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Cork Flooring Installation
Cork tiles will provide you with a floor surface which is warm, wears well and is quiet to walk on. In addition, they are the easiest of tiles to lay.
You can use cork floor tiles in bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms and children’s rooms; anywhere, in fact, where any other resilient floorcovering (eg, vinyl sheet or tiles, or thermoplastic tiles) could be used They are warmer and quieter than most other floorcoverings and tend not to ‘draw the feet’, unlike, for example, ceramic tiles, which are very tiring if you have to stand round on them for long periods. They will look particularly elegant if they are softened with rugs or rush matting and blend equally well w’th modern or traditional style furniture and decor.
Ordinary cork tiles are made from granulated cork, compressed and baked into blocks; the natural resins in the grain bond the particles together, though sometimes synthetic resins are added to improve wearing and other qualities. The tiles are cut from these blocks so they are 5mm (1/4in) or more thick. Patterned’ cork tiles (see below) are made by alternating wafer-thin cork veneers with thicker layers of insulating cork and sealing with a protective PVC surface.
Types of cork tiles
Cork tiles have an attractive natural look; usually they are a rich honey-gold, although there are some darker browns and smoky tones. Dyed cork tiles are available in many different colors ranging from subtle shades to stricent Drima’v colors. There are also ‘patterned’ tiles which have an interesting textured, rather than a heavily patterned look; these come in natural colors as well as red, soft green and rich dark smoky brown: the color tends to ‘glow’ through the top surface of cork. One design gives a subtle miniature checkerboard effect. Other tiles come with designs (such as geometric patterns) imprinted on them.
For floors that are likely to get the occasional flood or where spills and ‘accidents’ are inevitable, such as in kitchens, bathrooms and children’s rooms, it is wiser to use pre-sealed types of tiles (see Ready Reference). The cheaper seal-it-yourself types are however, perfectly adequate for living rooms, bedsitting rooms and halls.
Preparing the surface
As with other types of tiles and resilient floorcoverings the subfloor surface on which you lay cork tiles must be smooth, clean and free from lumps, bumps, protruding nails, tacks or screws. Where floorboards are uneven, it’s best to cover them up with flooring-grade chipboard, plywood or flooring quality hard-board, either nailed or screwed down securely. Remember to stagger the sheets of chipboard or other material to avoid continuous joins. Then, if there is any floor movement it will not disturb the tiles fixed on top and cause them to lift or be moved out of alignment.
There must also be adequate ventilation underneath a wooden subfloor. Poor ventilation can cause condensation which could lead to the rotting of the floorboards and the floorcovering above them. If the floor is laid at ground level, or directly to joists or battens on ground level concrete, you should protect the cork from moisture penetration by covering the wood with bituminous felt paper before laying hardboard or plywood. The paper should be fixed with bituminous adhesive; and you should allow a 50mm (2in) overlap at joins and edges.
Solid subfloors, such as concrete or cement and sand screeds, should be thoroughly dry. Make sure the floor incorporates an effective damp-proof membrane before laying the tiles: this can be in polyethelene sheet form, a cold-poured bitumen solution, or a hot pitch or bitumen solution. If the subfloor is porous or flaky and tends to be very dusty, you can use a latex floor-levelling compound to cover it. This is also practical for very uneven floors. The solution is poured on, left to find its own level and then allowed to dry out before the final floorcovering is laid.
Other floors, such as quarry or ceramic tiles, can have cork laid on top, but they have to be degreased, dewaxed and keyed by rubbing them with steel wool; once again, a floor-levelling compound may be necessary. With flagstones laid directly on the ground there could be dampness or condensation problems; it may be best to take up the existing floor and re-lay it, probably a job for a professional to do. Alternatively, the floor could be covered with a layer of rock asphalt at least 16mm (5/8in) thick, but you will need to call in professional help for this. (Always seek expert advice if you are worried about the state of the subfloor; the expense incurred will be worth it to get successful results when you are laying the final floorcovering.)
If there is already a linoleum, vinyl sheet, tile or other resilient floorcovering on the floor, you are advised to take this up, then resurface or rescreed it if necessary; alternatively, use a floor-levelling damp-resistant latex powder mix, or an epoxy surface membrane. If it is not possible to remove the old floorcovering, you should use a floor cleaner to degrease and dewax it and then key the surface by rubbing over it with steel wool.
Planning
Measure the room, at floor level, using a steel tape or wooden measure; don’t use a cloth tape as these stretch in use. If the room
is irregularly shaped, divide it into rectangles and measure each one separately. If you take these measurements to your supplier, he should be able to help you calculate the quantity of tiles you will require. Or, as many tiles are sold ready-boxed with a guide to quantities printed on the box, you can study the guide to work out the number of tiles you’ll need
If you plan to buy tiles of contrasting colors, and to form a border pattern, or to lay them so you get a checkerboard effect, you should plan out the design on squared paper first. Divide up the floor area so each square represents a tile, and color the squares in different colors to represent the different colors of the tiles so you can judge the effect. You can then calculate the quantity needed by reference to your plan.
Laying tiles
Whichever type of tile you are laying, it is best to work at room temperature, so don’t switch off the central heating. Leave the tiles in the room overnight to condition them.
Make sure you have enough tiles and adhesive on the spot; you don’t want to have to stop work halfway through the job and go out and buy extra. Collect together the necessary tools: measure, chalk and string, pencils and ruler or straight edge, notched trowel or spreader, sharp knife, cloth and mineral spirit. If you are using the seal-later type of tile, you will need a sander and brush or roller plus sealer.
As with other types of tiles, cork tiles look best if they are centered on the middle of the room ana any narrow or awkwardly shaped tiles come at the edges. So you’ll have to establish your starting point (see Ready Reference) at the center of the room. You can then begin laying whole tiles, working from the center outwards. It’s best to work on a quarter of the floor at a time; when all four quarters of whole tiles are laid, you can cut and fix the border tiles. If you are using adhesive. you may have to spread only about one square metre (1 square yard) at a time before it is ready to take the tiles. In other cases it will be best to cover a larger area with adhesive, so you don’t have to wait too long to bed the tiles, increasing the length of time it will take to complete the job. Since the length of time needed before the adhesive is ready to take the tiles does vary depending on the type of adhesive, you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
If tiles have to be cut to fit around obstacles such as door casings, toilet bases, or wash stands you can use a scribing block to mark the outline you require. Make up a paper template or use a special tracing tool (which has little needles which retract to fit the shape) if the shape is particularly complicated.
ESTABLISHING THE STARTING POINT
Find the center points of two opposite walls. Stretch a string line between them, chalk it and snap a line across the floor.
Repeat the procedure, but this time between the other two walls. Where the two lines intersect is the exact center of the floor.
Dry-lay a row of tiles along the longest line from the center point to one wall. Adjust the other line if necessary
Lay a row of tiles along the other line from the center point and again adjust to avoid wastage or very narrow strips at the edges.
LAYING WHOLE TILES
- Use a notched spreader to apply adhesive to a quarter of the floor area, using the marked lines as a guide to the area to be covered.
- Place the first whole tile in the center right angle which has been coated with adhesive. Check that it aligns with the guidelines.
- Lay a row of tiles following the guidelines, treading each tile down gently but firmly to make sure it is securely bedded.
- Work across the floor until that quarter is covered with whole tiles. Then lay tiles on the other quarters of the floor area.
LAYING TILES IN AN ALCOVE
Place a tile over the glued tiles with its corner butting up against the baseboard and make a mark on the ‘wrong’ side at the correct distance
Repeat this procedure, this time to make a mark on the adjacent edge. Transfer the marks to the front of the tile and draw a line between them
Cut along the drawn line to give the required shape and then place the cut tile in position so it aligns properly with the whole tiles
Use the same techniques to cut the next tile. If there is a pipe against the wall, butt the tile up to it and mark where it’s to be cut.
Cut the triangular-shaped piece required to fill the gap between the two larger shaped pieces and fix this in position so that it butts right up against the baseboard.
To complete the job, cut the corner piece to shape and glue it in place. For economy, you can cut these smaller shaped pieces from any tiled offcuts which you may have available.
For some awkward shapes (eg, fitting tiles around an L-shape or in an alcove) you can mark out the pieces to be cut by placing a whole tile or tile offcut up against the baseboard and the tiles which are already in place and draw the required shape on it. Cork tiles are very sample to cut: all you need is a sharp knife and a straight edge to guide it; there is no risk of breakages as there may be with other tiles which are more difficult to cut, such as ceramic types.
Sealing tiles
If your tiles are the seal-after-laying type, you will have to sand the floor carefully, using a powered sander, to ensure the surface and joins are smooth. Dust carefully; you can wipe the tiles with a slightly damp cloth to remove excess dust but take care not to saturate the tiles. Leave them to dry and then seal them, using a brush or roller to apply
the sealer.
If you attach your applicator to a long handle, you can avoid bending or crawling on all fours; work from the furthermost corner, backwards to the door. Leave each coat to dry thoroughly, before applying the next one There will always be more than one coat of sealer but the exact number will depend on the type of wear to which the floor will be subjected.
Ideally, you should leave the sealer to dry for a few days before you walk on the floor, but if you have to use the room, sea! half the room at a time. Cover the unsealed part with brown paper so it can be walked on without damaging or marking the cork. When the sealed part is completely dry, you can seal the other half.
Don’t wash a new cork floor for at least 48 hours after laying and sealing; ideally it should be left for at least five days. It’s worth putting up with grubby marks for a few days rather than running the risk of moisture penetrating the flooring and reducing its useful life.
Care and maintenance
Once pre-sealed tiles are laid, or the unsealed type has been properly sealed, it will probably be unnecessary to do more than wipe over the floor with a damp mop or cloth to keep it clean. To remove grease or dirt, add a few drops of liquid detergent to the washing water; wipe over again with a cloth rinsed in clear water to remove any traces of detergent. If there are some particularly stubborn marks, made, for instance, by rubber-soled shoes, or paint or varnish spots, you should be able to remove them by rubbing gently with a little turpentine on a damp cloth.
An important point to remember when you are cleaning your cork floor is that you must take care not to overdampen the floor or the tiles may lift. Also, never use strong abrasive cleaners as these can damage the PVC wear layer.
If you like a fairly glossy surface or are worried about scratches on the floor, you can use an emulsion wax polish on top of the sealed tiles. However, never use a wax f’oor polish as the surface could become too slippery.
Sometimes a tile can become damaged. If the area which needs repair is small (a cigarette burn hole, for instance) you can fill it with shavings from a cork out of a bottle and reseal the tile. For more extensive damage, you should remove the tile carefully and replace it with a spare one, reseal if this tile is an unsealed type with the number of coats of sealer required to give it adequate protection