RenovateKC

Sometimes tile just doesn't seem right for a kitchen. Maybe the previous owner laid down really ugly tile would look appropriate only at a Mardi Gras party, and you would like to break from the past with a different flooring solution. Maybe new hardwood wouldn't look right when matched up against the old hardwood present throughout the rest of the house. Maybe it is time to investigate the possibility of a cork floor. Kate and I just put a cork floor in our kitchen, and this article will walk through our decision and the installation process.

Cork is a natural and renewable flooring resource that grows on trees. It is durable, yet soft and warm under foot. It is available in a number of patterns and colors, and new tile and plank designs literally make installation a snap. We chose cork because it looks great and adds a unique touch to our living space. I am fairly certain that we are the only people we know with a cork floor, and that either means we're cool and unique or just a couple of weirdos with bad taste. I am crossing my fingers in hope that my sister doesn't decide to comment on this post, because she'd probably lean toward calling me a "weirdo".

Specifically, we chose the Santiago pattern from the APC Natural Earth series of cork floor products. This particular product floats over the subfloor and snaps together with the aid of a tapping block and rubber mallet. The planks are approximately 36" by 12" and come six to a box. We didn't choose this pattern blindly: we received samples from FastFloors.com, and our sales guy, Thomas Zoellner, was very speedy in getting us squared away. We highly recommend getting the samples, as the colors vary quite a bit between the screen and the real product.

Shopping List

Product	Quantity	Link/Photo
1/4 inch plywood sheets	4 Sheets
APC 5mm Cork Underlayment	1 Roll	(Click the cork below, choose "Accessories" and then "Underlayment")
Natural Cork Earth Series Santiago Planks	6 Boxes
Natural Cork Tapping Block	1 (but we wish we had two)	(Click the cork above, choose "Accessories" and then "Tools"
Rubber Mallet	1
Pull Bar	1
Pergo Spacer Blocks	1 Package	These little blue things, also available at Home Depot
2x4	2
Circular Saw	1

Preliminary activities

The absolute first thing that must be done: rest. Specifically, unwrap the cork planks and let them acclimate to the home for at least three days before proceeding. We don't know what will happen if you skip the wait, but it surely includes doom and madness. Since cork is a natural product, it has a tendency to shrink and swell with changes in temperature and humidity, so this acclimation period gives the product a chance to ready itself for life in your particular home and helps to prevent buckling or gaps in the floor at a later date.

While the cork planks rest, the 1/4 inch plywood can cover the floor boards of the entire room, and the cork underlayment should be tacked down in any place that will be covered by the cork planks in the finished room. We did not extend the underlayment to each wall in our kitchen, because we thought it would be a bit extravagant to lay the cork underneath the cabinets. The cabinets will rest on a much more economical and durable 5/8 inch piece of plywood. That extra 5/8 inch allows the cabinets to rest at the same level as the finished cork floor, which allows us to do neat things like add and remove a dishwasher as we please.

The installation guide suggests starting with the longest run of flooring as the first row. From there, installation is like reading a book: left to right, top to bottom. The guide suggests using spacers to leave a half inch gap between the cork plank and the wall, but our longest run was parallel with our not yet installed cabinets. That left us with nothing to brace the spacers against, so we temporarily tacked a 2x4 in place where the cabinets would go.

Now to install some cork

These planks require no glue, no nails, no fastener of any kind. The very first plank goes in like butter. Remember to orient the plank so that the long edge is parallel to longest edge of your room. Set it on the floor in the correct location, and walk away. You're done, you have successfully installed the first piece. Congratulations.

The second plank butts up against the first along the narrow edge. The tongue and groove mechanism should partially engage, leaving a gap of about one eighth to one quarter of an inch between the surfaces of the two planks. Now is the time to grab the tapping block and rubber mallet: place the tapping block at the edge of the second piece, and tap the piece into place. The two pieces should be snug when you are done tapping. Make sure to orient the tapping block correctly, and always use a rubber mallet to avoid destroying the tapping block. I was too lazy to get a mallet when we started, and I cracked the plastic binding on the back of the block. We also found that by improperly orienting the block on the plank, the edge of the plank can be damaged. Get two blocks, you'll be glad you did.

Bad Tapping Block Position
Good Tapping Block Position

When installing the second and subsequent rows, you will be tapping a plank in to two neighboring planks. I recommend tapping the short side in first, and then tapping in the long side. I have no scientific research supporting this method, but it sure seemed to work for us.

Planks can be cut with a circular saw or a table saw. We had a half plank left over at the end of the first row, and that provided a great start to the second row that allowed us to offset the joints as we continued the installation. Small pieces were cut using a drywall keyhole saw. Not the most appropriate tool, indeed, but when your only handheld saw is a keyhole saw, everything starts to look like drywall.

Wrapping up

The floor went in without any trouble, and it seems to clean up fairly easily with a dust mop. We haven't yet sealed the floor, but we would like to do so since the kitchen is a high traffic area prone to spills. Large quantities of water or other liquid will cause the planks to swell, so we will need to clean up spills quickly. Now if you will excuse us, we're off to deal with a cork of the bottle stopping variety.