Cork flooring is soft, environmentally friendly and comfortable. This floor is appropriate in a children's room and bedroom. It has high sound insulation characteristics. But in order for the coating to last as long as possible, the cork floor is laid in compliance with the technology. Cork tiles can be laid on their own if you know some of the nuances of installation and the selection of materials. We will also tell you how much a cork floor costs.
Varieties of glue cork for the floor by structure
Many useful and beautiful things are made from the bark of a cork tree, including finishing materials.
Floor glue cork comes in several varieties:
- glued agglomerated cork coverings;
- self-adhesive strips and tiles made of crushed cork;
- cork laminate.
Agglomerate plug
This type of cork is made from crushed material. It is then mixed with synthetic resin thermosetting resins and pressed. As a result, blocks with a density of 450-800 kg / m³ are obtained. The semi-finished product is cut into sheets with a thickness of up to 0.6 cm. Further, slats and tiles with a maximum width of 30 cm and a maximum length of 1.2 m are cut from these sheets on the machine. The products are glued end-to-end, since they have smooth edges.
Important! Agglomerated cork cork flooring starts at $ 11.6 per square meter.
Agglomerated floor glue cork has the following features:
- It is allowed to be placed on heated floors. But at the same time, you need to use a special elastic glue, which is marked that it can be used for heated floors.
- Manufacturers do not recommend glue such a plug on a screed with an electric heating system.
- If varnishing or waxing is used as a topcoat, then material suitable for indoor installation with increased traffic and significant loads on the floor, for example, in the living room, corridor, in the kitchen.
- Adhesive cork floors can be successfully combined with other floor coverings (laminate, ceramic tiles, parquet).
Self-adhesive cork
These are thin slabs of veneered or traditional agglomerate. There is an adhesive layer on the back of the material. It is protected from above with paper to prevent the glue from drying out. Self-adhesive products are very convenient for laying on floors, walls and ceilings.
Important! If you are interested in a self-adhesive cork floor, the price per meter starts at $ 13.3 per square.
Such cork coverings are mainly produced in the form of square tiles with a side of not more than 300 mm. Their thickness is in the range of 3.6-5 mm. Less common are glue-based strips with a width of not more than 180 mm and a length not exceeding 900 mm.
This adhesive cork flooring has the following features:
- The front surface does not have a finish coating and needs protection from the ingress of dyes, water, abrasive compounds and household chemicals.
- Gluing is carried out without the use of additional adhesive mixtures, but for better adhesion to the base, it must be carefully and correctly prepared.
- Permitted to be glued to floors with water heating system.
- The self-adhesive plug can only be installed on the floor in a room with normal humidity, for example, in a bedroom, nursery, living room.
- The coating is suitable for eco and retro interiors.
Attention! The masters are laying the glue plug at a price of $ 4.8 per square. This cost does not include foundation preparation services.
Glue plug laying technology
Before laying a cork floor, you need to prepare the necessary tools and materials:
- Before laying the cover, prepare the base. To do this, you will need repair and leveling compounds for a wooden or concrete base (epoxy or cement mixtures, self-leveling floors, plywood, OSB, chipboard, etc.).
- Tiles can only be glued to a primed base. Therefore, buy a fungicidal primer for a wooden base, and an adhesive primer for a mineral floor.
- The technology for laying agglomerated tiles requires the use of polymer glue.
- Wax, oil, acrylic or polyurethane varnish are used as a finishing protective coating.
- Brushes and rollers for applying protective compounds.
- A short-pile velor roller or notched trowel is required to apply the adhesive.
- Level, tape measure, hygrometer, pencil, square, dye cord.
- Rollers or mallet for rolling the floor covering.
- Sponge for removing excess glue.
- Drill for making technological holes and cutter.
Important! The material is laid after it has been laid in the room where it will be mounted for 1-2 days.
Work is carried out under the following conditions in the room:
- heating devices should not work;
- get rid of drafts;
- the optimum air temperature is in the range of 18-25 ° С;
- relative humidity 55-65%.
Choosing an adhesive for cork flooring
The adhesive installation method involves the selection of a suitable adhesive. So, cork coatings without a finishing layer are allowed to be glued using water-dispersion compositions. Tiles with a lacquer or vinyl protective layer are fixed with solvent-based glue.
It is important to remember that all solvent-based adhesive mixtures are flammable and slightly toxic, therefore work is carried out using protective equipment and in a ventilated area.
Important! The adhesive based on organic solvents is environmentally friendly and less toxic.
Water-based adhesives do not like contact with water, so if the room is flooded, there is a risk that the tiles will come off. If work is carried out in the cold season, then it is better to buy glue that is resistant to cold and temperature extremes.
Choosing a laying pattern
If you use square tiles, there are only two ways to lay them out:
- on the principle of brickwork with a shift of the joint in each subsequent row by half of the element;
- traditional checkerboard seam-in-seam.
Important! Elements of rectangular and square shape are laid diagonally of the room or traditionally parallel to the walls.
As for the rectangular elements, they are laid in several ways:
- traditional sprawling masonry;
- regular and triple brickwork;
- diagonal styling;
- herringbone flooring;
- deck masonry;
- network;
- flooring in squares.
Preparation of the base
The step-by-step process of laying cork begins with the preparation of the base. Since the elements are of a small thickness, all defects in the base will be visible after they are laid. That is why the beauty of the floor depends on the quality of the preparation of the base.
Requirements for the rough base:
- Compressive strength - not less than 150 MPa.
- The maximum allowable height difference is no more than 2 mm by two meters.
- The base should not have cracks, loose and rotten areas.
- There should be no traces of glue, soot, grease, soot, bitumen and remnants of the old coating.
- The indicator of residual moisture for a wooden base is 8-12%, for a concrete base within 0.5-2 percent.
For leveling the base, a mineral screed or sheet wood materials with shunted edges are suitable. To fill the seams between the sheets, acrylic sealants or a mixture of PVA with sawdust are used.
To improve the characteristics of the base, deep penetrating and strengthening primers are used. If it is necessary to increase the adhesion to the substrate and make the absorbency of the floor more uniform, use an adhesion primer.
After that, they begin to mark the surface:
- Using a tape measure or a laser level, they find the center of the room.
- Through the center, parallel to one of the walls, draw a line from which we will lay the tiles. When laying diagonally, the line is drawn at 45 degrees.
- We carry out a preliminary layout of cork elements in a checkerboard pattern or with an offset.
- We cut the extreme products to the required size, taking into account the centimeter gap around the perimeter of the room.
- If required, technological holes are cut in the elements.
- Sometimes the tiles are beveled. For this, the edges of the product are treated with fine-grained sandpaper, and the dust is removed with a damp sponge.
Are you looking for interesting solutions for apartment renovation? What is your option to install a cork floor? Not sure what it is, what is the benefit for you and how to do it? Everything is very simple. Let's consider what a cork floor is, how to lay it correctly.
The material for the production of cork linen is the bark of cork oak. Bark is removed from trees 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, the tree is not damaged). And this material is already being used for the manufacture of various products.
By technology, cork can be divided into types:
- veneer - the most expensive type of cork;
- agglomerate - the cheapest option (made by pressing crumb at high temperature with the addition of various resins);
- combined - both pieces of veneer and chips are used for manufacturing.
Finished panels can be treated with various compounds that affect the properties of the 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;
- the cork is not subject to decay and is fireproof;
- the material is hypoallergenic, does not attract dust and does not accumulate static electricity;
- cork floors are able to withstand high pressure, including pressure points.
Disadvantages:
- like any natural material, the cost of cork panels is higher than the usual laminate or parquet board;
- the base for the cork must be perfectly flat;
- if there are cats or dogs in the house, then claw marks may remain on the cork;
- over time, the protective layer is erased and tracks remain in places of heavy traffic.
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Types and variants of cork flooring
- Floating type (you can find the name cork parquet). It is produced in the form of panels with locks and is a cork layer glued to the MDF panel.
- The adhesive type is produced in the form of square or rectangular tiles. Sizes may vary. A protective layer can be applied on top.
- The process plug is sold in rolls or sheets and is used as a backing.
For the final finish, the first 2 types are widely used, it all depends on your choice. It should be borne in mind that if you plan to lay the cork cover in the bathroom or toilet, then you need to give preference to the adhesive type. This is due to the fact that it is treated with a special compound that prevents the floor from swelling.
The floating cork flooring is best used indoors, with a low level of humidity: in the bedroom, nursery or hallway.
To lay a cork floor with your own hands, you will need:
- Pencil.
- Roulette.
- Square for precise right-angle cutting of panels.
- Long ruler.
- Chopping 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 sawing floating panels.
- Rubber mallet for adjusting cork slabs in place.
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Cork flooring technology
Surface preparation
The surface must be leveled, if necessary, before laying the cork flooring. It must be dry, clean and primed.
You do not have to remove the old floor covering, but lay the cork covering from above.
Laying the cork floor with glue:
- Before laying the 1st row of cork tiles, use a construction cord to mark the main line along which assembly will begin. This can be diagonal from opposite corners of the room, or laying in a straight line along the walls.
- Draw a line with a pencil using a ruler along the chopping line.
- When working with glue, you must use a respirator, for example RPG-67. Cork tile adhesive is flammable and has a strong odor. After work, the room must be thoroughly ventilated.
- Apply the adhesive evenly to the substrate using a spatula or roller along the marked line.
- It is also necessary 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 mallet.
- In some places it will be necessary to adjust the cork panels. For this, marks are made with a pencil, with the help of a square or a ruler, the markings are made and the excess part is cut off with a construction knife.
- After laying the tiles on the floor, it is necessary to cover it with 2-3 coats of varnish. For these purposes, a two-component polyurethane varnish is perfect.
- The glue dries within 24 hours. It is advisable not to walk on the laid panels during this time in order to avoid their displacement.
The cork floor, from the first days of use, has become popular and has earned widespread acceptance among consumers. The relatively affordable cost, and the ability to independently lay such flooring, increase consumer demand for cork. Manufacturers offer a wide variety of products and quality at affordable prices for analogs and substitutes for natural veneer.
It should be borne in mind that there are some subtleties of laying such a coating at different stages of the implementation of this solution. You should study the issue in detail before going to a construction base or to a special store to purchase material. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the positive and negative sides of the cork floor, otherwise there is a risk not only to throw money down the drain, but also to waste time on wasted work.
Varieties of cork flooring
The most popular types of materials are:
- cork veneer flooring;
- cork MDF plates;
- cork laminate;
- pressed cork slabs.
Coated with wear-resistant varnish is the most expensive one. It is not easy to confuse it with a school cork board. Natural veneer is an environmentally friendly material that combines both the strongest pluses and minuses of cork. It is produced in large sheets up to 6 sq. m., 4–6 mm thick, as well as in the form of tiles and rolls.
As a rule, its underside is protected by a vinyl film, which facilitates the process of adhesion to the cement-concrete surface. The texture of natural cork is complex irregular shapes in yellow-brown tones.
... This material occupies an average price position in its line. It is a two-layer cork laminate, the lower layer of which consists of a full-fledged MDF board, and the upper layer of 2–4 mm veneer covered with a protective varnish. In terms of useful properties, MDF cork panels are similar to solid veneer, and are not too demanding on the quality of the surface on which they need to be laid.
It is produced in the sizes and thicknesses traditional for this coating.
... It is a cheap floor covering material. In stores, it can be easily identified by its fine-grained texture, which looks like a cheap wine cork. However, the quality of the cork board is almost as good as solid natural veneer. Pressed cork tile is a good choice for a budget cork floor. Standard sizes of cork tiles:
- 300 * 300mm;
- 600 * 600mm;
- 600 * 900 mm.
Positive and negative sides of cork floor
The cork floor is non-slip and non-bouncy. It perfectly withstands significant loads applied to it. Such a flooring has good heat and sound insulation. One of the main advantages of this floor is that it is absolutely safe for human health and the environment. Throughout the history of cork flooring, there has not been a single case of harm to human health.
With all the advantages and positive properties of cork, unfortunately, it also has disadvantages. This is an expensive material.
In addition, one cannot fail to mention the relatively complex and painstaking procedure for laying it. The cork is fragile and cannot be mistreated. Without sufficient knowledge and certain skills, it is not recommended to start self-covering the floor with cork flooring.
This material is highly sensitive to temperature extremes, mechanical damage from claws of pets. Its internal composition and appearance completely depends on this. It swells with water and quickly absorbs any odors with the subsequent long-term retention of them in itself.
Where it is not recommended to lay cork flooring, and in which rooms it is possible
In accordance with the above points, it can be concluded that a cork floor is not suitable for rooms with temperature extremes and high humidity. From any short-term temperature extremes, the cork crumbles and becomes unusable.
Therefore, cork is not suitable for a kitchen, hallway or balcony. If desired, cork laminate can be installed there, but this may also be an impractical solution. Premises where cork flooring is strongly discouraged:
- bathroom;
- bathroom.
Very high humidity and sudden changes in temperature negatively affect the cork, since moisture can penetrate through the microcracks into the material, after which it swells and flakes off. This process is imperceptible, in poorly visible places, for example, under skirting boards.
Rooms ideal for cork flooring:
- Kids room.
- Bedroom.
- Office cabinet.
- Living room.
Kids room... Any kind of this covering is ideal in a children's room, as children will stand warmly and move barefoot on the cork floor at any time of the year. In addition, falling to the floor, the child will not be injured. Walking barefoot on it has beneficial properties on the psyche of the baby and, according to sensations, brings him closer to nature.
Bedroom... Laying a cork floor in a bedroom is good for the same reasons as for a nursery.
Office cabinet... To the above reasons, you can add the excellent sound insulation properties of the material.
Living room... In the living room, cork laminate is best suited, since in this room natural veneer will quickly lose its proper appearance.
Cork floor underlay
When laying the interlocking floor, a backing must be used. Typically, the backing material is made from compressed fine-grained cork bark chips.
Substrate is an important coating layer. It is needed for sound, heat and waterproofing. A non-flammable, wear-resistant, natural and environmentally friendly cork substrate is several times better in properties than other insulating materials.
Technical cork is available in rolls. Cork industry leaders usually offer substrates in different thicknesses, but for a floating type of floor, 2 mm is sufficient.
The main function that the substrate must perform is to protect the cork coating from excessive loads that can cause deformation of the material. It also protects against the formation of condensation and dampens noise from footsteps on the floor.
Laying underlayment for the castle floor
To successfully lay a cork backing, you need to do the following:
- at least one day before the start of work, rolls of technical cork must be brought into the room where it will be laid;
- to protect the surface from dampness, first you need to lay a PVC film with at least 5 cm over the walls;
- if a single piece of film is not enough, the remaining pieces are overlapped with a margin of up to 200 mm;
- parts of the film must be glued with tape;
- on the film, rolls of technical cork must be unrolled over the entire area;
- the gap from the wall to the substrate, as well as at its joints, should be equal to 1.5 cm.
It should be remembered that the quality of the cork coating arranged in the future and its service life will directly depend on how correctly the substrate was laid.
Cork flooring technology
The following tools and materials are required to install a cork floor:
- rubber mallet;
- a jigsaw or a circular saw with a fine-toothed cut, since cork material will crumble at the edges from any hand saw;
- high precision level;
- metal ruler;
- ordinary measuring tape;
- a special marker or pencil for painting;
- if there is an adhesive floor, you need a metal roller;
- putty knife;
- paint brush 100 mm with natural bristles;
- varnish composition;
- special glue;
- several empty containers for varnish and glue;
- rags.
Cork flooring has become widespread relatively recently. Nevertheless, 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 available to a person with initial home repair skills.
However, cork floors are not available everywhere. Therefore, before purchasing material and getting to work, you should understand what a cork floor is, and, especially, what are its advantages and disadvantages. Otherwise, expensive material and painstaking work can go down the drain.
Types of cork floors
- The most expensive is solid cork veneer, or Cork board(cut of cork oak bark), coated with wear-resistant varnish. Don't confuse it with school corkboards. Absolutely environmentally friendly material, combines both the best advantages and the most serious disadvantages of cork. It can be produced in large (up to 6 sq. M.) Layers with a thickness of 4-6 mm and in rolls; also - in the form of a tile. Often, the seamy side, not the front side, is protected with vinyl film, which makes it easier to stick and lay on a concrete floor.
- MDF panels with cork... Average material in the price category. It is also often called a cork board, although in fact it is a cork laminate: the base is made of MDF, then a layer of cork chips treated also using MDF technology (dry hot pressing), and on top is a layer of cork veneer 2-4 mm, protected by varnish and / or vinyl. In terms of useful qualities, it is practically equivalent to solid veneer, but not so picky about the quality of the underlying surface.
- Cork laminate Available in standard laminate sizes and thicknesses.
- Pressed cork chips. It is used to make inexpensive cork tiles... On sale, it is easy to recognize by its fine-grained texture, similar to the cork from an inexpensive wine. The color of the solid cork is complex figures of irregular shape in a yellow-brown scale. However, cork tiles provide a finish that is not inferior in quality to that of solid veneer. For a budget cork floor - the best option.
The main dimensions of cork tiles are 30x30, 60x60 and 60x90 cm. On sale, under the guise and at the price of tiles, you can find scraps and waste of solid veneer. They are small, but if there is a desire, time and artistic taste, you can collect such coverage from them that sophisticated connoisseurs will gasp.
Why is cork floor good and bad?
The cork floor has excellent spring properties, not slippery even with a protective coating. It plays well with the load, including the regular alternating one. Provides excellent sound and heat insulation. Absolutely environmentally friendly and harmless: in the entire centuries-old history of using cork, no signs of its effect on health have been noted.
However, there are also significant disadvantages of cork floors. In addition to the high price - fragility and sufficient complexity of laying on glue. It is better not to tackle the glued cork floor without skillful hands and an accurate eye.
Further, there is a high coefficient of thermal expansion even for wood. In addition, the cork swells strongly if the water contains dissolved organic matter. As a result, the cork absorbs well and firmly retains the smell and color of the impurity. Perhaps you have an old wine cork lying around somewhere - 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, the cork floor is short-lived in any premises in a variable temperature regime: from thermal deformations, the cork will soon begin to crumble. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to lay a cork floor in the kitchen, balcony and in the hallway: only cork laminate with a protective coating, and even then it is not very desirable.
As for the toilet and bathroom, there is a definite "no" to the cork floor. Even if you and your guests use the services absolutely carefully during the most riotous fun, anyway, from fluctuations in temperature and humidity in the cork coating, microcracks will soon form, along which moisture will pass, and then delamination, most often in hidden places: under the baseboard or under the bathroom where water vapor stagnates.
The cork has no antiseptic properties; she is biologically neutral material. Therefore, if you find and open such a "pimple", under it you will find a disgusting kind of mucus, from the contents of which, under a microscope, a microbiologist who is not indifferent to his work immediately faints.
Where cork floors are good
However, there are types of spaces where cork flooring is highly recommended and others where they are perfectly acceptable:
- Children's. Any cork floor can be laid here; if funds are available, it is better from solid veneer. First, the child will always be warm. Secondly, the plopping tomboy will not hurt himself. Thirdly, walking with bare feet on a traffic jam gives a somewhat irrational, but beneficial effect on the psyche and development of the mind, a sense of a living connection with nature.
- The bedroom is 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 best to use cork laminate here, as in any other high-traffic area. Cork flooring, even with perfect maintenance, does not differ in durability.
How cork floors are laid
Laying the cork flooring on the floor can be done not in two, as they often write, but in three different ways:
- Cork laminate, with some extra precautions regarding tooling and laying technique, see below.
- The same cork laminate and solid veneer can be laid loosely without fixing - this is a floating cork floor.
- Any kind of cork floor can also be installed with glue.
The technologies for laying a floating cork floor and an adhesive floor are fundamentally different. But the requirements for the preparation of the premises are the same. The tool is also used in a special way.
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 humidity in the room under the floor be no more than 60%; moisture content of 75% is no longer acceptable when laying.
Tools, accessories and additional materials
To install a cork floor, you first need a rubber wood hammer (mallet). Then - a hand-held circular saw or jigsaw with a circle or a "clean cut" file, very fine-toothed. Any hand saw will crumble the cork around the edge. For an adhesive floor, you will need a rolling roller - similar to a painter's, but metal, heavy, and small, 20-30 cm, but an accurate level.
Cork floating floor planks will need to be tweaked and leveled. For this, the spacer wedges will need to be made from his own scraps - the wooden ones will crush the cork. Also, the rule for fitting is a piece of cork board, which is abutted against the fitted one and adjusted by lightly tapping with a rubber mallet. You cannot use a hook clamp to tighten the cork laminate.
Additional materials will require a special plinth for the cork floor, which is attached to the wall. It is impossible to make a cork floor in doorways, so special sills will also be required. For an adhesive floor - special glue and also a special spatula for its application: wide, fine-toothed.
A small but important fixture for laying a glued cork floor is a can of canned vegetables or coffee with a quick but tight lid. In it you will need to keep a rag moistened with solvent - many small scraps. Use a rag to wipe off glue drips. Outside a tightly closed container, it will dry quickly, and abundantly moistened will ruin the coating.
Room preparation
Any cork floor must be laid on a level, smooth and dry surface. A leveled concrete screed is not enough - it is rough. The traffic jam when walking on it, or rolling the chair "plays". In this case, concrete works like an abrasive; the cork is soft and wipes quickly even on the adhesive layer.
Particularly "dislikes" a cork floor of a damp underlying surface. The point here is not only and not so much that the adhesive connection will be fragile, but in the swelling of the cork. Because of this, somewhere, a "bump" is formed, described in the section on the bathroom, and with the same content. Therefore, the base must be leveled and dried before laying the cork floor.
A concrete floor should be checked for moisture before laying. To do this, the room or part of it, but not less than 2 square meters, is covered with plastic film for a day, an approximately rectangular piece, not a strip. If, after a day, moisture has not settled on the underside of the film, you can proceed to the final leveling. If not, you still need to dry it. Numerous complaints that, they say, a solid floor at 60-80 euros per square in a week began to stain and swell, are explained precisely by a too wet base.
Note: moisture can pass from the neighbors below. Therefore, immediately inspect carefully the "bare" floor, and seal all the cracks; especially - at the heating risers.
Leveling the floor
The base floor under the cork is leveled with a liquid leveler. A dry leveler (a laminated composite of soft material between two layers of plastic foil) is not suitable: the cork is harder and brittle. From a stiletto heel or chair leg, a cork floor on such a basis can crack.
(Read more about wet screed for leveling the floor)
Even the cheapest cork floor is not a cheap pleasure, and its reliability and durability are highly dependent on the base. Therefore, we can recommend before the cork, the cheapest, even substandard:
- The mechanical properties of marmoleum are the same as those of cork; the failure of the top from a concentrated load will not happen.
- Marmoleum "flows" over the underside of the unevenness of the base, and its upper surface will remain even.
- Marmoleum possesses bactericidal properties: suddenly a harmful "pimple" forms under the cork, marmoleum will not allow harmful microflora to develop in it.
If linoleum, laminate or already laid on the floor, then it is better not to touch them, but lay the cork on top.
Floating floor
A floating cork floor can be inlaid, from a single piece of veneer or large pieces of it, and from a cork laminate. The first two options are the prerogative of a team of at least two well-worked professionals. Independent attempts of this kind end in the breakdown of an expensive coating: the price of cork veneer rises rapidly with an increase in the size of a piece.
Floating cork flooring is done as follows:
- The room is measured out, material is purchased. Upon delivery, it is unpacked and kept for a day for acclimatization - equalization of temperature and humidity.
- In the meantime, the base floor is covered with a plastic film with an overlap of 20-30 cm and with an overlap of 10-15 cm. The joints of the pieces of film are glued together with adhesive tape.
- Planks of an incomplete row in width are cut to size from the side of the tongue of the tongue; the groove must not be touched. When laying with a half-joint offset, half of the outer boards are sawn in half lengthwise.
- Laminate boards are laid from the far corner in transverse rows with a shift of the seams by a third or half of the board length, like a regular laminate: the comb of the next board is inserted into the groove of the previous one, holding it at an angle, lightly pressed and lowered. Pull up to the place with a rule and a rubber mallet. It is necessary to maintain an indent of 20-30 mm from the walls. It is maintained, and the board, which is extreme in front of the wall, is tightened with spacer wedges.
- The excess film is cut off.
- The "cork" plinth is attached to the wall with mounting glue. It should not lie on the floor, but hang over it by 1-2 mm. For this, it is convenient to use matches or toothpicks. True, what to do with the garbage, which will inevitably cram into the gap before the cork swells, the manufacturers of cork floors do not say.
- The floor is ready, you can walk on it right away.
Video instructions for laying cork
Glued cork floor
How good an adhesive cork floor will be depends a lot on the adhesive. Manufacturers of coatings recommend each of their own, but adhesives without a volatile aggressive solvent - "Kaskoflex" and the like, should be recognized as the best. They are non-toxic and take the longest time 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 a cork floor on PVA?
It is impossible to lay a cork floor on liquid PVA: this glue is water-based, which is contraindicated for cork. You can let the PVA dry until it tackles with pressure (15-25 minutes) so that all the water from it evaporates. But then each tile will have to be put in place right away: it will not be possible to move it; she will immediately grab tightly. And you can apply liquid PVA only on one surface - the base floor, and this is a violation of the gluing technology. And the humidity of the air in the process of work will rise. So, alas, it is impossible to recommend laying a cork floor on cheap PVA.
An adhesive cork floor is laid like this:
- We work from the center of the room in a spiral. Swirling 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, tighten by hand or by rule.
- We roll it in with a roller.
- With a level two times, along the diagonals, we check the horizontality. If the next tile is lifted up somewhere, we tap it with a rubber mallet.
- The glue that comes out at any stage of the work is instantly erased with a rag moistened with solvent. We throw away the used flap: if it is mistakenly used again, it will only smear the drip of glue, and you cannot remove the dried glue from the cork.
- 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 on glue
HDF cork laminate
The cheapest material for cork flooring is HDF (high density fibreboard), covered with pressed cork chips. But behind the "smart" foreign abbreviation is the well-known fiberboard, which is not matched in properties with the cork and with the "chemical" impregnation. Therefore, we 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 out in a suitable room for him. And only its decorative qualities depend on the price category of the material and the method of installation.