Cork flooring has been a popular choice for flooring for decades, although its popularity has waned in recent years. However, cork flooring is experiencing something of a renaissance, and sales have recently begun to rise as more people begin to see the benefits of adding cork flooring to their homes. Some of the benefits of cork flooring include the fact that it is a hard-wearing and durable material that is also warm and quiet underfoot, as well as coming in a range of beautiful styles. Another major benefit is that it is fairly easy to install without the need to hire a floor installation specialist.
Preparing the Subfloor
Before you even attempt to install a cork floor, you need to make sure that the subfloor is clean, even and free from holes, lumps and cracks. If your floor has any of these, or is uneven, you need to fill in the holes and gaps with a patching compound. As soon as you have done this, you will need to wait for the compound to set, before smoothing it and removing any excess. Only once you know that the subfloor is clean and smooth, should you attempt to begin installing the cork flooring.
Adhesive
Once you are ready to install the flooring, you will need to apply the adhesive, and there are two types of adhesive that you can use, and these are mastic and contact cement. The major difference is that with mastic, there is still time to move the tile before it forms a permanent bond, but with contact cement, the tile will stick pretty much straight away, so it is important that you get it in the right position straight away.
Laying the Tiles
Once you have placed the first few tiles down, positioning the rest of them will be much easier because you can just butt them against the existing tiles, and once down, you should endeavor to tap the tiles with a rubber mallet to make sure that they bond with the adhesive. You can also hire a heavy floor roller that will help to add extra pressure on to the finished floor to help it bond.
Hopefully, this article has gone some way to explaining some of the fundamentals of installing cork flooring, and so long as you are careful and do not rush the task, you will soon be enjoying all of the benefits that cork flooring has to offer.