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.

[floretlafaune]

Has anybody used cork on the walls of their fiberglass RV, what is your experience and/or advices about it?
I'm considering replacing the old shaggy carpet of our 1984 16ft casita with a light color cork (the roll type not the tiles or plank) since it act as a phonic insulation and thermal I thought if would be a "all in one" type of covering but I am no professional and would appreciate any insight. Thanks!

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[emers382]

I'm sure Jim Bennett will chime in here again, he did put cork on the floor of his 19 and it does look good although I only saw it in the dark over a year ago. Let's hope since then he hasn't worn his high heels In the trailer! I don't think he has tried it on the walls though.


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[Reid Larsen]

I put glue down cork tiles down in our Trillium. When I pulled up the rubber backed carpet that was starting to break down I found a fiberglass floor in beautiful shape. Because I didn't want to glue anything to it I cut a piece of 1/8" tempered hardboard to fit the floor and glued the cork to it. I then sealed the cork with a couple of coats of urethane floor finish. Only been down about a year but so far so good. I figure if I do have problems the thing can come out with minimal effort leaving a pristine floor for something else.

[floretlafaune]

I guess since the floor get a lot more use, it should be fine putting it on the wall?
For flooring it is possible to find all kinds of finishes, from very natural to very contemporary. But on the cork rolls I only see the particle cork roll(cheap stuff?) And I don't know if it would stay or crumble in the long run...

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[Lora]

POs of our Bigfoot had made changes to doors & drawers so they didn't match. We used the roll cork to cover the drawer faces and they look so much better. We did have to use the spray glue (a 3M product) and coated it with a brush on polyurethane.

We also installed the glue down tiles in our home kitchen about 10 years ago. Coated with the recommended urethane. Still looks good!

[floretlafaune]

It looks beautiful Lora! That's exactly the looks we are looking for.

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[Lora]

Thank you. The drawer cork is the cheap roll. The floor cost a bit more but there are many resources on the web and prices run from ~$1.30 to $5.00/sq ft.

[SherryNPaul]

We put cork flooring throughout our new house (except the bathrooms, where we used porcelain tile), using the click-lock planks, about 12 x 35. They look like a deep cognac stained bamboo, and I love them, so far. They are quiet, reducing echos, no clicky clicky noise like walking on laminate, and are more comfortable underfoot than tile, by far.
The problem with the planks for a trailer is the mdf/hdf middle layer, which is sensitive to moisture. The upper and lower cork layers are fairly thin. I don't expect to get 100 years out of them like the cork floors in the Library of Congress.... but I think they'll last pretty well in the house.
Lowe's and Depot stock a few choices at $3 and $4 a square foot, and have many more special order options at 4 to 5 dollars. With the small square footage of a trailer, it would be pretty much labor considerations to replace if water damaged. And, working with the wide planks on small floors.
Sherry

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by SherryNPaul

We put cork flooring throughout our new house (except the bathrooms, where we used porcelain tile), using the click-lock planks, about 12 x 35. They look like a deep cognac stained bamboo, and I love them, so far. They are quiet, reducing echos, no clicky clicky noise like walking on laminate, and are more comfortable underfoot than tile, by far.
The problem with the planks for a trailer is the mdf/hdf middle layer, which is sensitive to moisture. The upper and lower cork layers are fairly thin. I don't expect to get 100 years out of them like the cork floors in the Library of Congress.... but I think they'll last pretty well in the house.
Lowe's and Depot stock a few choices at $3 and $4 a square foot, and have many more special order options at 4 to 5 dollars. With the small square footage of a trailer, it would be pretty much labor considerations to replace if water damaged. And, working with the wide planks on small floors.
Sherry

For use in any potential damp area, like a washroom, or in our trailers, the best way to go with cork is as I did in my Escape 19, and do the glue-down type, not the engineered type. Once you coat it with a few coats of urethane, it becomes pretty much water resistant.

Ours has been in our trailer for two years now. We never remove footwear inside unless they are real muddy, and it is still looking great, AND we love it, and would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Rob Outlaw]

I'll throw my 2¢ worth of info in on this. I have cork flooring in my studio here in MT and love it. Everybody that comes in loves it. Have had it down for a few years now and its showing no signs of wear at all and believe me it gets wet in the winter. People come in with snow and ice on their boots & shoes throughout the winter and spring. Some times it gets wiped up soon and other times not so quick. I do have the engineered snap together laminated type. Incidentally you DO NOT need to lay down a foam layer with this type of floating floor as its already included in the structure with about an 1/8" layer of cork on the bottom sandwich.

When shopping I was told repeatedly that it is just fine to use cork in wet areas too and without sealing. One company even went so far as to say I would void the warranty if I sealed the joints. I have photographed many a starter castle (high end homes) that have cork floors both in the kitchen and bath. Some were glue down, others floating.

As others have stated one of the advantages of cork is its natural warmth and insulation. This is something I really wanted on my Oliver which is on order but due to the unique way the floor is built it would have been very difficult to install and have it look right.

Some interesting trivia points about cork, it will not burn, give off toxic fumes in a fire, will not mold or mildew, is waterproof, has a flash point of over 375º and only smolders then, has a natural resilience meaning you can just about stand on the stuff all day without getting sore feet, it is quiet too and dampens vibrations.

Bottom line I would not hesitate one second to install cork on a camper.