water-based polyurethane compounds.
The varnish is treated in several layers, at least three - this ensures better preservation and wear resistance of the cork coating.
Application can be carried out with or without sanding, glossy or matte varnishes are used. Within a few hours the treated surface will dry, but it is better to wait longer.
It is advisable not to touch the surface at all for about 24 hours.
As for a thorough load, you will have to wait longer. Only after 5-7 days will the floor become stable enough for the maximum possible load.
Considering that buying natural material costs a pretty penny, laying a cork floor with your own hands will help reduce repair costs. Moreover, there is nothing complicated in the process if you follow the instructions. How to do it correctly - our article will help
Considering that buying natural material costs a pretty penny, laying a cork floor with your own hands will help reduce repair costs. Moreover, there is nothing complicated in the process if you follow the instructions. Our article will help you on how to do this correctly.
Types of cork floor installation
Before laying a cork floor yourself, familiarize yourself with the installation methods depending on the format of the covering. They are varied:
1. Large solid fabric. Used in living rooms and halls. Thanks to its flexibility, solid cork veneer is easy to lay and secure. It is considered the most premium class, hence the price. Installed with glue.
2. Boards or floorboards with locking joints. 
They use the “floating floor” technology. The base is not tightly attached to the bottom layer, which is why this option has good maintainability - even after dismantling most of the floor, the damaged floorboard is replaced and the covering is reassembled.
3. Tiles. 
This form is placed on glue and can be used for any surface - floors, walls, ceilings. Small form Convenient for DIY installation. This is the most cheap coating due to its small thickness. Installation should take place in rooms with guaranteed low activity.
Depending on the characteristics of the room and your own budget, you choose the shape of the cork floor and the method of its installation. If you have no hope of relying on yourself, the services of professionals are always offered. This is a guarantee of quality.
Requirements for the rough foundation
To flooring material served the owners for the stated period, it is necessary to comply with the requirements for the floor under cork covering. More details:
1. The rough base must be perfectly level. A difference is allowed for each square. m no more than 2 mm.
2. It is important to waterproof the cork floor underneath with a special material with perforations to drain condensate.
3. Do not lay cork on unpolished concrete base. Due to the pressure from above, the screed will rub the cork from below like sandpaper. A substrate is required.
Leveling the floor is not difficult - it is similar for laying all types of flooring.
Installation instructions for cork flooring
So, the flooring has been purchased. Laying a cork floor with your own hands, the video tutorial below, should be performed in the following steps:
Tools and materials
For quality work You will need to purchase additional components and tools:
1. Substrate. Its types are numerous. 
Based on the characteristics of the room, choose your own option.
2. Glue. Only specialized formulations offered for the material in the store.
3. Leveling mixtures for rough screed. If the floor is wooden, you need to peel it off and lay a layer of moisture-resistant plywood.
4. Tools for carrying out cement works: mixer, beacons, rule, level, reinforcing mesh.
5. Tools for laying cork: rollers, mallet, wide spatula, scissors or knife.
6. Measuring instruments – ruler, tape measure, square.
The main job is dirty. You need cleaning products and a lot of rags.
Preparing the base
The old coating is removed. You can lay cork on existing linoleum or wooden floors, but over time they will not differ perfect condition. Therefore, they are torn off and their condition assessed concrete screed. 
Potholes and cracks, if they are small quantity You can seal it with mortar and then sand the areas. But if the damage is more than 10% of the entire area, this is a reason to prepare a new screed.
First, the entire surface is cleaned with a vacuum cleaner and moistened. Next, I prime for better adhesion with the new screed.
They select the selected height, set the beacons and place a reinforcing mesh on them. You can pour the solution prepared and matured for half an hour. 
It is important to fill small areas and finish the job in one go to avoid delamination.
The finished screed is left until it sets completely. It can be used after 2–3 weeks, after being pre-primed.
Covering installation
Before installation, it is important that the cork acclimatizes to the room. To do this, it is laid out in the room for a day, freed from packaging. Depending on the chosen shape and type of plug, installation work begins:
1. Lay the substrate. The sheets are overlapped and secured with construction tape. 
The substrate is placed on the edges of the walls to compensate for the linear expansion of the material.
2. Knead adhesive composition according to the recipe on the package and left to mature. It is better to make the solution in small portions, without allowing it to set.
3. Work with a floating floor is carried out from the far corner of the room, laying boards in the same way as installing laminate flooring. Each floorboard is inserted one into the other, carefully tapped with a mallet. 
Elements of adjacent rows are shifted relative to each other by 1/3 or half the length. That is, laying a cork floor - the video illustrates this well - proceeds like brickwork.
4. Working with canvas is different. First, the glue is smoothed with a notched trowel over the surface of the base. Then lay down a whole sheet, tapping the corners and middle with a mallet. Then smooth it with a roller. 
The joints between the sheets are immediately wiped of glue - it can change the color of the canvas.
5. The tiles are glued in the same way as the canvas, with the only difference being that installation begins from the middle of the room, in a spiral. 
You should always have a level at hand to correct the position of the next unit.
Complete setting of the finished surface occurs according to the adhesive instructions. Previously, it is prohibited to use the cork surface. If the experiment was a success, then carefully consider laying cork tiles on the walls - it is beautiful and unusual for the interior.
Final works
After the cork coating has set, a layer of varnish is applied to the surface several times. 
It's all about the porous structure - it will absorb one layer of varnish like a sponge. The composition can be glossy, emphasizing the beauty of the patterns, or matte, making the cork warmer and more comfortable. Cork floors are often waxed, but then maintaining them is more labor-intensive.
Do not subject the surface to deformation. Wrap furniture legs in felt, introduce a ban on heels and street shoes, and give pets a place.
Take care of your cork every day. This way, it will get fewer defects and old stains in the future.
Periodically restore the canvas and boards - replace or sand the surface in a timely manner with mandatory varnishing at the end of the work.
Conclusion
Independent work saves the budget. This is an indisputable fact. If free time allows and you have the skill to handle the tool, go for it.
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You can install cork flooring yourself. For these purposes, you do not need to call craftsmen and pay them for the work.
Having the necessary set of tools, strictly following installation recommendations, doing everything carefully and carefully, you can do it yourself, efficiently and in short time, lay the floor from cork.
Preparing the base before laying cork flooring
Before laying cork flooring, it is necessary to prepare the base.
Preparing the base is very important point and consists of several stages:
- cleaning the base from accumulated dirt and dust;
- leveling the base surface;
- drying.
The base on which you plan to lay the cork covering must first be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust. You can use a regular vacuum cleaner or brush for this.
After cleaning, the surface leveling step follows. The leveling method will depend on the material your base is made of.
If the floor is concrete, uneven, has small cracks, chips and holes, in this case it will help cement mortar, which can cover up all these irregularities. If the concrete floor is significantly curved, there are many holes and cracks on it, then in this case you need to pour a new concrete screed.
For the screed you need to prepare concrete mortar And even layer Fill the entire surface, then level it and let it dry. It is advisable to place a polyethylene backing on the concrete before laying the plug.
The company is one of the leaders in quality cork flooring.
Competition comes from corkart coating. Read more.
Such a substrate will protect the coating from the effects of condensation. You can also put a polypropylene backing.
If the floor is wooden, then unsuitable boards must be replaced. It is also possible to replace the joists if they are rotten and can lead to the collapse of the wooden floor. To level the base of the floors, you can use the technology of installing solid sheets of chipboard or hardboard.
These sheets are perfectly flat; they will be an excellent base for laying cork flooring and will additionally retain heat in the room.
Types of cork floors
The type of cork floor depends on the technology of its manufacture. Each type has its own properties and characteristics, and its own installation technology is used.
There are two types of cork flooring:
- Glue.
- Floating.
Adhesive cork flooring is made in the form of tiles. The tiles of such a coating have dimensions of 300 x 600, the thickness of the adhesive tile is from 4 to 6 mm.
The adhesive coating tile has two layers. The first layer is cork agglomerate, the second layer is decorative cork veneer. The structure of this floor is similar to oak bark.
Accordingly, all the properties of the bark are transferred to this coating, its good ability absorb sounds and retain heat. Thanks to the structure of this floor, it is very pleasant to walk on and does not slip. You can lay adhesive flooring in different zones any room.
Floating cork flooring is a covering of cork that is glued to a base. The base is made of MDF. Floating cork floors are produced by manufacturers in the form of cork panels. The panels have dimensions of 900 x 185 mm.
Floating floors cannot repel moisture, so they should not be installed in areas where high humidity: room, . If a floating floor with an MDF base is filled with water, the MDF will swell, and this will lead to damage to the cork floor.
Such damaged flooring cannot be restored. The best places in the apartment for laying floating floors are: , living room,
Each type of cork floor has its own installation technology. Installation is carried out using the necessary tools.
To lay a cork adhesive floor you will need: a container, a pencil, a roller, a notched trowel, and a tape measure. To lay a cork floating floor you will need: a pencil, a hacksaw, and a tape measure.
Installation of adhesive cork flooring
Installation of cork flooring using the adhesive method is carried out in several stages. Laying is done using a special adhesive composition.
It is necessary to use special glue, which is intended for these purposes, so that the quality of gluing is as good as possible. high level, and the glue did not react with the material.
The sequence of actions when laying an adhesive cork floor:
- apply appropriate markings;
- apply adhesive solution;
- dry the glue;
- press the tile to the base of the floor.
Marking should be done in this way: determine the starting point and draw two lines perpendicular to each other on it. The lines should be parallel to the walls. The resulting picket will be used as a template for the first tile.
In order for a cork floor to be pleasing to the eye, you need to know how to properly care for it.
Read about how to get rid of scratches on cork floors.
Apply the glue to the surface using a notched trowel. The adhesive is applied to the floor surface and to the base of the tiles. After the glue has dried a little, you need to attach the tile to the base of the floor and press it.
There should be a small gap between the wall and the last tile in the row, which will be covered with a plinth. Joints in doorways hiding special devices- thresholds. Installing cork flooring using this method is quick and easy.
Installation of a floating plug
Installation of a floating cork flooring begins with the preliminary laying of a moisture-resistant base.
The installation of a floating floor is carried out in several stages:
- spread out the films;
- underlayment flooring;
- laying the first row;
- trimming the last panel;
- laying the next rows;
- fastening thresholds and baseboards.
First you need to spread plastic film. The film is laid out over the entire base of the floor. A small approach to the walls is needed.
After laying the floating floor and installing the skirting boards, all excess film is cut off. If the film is not a continuous tape, but consists of separate pieces, then the pieces are overlapped with each other. Additionally, the joints must be taped.
After laying the film, the substrate is laid on it. The underlay increases sound insulation and also perfectly levels the surface. The underlayment can be made of chipboard, plywood and other materials.
Laying the cork covering is done by locking the cork plates using a groove and a tenon. The first row is laid first. The rows need to be laid in a checkerboard pattern so that the coating looks beautiful, and also so that uniform rigidity of the edges of adjacent panels is achieved.
Those who like to experiment can easily use cork flooring.
Supporters of naturalness can simply varnish such a floor. Read about how this is done.
Last panel The first row needs to be cut off and used to start the second row. It is imperative to leave gaps near the walls. The gaps should be approximately 7 mm.
To create gaps between the row and the wall, wedges are inserted. The wedges must be the same thickness.
After connecting all the rows of the floating cork floor, they need to be tapped with a rubber hammer. Last stages installation will include the installation of thresholds and skirting boards.
Skirting boards and thresholds should be fastened in such a way that they do not pinch the surface of the cork panel, but adhere to it.
If you proceed step by step when laying a cork floor, doing everything carefully and responsibly, then you will be satisfied with the result of your work. At the same time, your cork floor will delight you with its performance characteristics.
Cork flooring has become widespread relatively recently. However, the popularity of cork flooring is growing: manufacturers are developing and offering full-fledged, relatively inexpensive substitutes for solid natural cork veneer, and laying a cork floor with your own hands is accessible to a person who has basic home repair skills.
However, cork floors cannot be installed everywhere. Therefore, before purchasing material and getting to work, you should understand what a cork floor is, and, especially, what its advantages and disadvantages are. Otherwise, expensive material and painstaking work may go down the drain.
Types of cork floors
- The most expensive - whole cork veneer, or Cork board(cut of cork oak bark), coated with wear-resistant varnish. Don't confuse it with school cork boards. Absolutely environmentally friendly material, combines both the best advantages and the most serious shortcomings traffic jams. Can be produced in large (up to 6 sq. m) layers 4-6 mm thick and in rolls; also in the form of tiles. Often its back side, not the front side, is protected with vinyl film, which makes gluing and laying it on a concrete floor easier.
- MDF panels with cork. Average material for the price category. It is also often called a cork board, although in fact it is a cork laminate: a base of MDF, then a layer also processed according to MDF technology(dry hot pressing) cork chips, and on top - a layer of cork veneer of 2-4 mm, protected with varnish and/or vinyl film. In terms of useful qualities, it is almost equivalent to solid veneer, but is not so demanding on the quality of the underlying surface.
- Cork laminate Available in standard laminate size and thickness.
- Pressed cork chips. It is used to make inexpensive cork tiles. On sale, it is easily recognizable by its fine-grained texture, similar to the cork from an inexpensive wine. The colors of solid cork are complex irregular shapes in yellow-brown tones. However, cork tiles provide a coating that is not much inferior in quality to that of solid veneer. For a budget-friendly cork floor, this is the best option.
The main sizes of cork tiles are 30x30, 60x60 and 60x90 cm. On sale, under the appearance and price of tiles, you can find scraps and waste of solid veneer. They are small, but if you have the desire, time and artistic taste, you can create such a coating from them that sophisticated connoisseurs will gasp.
What is good and what is bad about cork flooring?
The cork floor has excellent springiness and is not slippery even with protective coating. It handles the load well, including regular alternating loads. Provides excellent sound and heat insulation. Absolutely environmentally friendly and harmless: over the entire centuries-old history of using cork, no signs of its impact on health have been noted.
However, there are also significant disadvantages of cork floors. In addition to the high price, it is fragile and quite difficult to install with glue. Without skillful hands and with an accurate eye, it’s better not to touch an adhesive cork floor.
Further, the coefficient of thermal expansion is high, even for wood. In addition, the cork swells greatly if the water contains dissolved organic matter. As a result, the cork absorbs well and firmly holds the smell and color of impurities. Perhaps you have an old one lying around somewhere wine stopper– try to return it to its cylindrical shape, remove the color and smell from the part that was in the bottle.
As a consequence of the above, cork flooring is short-lived in any room in variable temperature conditions: The cork will soon begin to crumble due to thermal deformation. Therefore, the answer to the question whether it is possible to install cork flooring in the kitchen, balcony and hallway: only cork laminate with a protective coating, and even then it is not very desirable.
As for the toilet and bathroom - cork floor There is a clear “no” here. Even if you and your guests use the services absolutely carefully during the most riotous fun, all the same, from fluctuations in temperature and humidity, microcracks will soon form in the cork covering, through which moisture will pass, and then peeling, most often in hidden places: under the baseboard or under the bathtub where water vapor stagnates.
Cork does not have antiseptic properties; it is a biologically neutral material. Therefore, if you find and open such a “bump”, under it you will find disgusting-looking mucus, the contents of which, under a microscope, immediately cause a microbiologist who is not indifferent to his work to faint.
Where are cork floors good?
However, there are types of rooms where cork flooring is highly recommended, and others where it is completely acceptable:
- Children's room. Here you can lay any cork floor; if you have the means, it’s better to use solid veneer. Firstly, the child will always be warm. Secondly, a tomboy who flops around won't hurt himself. Thirdly, walking barefoot through traffic jams gives a somewhat irrational, but beneficial effect on the psyche and development of the mind, a feeling of a living connection with nature.
- Bedroom - for the same reasons as in the nursery.
- Study. In addition to all the same, the cork dampens sounds well, without creating deadening silence at the same time.
- Living room. It is better to use cork laminate here, as in any other frequently visited rooms. Cork floor even with perfect care it is no different in terms of durability.
How to lay cork floors
Laying cork on the floor can be done not in two ways, as is often written, but in three different ways:
- Cork laminate, with some additional precautions regarding tools and installation technology, see below.
- The same cork laminate and solid veneer can be laid freely, without fastening - this is a floating cork floor.
- Cork flooring of any type can also be installed with glue.
The technologies for laying floating cork flooring and adhesive flooring are fundamentally different. But the requirements for preparing the premises are the same. The tool used is also special.
It is necessary to lay a cork floor in the warm season, so that the temperature difference during delivery from the seller’s warehouse to the room does not exceed 5-7 degrees. It is also desirable that the air humidity in the room under the floor should not exceed 60%; humidity of 75% is no longer acceptable during installation.
Tools, accessories and additional materials
To lay cork flooring, you will first need a rubber carpenter's hammer (mallet). Then - manual Circular Saw or a jigsaw with a circle or a “clean cut” file, very fine-toothed. From any hand saw the cork will crumble along the edge. For an adhesive floor you will need a rolling roller - similar to a paint roller, but metal, heavy, and small, 20-30 cm, but an accurate level.
Cork laminate planks for a floating floor will have to be corrected and leveled. Spacer wedges for this will need to be made from its own scraps - the wooden ones will crumble the cork. Also the rule for fitting is trimming cork board, which is pressed against the one being adjusted and adjusted by lightly tapping it with a rubber mallet. You cannot use a hook clamp to tighten cork laminate.
From additional materials You will need a special plinth for the cork floor, which is attached to the wall. It is impossible to make cork floors in doorways, so special thresholds will be required. For an adhesive floor - special glue and also a special spatula for its application: wide, fine-toothed.
A small but important device for laying glued cork flooring is a can of canned vegetables or coffee with a quick but tightly closing lid. You will need to keep a rag moistened with solvent in it - a lot of small shreds. Use a rag to wipe off glue drips. Outside of a tightly closed container, it will dry quickly, but if it is abundantly moistened, it will ruin the coating.
Preparing the premises
Any cork floor must be laid on a flat, smooth and dry surface. A leveled concrete screed is not enough - it is rough. The traffic jam “plays” when you walk on it or roll a chair. Concrete in this case acts as an abrasive; Cork, on the other hand, is a soft material and can be quickly wiped clean even on an adhesive layer.
Cork flooring especially does not like wet underlying surfaces. The point here is not only and not so much that the adhesive connection will be weak, but that the cork will swell. Because of this, a “bump” is formed somewhere, described in the section on the bathroom, and with the same contents. Therefore, before laying the cork floor, the base must be leveled and dried.
Concrete floors need to be checked for moisture before installation. To do this, the room or part of it, but not less than 2 sq.m., is covered for a day plastic film, approximately a rectangular piece, not a strip. If after a day no moisture has settled on the underside of the film, you can begin final leveling. If not, you need to dry it some more. Numerous complaints that a solid floor at 60-80 euros per square week became stained and swelled after a week can be explained by the base being too wet.
Note: moisture can pass from neighbors below. Therefore, immediately inspect the “bare” floor carefully and seal all the cracks; especially near heating risers.
Leveling the floor
The base floor under the cork is leveled with a liquid leveler. Dry leveler (layered composite of soft material between two layers of plastic film) is not suitable: cork is harder and more fragile. A stiletto heel or chair leg can cause a cork floor on such a base to crack.
(More about wet screed for leveling the floor)
Even the cheapest cork floor is not a cheap pleasure, and its reliability and durability greatly depend on the base. Therefore, we can recommend before the traffic jam, the cheapest, even substandard:
- The mechanical properties of marmoleum coincide with those of cork; failure of the top from concentrated load will not happen.
- The marmoleum will “flow around” the unevenness of the base, and its upper surface will remain smooth.
- Marmoleum has bactericidal properties: suddenly a harmful “bump” forms under the cork, marmoleum will not allow harmful microflora to develop in it.
If linoleum, laminate or are already laid on the floor, then it is better not to touch them, and lay the cork on top.
Floating floor
Floating cork flooring can be inlaid, made from a single piece of veneer or large parts of it, or from cork laminate. The first two options are the prerogative of a team of at least two well-working professionals. Independent attempts of this kind end in the breakdown of the expensive coating: the price of cork veneer increases rapidly as the size of the piece increases.
Laying a floating cork laminate floor is done as follows:
- The room is measured, material is purchased. Upon delivery, it is unpacked and kept for a day for acclimatization - equalization of temperature and humidity.
- Meanwhile, the base floor is covered with plastic film with an overlap of 20-30 cm and an overlap of 10-15 cm over the walls. The joints of the pieces of film are glued together with tape.
- Planks of a row that is not full in width are cut to size from the side of the tongue crest; the groove cannot be touched. When laying with a seam shift halfway, half of the end boards are sawn in half lengthwise.
- Laminate planks are laid from the far corner in transverse rows with the seams shifted by a third or half the length of the board, just like regular laminate: the ridge of the next board is inserted into the groove of the previous one, holding it at an angle, lightly pressing and lowering. Pull it into place using a rule and a rubber mallet. A distance of 20-30 mm must be maintained from the walls. They hold it up and tighten the board outermost in front of the wall with spacer wedges.
- Excess film is cut off.
- Attached to the wall mounting adhesive"cork" plinth. It should not lie on the floor, but hang over it by 1-2 mm. It is convenient to use matches or toothpicks for this. It is true that the manufacturers of cork floors do not tell you what to do with the debris that will inevitably get into the crack before the cork swells.
- The floor is ready and you can walk on it right away.
Video instructions for laying cork flooring
Cork floor with glue
How good an adhesive cork floor will be depends largely on the adhesive. Coating manufacturers each recommend their own, but the best must be recognized as adhesives without volatile aggressive solvents - “Cascoflex” and the like. They are non-toxic and take the longest to dry (5-10 minutes); this is enough to fit the tile or board. But such adhesives are expensive, so the question is often asked: Is it possible to lay cork flooring on PVA?
You cannot lay a cork floor on liquid PVA: this glue will water based, which is contraindicated for cork. You can let the PVA dry until it is tacky with pressure (15-25 minutes) so that all the water evaporates from it. But then each tile will have to be placed exactly in its place: it will not be possible to move it; it will immediately grab tightly. And liquid PVA can only be applied to one surface - the base floor, and this is a violation of gluing technology. And the air humidity will increase during operation. So, unfortunately, it is impossible to recommend laying a cork floor on cheap PVA.
Lay the adhesive cork floor like this:
- We work from the center of the room in a spiral. Twisted to the right or left - whichever is more convenient for you. For right-handers, it is more convenient to “unwind” clockwise.
- Apply glue to the base with a spatula in an even layer, lay the tiles, and tighten them with your hands or a rule.
- Roll with a roller.
- We level twice, along the diagonals, to check horizontality. If another tile is lifted somewhere, tap it with a rubber mallet.
- Any glue that comes out at any stage of the work is immediately wiped off with a rag moistened with solvent. We throw away the used flap: if it is used again by mistake, it will only smear the glue drip, and it is impossible to remove dried glue from the cork.
- We leave the same gap around the perimeter as for the floating floor.
- At the end of the work, we wait a day, sew up the gap with a plinth - the floor is ready.
Video: the process of laying cork with glue
HDF cork laminate
Most cheap material for cork flooring – HDF (high density fiberboard), covered with pressed cork chips. But behind the “smart” foreign abbreviation lies the familiar fiberboard, which does not have the same properties as cork and “chemical” impregnation. Therefore, you can recommend HDF cork for flooring only in one case: if you want to cheaply tell your friends that you have a cork floor.
Summary
Cork flooring can be very good and useful, or very bad and harmful. It depends on whether it is laid in a suitable room for it. And only its decorative qualities depend on the price category of the material and the installation method.
Search interesting solutions for apartment renovation? How would you like to install a cork floor? Don’t know what it is, what the benefits are for you and how to do it? Everything is very simple. Let's look at what cork flooring is and how to lay it correctly.
The material for making cork is the bark of the cork oak tree. The bark is removed from trees that are 25-30 years old, but it is not used in construction. Then, within 6-9 years, the bark is restored, it is removed again (if the technology is followed, no damage is caused to the tree). And this material is already used for the manufacture of various products.
According to technology, cork fabric can be divided into types:
- veneer is the most expensive type of cork;
- agglomerate - the most cheap option(made by pressing at high temperature crumbs with the addition of various resins);
- combined - both pieces of veneer and crumbs are used for production.
Finished panels can be treated with various compounds that affect the properties of cork and give it greater strength and moisture resistance.
Pros and cons of the material
Benefits of cork floors:
- excellent heat and sound insulation;
- cork - the material is elastic and resilient, does not creak, does not slip, it is pleasant to walk on it;
- cork does not rot and is fireproof;
- the material is hypoallergenic, does not attract dust and does not accumulate static electricity;
- Cork floors can withstand high pressure, including point pressure.
Flaws:
- like any natural material, the cost of cork panels is higher than the usual laminate or parquet board;
- the base for the cork covering must be perfectly level;
- if there are cats or dogs in the house, then claw marks may remain on the cork flooring;
- Over time, the protective layer wears off and tracks remain in areas of heavy traffic.
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Types and options of cork flooring
- Floating type (you can find the name cork parquet). Available in the form of panels with locks and consists of a layer of cork glued to an MDF panel.
- The adhesive type is produced in the form of square or rectangular shape. Sizes may vary. A protective layer can be applied on top.
- Technological cork is sold in the form of rolls or plates and is used as a substrate.
For final finishing, the first 2 types are widely used, it all depends on your choice. It should be taken into account that if you plan to lay cork in a bathroom or toilet, then you need to give preference to the adhesive type. This is due to the way it is processed special composition which prevents the floor from swelling.
Floating cork flooring is best used indoors, with low level humidity: in the bedroom, nursery or hallway.
To lay a cork floor with your own hands, you will need:
- Pencil.
- Roulette.
- Square for precise cutting of panels at right angles.
- Long ruler.
- Chop cord.
- Construction knife. It can be used to easily cut adhesive-type cork panels.
- Spatula or roller for applying adhesive to floors and cork boards.
- Electric drill. Useful if you need to drill holes, for example, for heating pipes.
- Fine-toothed hacksaw or jigsaw. These tools are useful for cutting floating panels.
- Rubber hammer for fitting cork slabs into place.
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Cork flooring technology
Surface preparation
Before laying the cork covering, the surface must be leveled, if necessary. It must be dry, clean and primed.
You don’t have to remove the old flooring, but lay cork on top.
Laying cork flooring with glue:
- Before laying the 1st row of cork tiles, you need to use a construction cord to mark the main line along which its assembly will begin. This can be diagonal from opposite corners of the room or laid in a straight line along the walls.
- Draw a pencil line using a ruler along the chop cord.
- When working with glue, you must use a respirator, for example RPG-67. Cork tile adhesive is flammable and has Strong smell. After work, the room must be thoroughly ventilated.
- Apply glue evenly to the base using a spatula or roller along the marked line.
- You also need to apply glue to the panel and let it dry for 10-15 minutes.
- Then attach the panel to the base and tap the entire surface with a rubber hammer.
- In some places it will be necessary to adjust the cork panels. To do this, marks are made with a pencil, using a square or ruler, markings are made and construction knife the excess part is cut off.
- After laying the tiles on the floor, it is necessary to cover it with 2-3 layers of varnish. A two-component polyurethane varnish is perfect for these purposes.
- The glue dries within 24 hours. It is advisable not to walk on the laid panels during this time to avoid their displacement.
