APC Cork Flooring
 

Just finished up replacing the carpet in the basement with cork flooring after taking on water. Relatively easy DIY install, as I had no previous experience, tongue and groove. We are happy with the end result and glad we went with the higher quality planks that are 3-ply floating (Top layer cork w/ poly - Middle layer pressed cardboard - bottom layer cork)...the 1 ply glue down tiles just wouldn't have work well in this application (used these in the laundry room.

When using the glue down tiles one must wait until the mastic is ALMOST completely dry because if the glue isn't ALMOST set up and dry it will be absorbed into cork and will result in curling edges of the tile.

3 ply planks were approx. $3.25/sq foot on clearance.
1 ply glue down tiles approx. $0.65/ sq foot.

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Welcome to the site Skerz!

The floor looks great. How does the cork feel? How are you liking it?

I've installed stuff like that before and it's pretty nice, I've also been told that you don't really have any options after the 15-20 year finish wears off of it, this is not completely true! a friend of mine has some that was installed in the late 1960's that was looking pretty rough, we scrubbed it with soap and water then took a steam carpet vac and sucked all the crud out of the cracks, repeated until it looked clean, then finished it with a water based polyurethane floor finish, that was about 3 years ago, with kids and a dog and it still looks great.
Cork is nice for areas that you plan to stand alot, like kitchens, because it has some give.

I have read in several places that you can add poly whenever needed as long as the surface if uniformily abraded with a "scotch" pad.

The planks are pretty rigid. We have some wrought iron coffeee/end tables w/ heavyglass tops and they have not created any indentions so far. They have the feel of a typical floating engineered wood floor. The glue down tiles are not as resilient and show the indentions with very little weight/pressure but the "pop" back out within minutes of moving the object.

So far, 3 months, they have held up better than I expected and show little to no wear/deep scratches from a bulldog and 4 year old daughter.

The few examples of cork flooring I have seen first hand actually takes on some cool character via natural color changes if exposed to direct sunlight and years of wear and tear.

My wife and I are seriously considering cork for our kitchen and dining room. Your floor looks great.

How is it for sound obsorbtion?

Nice job. Can you take a closer up picture of the cork?

Was I just blind or did you put in that shot after?

Either way I like it. How does it feel as far as comfort on the feet? And what about warm or cold compared to maybe hardwood or tile?

I snuck it in after you requested it.

It feels very similar to "soft" hardwood. We put it down over concrete in our basement w/vapor barrier and it is a better insulator [warm and cool] than the carpet that it replaced.

That is a nice looking floor.

Is cork eco-friendly though? I've heard it can be done in sustainable ways, but I have also heard about cork forests being harvested and not surviving