Cork Flooring

[Nancy A.]

Has anyone installed cork flooring in their rig? I like the idea of the light weight (instead of heavier laminate) plus the convenience of a smooth floor. It also is a natural material rather than lino.

[Jonathan S.]

You know...thats a great idea. I wish I had thought of it. I put down VCT but it is very cold. Cork insulates very well. Only problem is it dents and dings easily. Hmmmm...could easily lay cork over VCT couldn't I?

/gears are turning now

[Ed Felker]

I'd recommend you use the type that snaps together like laminate flooring -- otherwise you are looking at the type that glues down. A floating floor with the foam underlayment would probably provide more insulation and be easier to change later than a glued down version of the cork.

[Booker B.]

I don't know how cork vs regular laminate is for moisture but I would recommend sealing the seams with any laminate with glue to prevent moisture absorption.

[Charlie C]

There are many of the cork floorings that are rated for installation on concrete and below grade floors. I am sure that any of those should do quite well for a trailer installation, whether it is glued down or installed as a floating floor.

I don't know that the insulation value of a floating cork floor would be significantly different than a glue down cork floor due to the natural insulating qualities of the cork material itself. My preference of either would tend to be guided by how easy/hard an installation project would be based upon the layout and or condition of the existing floor of your individual trailer, and what work it would take to finish the edges.

One flooring product that I saw lately came in 12 x 24 or 36" strips, seemed to be cork over a vct base and the edges of the strips overlapped and self sealed to each other. Looks like you could glue down this product or lay is loose and the overlaps would hold everything together. It was a higher priced product and looked good.

[Mark B1]

I just did my basement in snap together cork. Looks great. However it is not recommented for damp or wet areas, soooo how clean do you keep your feet.

[Gigi]

You know...thats a great idea. I wish I had thought of it. I put down VCT but it is very cold. Cork insulates very well. Only problem is it dents and dings easily. Hmmmm...could easily lay cork over VCT couldn't I?

/gears are turning now

Jonathan, your VCT would be perfect under the cork. The snap together tiles of cork are great over most anything. It's warmer/cooler, a natural product, easy to install and not badly priced. It's made in a variety of colors, too.

I would use the snap type rather than gluing this product.

We used this in many clients homes and every one liked it.
Good luck!

[outnabout]

Thinking about installing some cork tiles myself. The Laminate variety of the cork flooring with the middle layer of HDF sandwiched between two layers of cork has me puzzled... I took some leftovers from a house install and soaked a piece in water. Comparing it to the dry pieces after a day in the soak, I found that the HDF layer swelled by 3/16" and the cork had no noticeable expansion. After having pulled out a lot of rotten OSB as of late I don't want to set myself up for regret. Can anyone up date me on their experience with the laminate over time?

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jonathan S.

Only problem is it dents and dings easily.

That's what I thought too. I had reservations about installing it in a heavily used hallway thinking that it would probably get ripped out and replaced within a few years. Or, at very least, the protective finished would have to be redone very frequently. But here it is 15 years later, never been top coated again and it still looks pretty good.

Ron

[Jim Bennett]

It has a very tough polyurethane coating on it, and is as tough as any wood floor. To some degree it can handle pressure loads better, as it bounces back better than wood, which will leave a dent. However, if the point load is extreme (like when I am wearing my high heels ), it can get crushed and not bounce back. Slicing will cut at it easier too.

All that said, I would not hesitate to use it in a trailer, and in fact am considering doing this myself. If it is maintained, and spills cleaned up fairly quickly, it should perform great. Do make certain you are using a good brand, as the cost for that small of a square footage would be fairly low.

BTW, with my company, we have installed quite a few thousand square feet over the years, with no callback issues at all.