Floating Cork Flooring
Floating cork flooring is a great choice for home and office interiors. Floating cork flooring comes with cork panels that have a tongue and groove ends for easy installation.
Floating cork flooring, just as the name suggests, is not glued or nailed down to the sub-floor. Instead, the interlocking system fixes the tiles in position. All of the flooring material acts as a single unit. Floating cork flooring has better acoustic and insulation properties because of the extra level below the planks and above the sub-floor. However, floating cork flooring does not allow for as much creative variation as cork tiles.
It is easier to remove floating cork flooring than a glued down, nailed, or stapled application. Floating cork flooring is more expensive than tile flooring. However, the price and time involved with the installation is much lower with floating cork flooring. The sub-floor needs to be smooth and even for maximum durability. Care must also be taken when installing floating cork flooring in wider areas. If you have more than 30 feet in any direction, make sure that you use expansion joints (T-clips). You can also use T-joints when joining the flooring of adjacent rooms.
Installing floating cork flooring
First prepare the sub-floor as an even surface. Fill any grooves and remove any inconsistencies. Installing floating cork flooring is easy because it comes with a tongue and groove structure. You can walk on the new floor as soon as you finish installing it. You do not have to wait for it to set. The gaps however should be filled with polyurethane to prevent water and dust from getting in.
The acoustics properties of floating cork flooring
While retaining its smoothness, floating cork flooring also has the capabilities to reduce the noise produced in a room. This is because of the structure of the cork planks. Cork has a honeycomb structure with 30 to 40 million air sacs per square inch. This helps in deadening the sound produced in the room.
With cork flooring, there is no crumbling or powdering. This makes this type of flooring suited for people who may be suffering from problems such as allergies or asthma.
With floating cork flooring, you should use a polyurethane finish to fill the gaps. This will prevent moisture or dust from accumulating in the gaps. You can also apply this coating once a year to prevent the surface from wearing off.
Cork flooring has several advantages such as temperature insulation, smoothness of the surface, the ability to withstand impacts, and durability. This flooring material is also environmentally friendly and is harvested without cutting down trees or depleting greenery. The cork used for the flooring is actually the byproduct of cork bottle stoppers. The remaining cork is grinded, binders are added, and it is then heat treated to produce a consistent mass.
As a one-of-a-kind flooring material, floating cork flooring is the choice material for offices, libraries, and churches. Cork flooring is also a great choice for home builders and planners.