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Old 05-29-2013, 08:28 PM   #1
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New Cork Flooring

Here is a bit of a write up about the glue-down cork flooring I installed. It is Forna Cork flooring, that I bought from Cancork Floor Inc. LINK

I decided on glue-down for a few reasons. I was originally going to do a floating floor, I even had some left over from a job. I decided that 3/8" of solid cork would give more comfort, and combined with the removing of the existing vinyl the weight would be less. Plus, I would have a good stable floor that would be waterproof, and most likely outlast me.

I all started with stripping out the old vinyl, then sanding off all the old adhesive, and getting down to nice bare plywood. I also scraped away any loose floor levelling compound, then floated the floor with new levelling compoutd, making it nice and smooth. Here it is all prepped and ready to go. I also removed all corner trims, baseboard trims, doors near the floor, door gasket, and the screen door, all which took little time to do, but made for a much nicer and easier install.




The floor was relatively level, with the excepting of a smooth transition down to the door of about 1/4 to 3/8" (never actually measured it). I just left this as the cork would conform nicely to it.




I then glued down a layer of 3/16" cork flooring with water based contact cement (solvent based would ruin the cork), which was fairly inexpensive at just over $1/sf. I then sanded. Any little ridges out.




I then laid out a straight reference line with my laser, and screwed down some straight edges to ensure a straight seam.




Here is the final layer of 3/16" cork going down. Both the floor and the top layer of cork have the contact cement on them, and I have stickers underneath in order to be able to better align the cork going down. After adhering the cork, I used a roller to press the joint tightly together.




I then put 4 layers of a water based polyurethane on the floor, sanding after the 2nd and 3rd coats. I put a bead of silicon around the edges. I replaced the vinyl wrapped trim pieces with real oak, as they were in areas that take some abuse. The screen door and door gasket was reinstalled, and the interior doors put back on.

A shot from the door.




And one from the bed. Reflectix was added to the spot at the front that had no insulation.




The flooring, levelling compound, adhesive and flooring polyurethane (very expensive) combined for a cost of about $220, well worth it in my books. I probably have around 10 hours into doing it too.

We now have a 3/8" layer of cork that looks beautiful, and is comfy cozy and warm underfoot, and has a finish tough as nails. This weekend will be the first test on it, then off the the Escape Rally with it the following weekend.
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Old 05-29-2013, 09:33 PM   #2
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Looks Great Jim! Bet the floor will be warmer in the winter too.
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Old 05-30-2013, 05:06 AM   #3
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It sure should be, deryk. One of the main considerations for going with cork.
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Old 05-30-2013, 05:18 AM   #4
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That's gorgeous!
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Old 05-30-2013, 06:13 AM   #5
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Very nice! I like the pattern, and the poly makes it pop right out.
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Old 05-30-2013, 11:40 AM   #6
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Thanks. It has flakes of cork on the surface that look very leaflike.
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Old 05-30-2013, 12:31 PM   #7
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I love it!!
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Old 05-30-2013, 03:36 PM   #8
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Looks nice. Our 5ver is only 3 years old and probably already should replace the vinyl as it was not put down very well. I think they like laying carpet over vinyl at Scamp.
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Old 05-30-2013, 03:58 PM   #9
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Cyndi, I would not really want carpet flooring, though have had throw rugs in the past that covered most of the floor. It is nice to take them out for cleaning. We don't tend to remove footwear when going in and out of the trailer, opting instead to give it a sweep once a day, and a wipe after most uses. I believe Scamp uses OSB for the flooring, correct. If so, you can't get many adhesives to stick very well on it.
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Old 05-30-2013, 04:27 PM   #10
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Very Nice!

Here is another cork floor that turned out well.

Cork Flooring Install photos - Airstream Forums
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Old 05-30-2013, 04:55 PM   #11
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That does look quite nice. I think the guy would have had an easier time if he had of taken the time to level the floor out better, by the sounds of things.
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Old 03-06-2015, 09:59 PM   #12
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Jim thank you for the information, the floor looks great.
Doug


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Old 09-23-2015, 01:20 PM   #13
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Just a quick question please. I was referred to this forum as I am replacing the carpet in our RV and was thinking of vinyl laminate planks and wanting to use cork underlayment for temp and noise abatement. The online Chat sales rep at the Forna website suggested using their glue down tile (6mm) instead for better temp control and gave me the link to get to this forum and this thread.

Jim, did you use 2 layers of the 6mm tile? That would be perfect for height for our RV as the ceramic tile and carpet are about that high currently.

I appreciate your input on this 2.5 year old thread. The final results of your insulation look fantastic!
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Old 09-23-2015, 02:03 PM   #14
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As you can see in my project description, I used two layers of 4mm cork, which would be about 50% thicker than the 6mm stuff you have. You could easily use two layers of 6mm, if you wished. You can get 8mm cork too.

Best of luck on your install. It really isn't tough, and the resultant is well worth it. I have a new trailer on order, and will be replacing the vinyl with cork at some point too.
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Old 09-24-2015, 06:57 PM   #15
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Beautiful job Jim.
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Old 09-25-2015, 05:36 AM   #16
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Old thread. Got me. Knowing you have sold your Escape I was trying to figure why you removed the fiberglass furniture and exposed the floor in your project Trillium. And why your Trillium looked so different. It's early. Looks good in either case. Raz
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Old 09-25-2015, 05:48 AM   #17
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Raz, you might need another cup of coffee yet.
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Old 09-25-2015, 03:43 PM   #18
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Raz, you might need another cup of coffee yet.
Or new glasses. The down side to retirement age!
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Old 05-16-2022, 05:43 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
Here is a bit of a write up about the glue-down cork flooring I installed. It is Forna Cork flooring, that I bought from Cancork Floor Inc. LINK

I decided on glue-down for a few reasons. I was originally going to do a floating floor, I even had some left over from a job. I decided that 3/8" of solid cork would give more comfort, and combined with the removing of the existing vinyl the weight would be less. Plus, I would have a good stable floor that would be waterproof, and most likely outlast me.

I all started with stripping out the old vinyl, then sanding off all the old adhesive, and getting down to nice bare plywood. I also scraped away any loose floor levelling compound, then floated the floor with new levelling compoutd, making it nice and smooth. Here it is all prepped and ready to go. I also removed all corner trims, baseboard trims, doors near the floor, door gasket, and the screen door, all which took little time to do, but made for a much nicer and easier install.




The floor was relatively level, with the excepting of a smooth transition down to the door of about 1/4 to 3/8" (never actually measured it). I just left this as the cork would conform nicely to it.




I then glued down a layer of 3/16" cork flooring with water based contact cement (solvent based would ruin the cork), which was fairly inexpensive at just over $1/sf. I then sanded. Any little ridges out.




I then laid out a straight reference line with my laser, and screwed down some straight edges to ensure a straight seam.




Here is the final layer of 3/16" cork going down. Both the floor and the top layer of cork have the contact cement on them, and I have stickers underneath in order to be able to better align the cork going down. After adhering the cork, I used a roller to press the joint tightly together.




I then put 4 layers of a water based polyurethane on the floor, sanding after the 2nd and 3rd coats. I put a bead of silicon around the edges. I replaced the vinyl wrapped trim pieces with real oak, as they were in areas that take some abuse. The screen door and door gasket was reinstalled, and the interior doors put back on.

A shot from the door.




And one from the bed. Reflectix was added to the spot at the front that had no insulation.




The flooring, levelling compound, adhesive and flooring polyurethane (very expensive) combined for a cost of about $220, well worth it in my books. I probably have around 10 hours into doing it too.

We now have a 3/8" layer of cork that looks beautiful, and is comfy cozy and warm underfoot, and has a finish tough as nails. This weekend will be the first test on it, then off the the Escape Rally with it the following weekend.
Thank-you for this posting and all of the detail. I couldn't find this in your description or in the comments, unless I missed it - what are the round metal bases you have for the table legs called, and what was the installation like?
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Old 05-17-2022, 07:29 AM   #20
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Thank-you for this posting and all of the detail. I couldn't find this in your description or in the comments, unless I missed it - what are the round metal bases you have for the table legs called, and what was the installation like?
Those are the pedestal bases that came stock with our table. I just reused them. In my newer Escape I instead used a Springfield pedestal, just a single pedestal and much more stabile.
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