the cork test: results
Three months ago we purchased a box of Vida cork flooring and installed a test piece in our bedroom. We soon moved the test area (3′ wide by 5′ long) to the kitchen to be sure it received not only paw traffic but foot traffic as well.
The results? We’re sold! It’s hard to tell from the photograph, but the cork has held up really well. Plus, it’s easy to clean and feels great underfoot.
The current plan is to install it in the future kitchen/dining area, but there has also been discussion of putting it over the oak floors in the future living/bedroom area as well. Because we will be opening up the floor plan quite a bit, we’re worried about transitions of materials between spaces. Would it look better if the flooring was the same throughout the “great room” area or should we try to keep a bit of the history of the house by keeping the oak floors (but maybe staining them a tad darker to better match the cork?). These are the type of quandaries that we still have to figure out and we may not make a decision until demo is complete and we can get a better sense of the new spaces.
But for now, we’re excited that the cork has passed the 3 month indurance test with flying colors and can’t wait to rid ourselves of the linoleum.*
[ * note - we love linoleum and think it's a great green product, but ours was not maintained properly over the years and is now a dry and brittle dirt sponge.]
I’ve never purchased cork flooring, but I’ve heard nothing but great things…
Kelly
Thanks for the cork floor update! We’ve been thinking about using cork in our kitchen remodel too.
As a warning to dog owners, although we did this test with our dog Bailey, he has huge paws, almost non existent claws, and doesn’t run in the house. He’s kind of lazy when he’s indoors. If you have a dog with small paws that is more active in the house you should do a “cork test” before committing to entire floor of cork.
Our neighbors put in a glue-down cork floor in their kitchen. In 12 months, their 100-pound puppy really did a number on it, but they suspect it is partially due to their inexperience (regarding the application process)
Hmm…it might have more to do with the type/quality of the finish. And lately we’ve been thinking that it’s more dependent on the type of dog rather than the size. (For instance, if we had a lab, I’d be a lot more worried.) But Bailey has big furry paws with thick pads so his nails don’t do as much damage as other breeds. Though we probably will have to cut back on throwing his ball in the house (or anything else that involves skidding!).
Glad to see that it held up well. It looks great and I hope to have it as an option at some point.
Thanks Shelley, good timing too – we have plans for another post on the specifics of cork (types, finishes, color, etc.) – we’ve learned a ton about it and thought we’d share our findings.
I know this is an old post (I’m reading back on your house re-do) but we’ve used cork in our houses…. and my parents used it in theirs. The cork my father installed over 30 years ago was replaced this past summer.. and not because it was worn out, simply because it didn’t ‘go’ with tnew kitchen redo. There’s still elements of the original cork in other areas of their house. We’ve used cork in our place… and I loved it. It’s soft to stand on, things don’t break when you drop onto cork… yet you can get so many different designs and styles… and it’s hardy. Good choice!!
Thanks Jacey, we’re installing ours next weekend! No more plywood floors!