Hi Jessbricht. If you tell me the name of the manufacturer I can help (a little bit) with your question. In general, cork should not have a "smell" to it. If anything it should smell like freshly cut wood. The binders and the finish will have plenty to do with "smell" which may or may not have anything to do with VOC/off-gassing. Something that is smelly isn't always full of VOCs and some VOCs are ordourless.

I'm fairly well versed in other cork flooring products. I know where to look when it comes to "smell". Some importers (big box stores, LL, etc) will cheap out and go with low-end producers that use low-end (yet legal) binders.

Hey there. I just googled "cork floor smell" and came across this thread. We just installed cork manufactured by EZ Cork Plus and the smell is unbearable. I'd love any advice you have to give. Thanks so much.

Thanks so much. Very informative.

We live in Saskatchewan so the U.S. Rules you mentioned don't apply for us.

We bought it at End of the Roll. The flooring came from goodfellowinc, it is ez cork plus. It has two ceramic finish layers and an hrf varnish topcoat. The underlay is not the issue (only calls for vapour barrier and just standard vapour barrier was used. The loose planks still stink after four days.

Cork flooring should not off gas weeks after. I've installed a fair bit. The cheaper the quality the more it off gasses in most cases. It's most likely the hdf core that your smelling indicative of very low quality. End of the roll buys 'shit ends' and resells them. They are below retail. Buckwolds is the main distributor in sask. Cancork will also ship canada wide.

Hi Bonnie...I'm in Vancouver BC...so I know exactly where you are. The "4 days" isn't long enough to see if they will "air out". I would look to letting them "out of the box" for 2 weeks. If it still "stinks" then you have a real issue.

Open one box and remove the planks and fan them out for 7-14 days (do not stack them...let's give them as much air as we can). If you feel it still stinks then try to return it. End of the Roll should have a return policy (I've sold my cork to EotR in Surrey and Vancouver enough times to KNOW they have a return policy).

The ez cork HRF is one of the "big boy" of finishes. It is a ceramic infused URETHANE finish. Low-end urethanes can have odour issues. This is nothing new. This is normal for urethane. Try spreading out these loose planks and letting them sit for another week or two.

If EotR won't return it...relax...it has a "street value". Sell it on C-list or kijiji (you can be $3-$4/sf on these platforms) and check out my cork that doesn't have any of those "issues".

Google "Forna Cork flooring" and you will find all of my websites. We do NOT carry a ceramic finish as a factory finish...but I can offer a site-application that you apply afterwards that BUILDS A CERAMIC FINISH...for $0.60/sf extra. My floors start at $2.49/sf (Canadian) and move up to $4.59/sf (printed cork).

Give the airing out another week and then decide. Talk to End of The Roll about returns...and then decide. Sign up for some of our FREE cork samples...and then decide.

Hi, We are also in Saskatchewan and are highly considering replacing some carpet with cork, but since we've come across this thread we're a little bit concerned - we were thinking of going with EZ Cork/EZ Cork Plus as well (the only other option here around that price range is Nordic by Wicanders and it doesn't have the ceramic wear layer). Has the smell of the EZ Cork gone away? Have any other issues popped up with it?

Hi tracionera, you didn't ask about it but FYI, I have Wicanders Identity and I love it. There was never a smell.

@Tracionera...Cancork Floor Inc is a Canadian cork flooring company out on the west coast of BC. Look us up www.corkfloorsales.com . The "in the price range" is an interesting way to go about it.

Wicanders high-end stuff starts around $15/sf. Their mid-range stuff sells for $12/sf and the entry level (polyurethane finish) is around $7-$9/sf.

Did you know you can BUILD yourself that heavy finish? If you add 2 coats of a high-end polyurethane (Loba 2K Supra AT ceramic infused polyurethane) you can MAKE your own wear resistant floor. Yup...all for $0.60/sf (each coat = $0.30/sf...two coats = $0.60/sf).

And what they don't tell you about these tough factory finishes is: they need polishing/waxing throughout their life time.

Anyhoooo. Give us a boo. Remember: we can CREATE that same heavy wear finish for just $0.60/sf to the purchase price of the cork! That means you get to be into the same range as Wicanders for about 1/2 the price.

And EZ Cork continues to make their planks the same way as they did when this thread started. That means the smell isn't going to get any better. Did you get samples? You might want to buy 1 box and bring it home. That way you KNOW what you are getting into before you lay down thousands of dollars for a floor.

Supra AT ceramic is extremely awesome finish!!!!

I just installed a cork floor (Natural Floors by USFloors 11.81-in Natural Cork Hardwood Flooring) purchased at Lowes, and I am still smelling it. Does this go away? Is this a problem product? I did not glue it down, and I di not use any sealers on it. thanks for any help.

Hi Kate...USFloors sells their cork finished with the Endura AR UV cured Aluminium Oxide finish (which is what Lowe's is carrying). The finish is tough, but it is also produced using lower-end chemicals. The Aluminum Oxide in the finish is what makes it "tough", while the AR side of things indicates an "Acrylic Resin" - which in the world of finishing is a lower end product. The two put together (cheap + tough) make this a scratch resistant finish...that can have issues with odour.

The Corkloc system is a system used by the Amorim group of companies. This is the world's largest cork conglomerate and they hold close to 75% of the world's cork product/sourcing. They own dozens of smaller manufacturers (it "sounds" like a different company...but they are all "one"), the most notable being Wicanders.

Some of these producers will "seal" the edges of the cork plank to prevent damage from moisture intrusion (spills on the floor). This is a waxy substance that is added to the HDF core. Some people find the smell from this offensive, especially if the company is using "cheap" additives to reduce production costs. I cannot find if the USFloors Natural Cork uses the edge sealant...they do not indicate it on their data sheets but this edge treatment is common with planks that cannot be refinished/resurfaced due to the "tough" factory finish - like yours.

I'm sorry this has happened. I've heard that the smell can take some weeks to dissipate. The only way to speed this up was to open all the boxes and let them acclimate for a week or two prior to install. That may have lessened the smell at time of install.

As far as I can tell, this being a European product, the smell will not have harmful VOC content. It is simply an annoyance that needs to be over come. Good luck. Open the windows and let us know how long it took before the smell is gone.

Thank you for the information. Luckily this is in a 3-season sun room so I am gong to leave the sliders open for a couple of weeks and see if I can dissipate the smell. I will be very sad if it doesn't go away. I love the look of the cork.

As much as I don't want to spend any more money, is there another cork product that you would recommend that may not have the odor, and is very durable? thanks.

The top two cork producers, Torlys and Wicanders, both produce this tough finish. And do NOT have any form of smell associated with them. They will double or triple your purchase costs.

Forna cork floors can be site finished with a HIGH end polyurethane that has a ceramic infusion = as tough as the Endure AR. Should be roughly the same price (or a snick more expensive) than Lowe's (but MUCH less expensive than the top finishes from T. and W).

In a three season room, please be aware that your floor will have a limited lifespan. The first few years will be "OK", but after that, some weird things are going to happen. NEVER let your floor get wet!!!!! I've seen USFloors cork fall apart after an hour or rain. Be VERY VERY VERY careful with those floors in that space (re: rain/wet).

With the level of construction of USFloors Natural Cork, I would expect you will get 5-7 years out of the floors and then you will need new flooring. This is roughly the lifespan of a cork floating floor in a full bathroom or a laminate floor in a kitchen.

I'm sorry but the cork floor requires "indoor" living conditions at all times. I hope the people at Lowe's explained this to you. I would expect the fading that cork is famous for (all cork does this...not just the USFloors cork) in a 3 season room will be very quick. You may want to expose the floor for a few weeks (no furniture/rugs/etc) to let it fade evenly.

Good luck. Opening the sliders (when the weather permits), will move this right along.

This is great advice, thank you. I knew the fading would be a potential issue and I don't care. I will have a rug covering much of it anyway. But it is good to know that it might only have 5-7 years, so at least when it starts failing I won't be surprised. I don't expect to have water in there, as I have good sliders, but there is always the possibility of one being theft open and rain coming in. Next time around I will choose a higher end product. I needed something in 24 hours and I just went with what I could get, and I admit it was not that expensive.

Fair enough. The 3 season room poses many problems for homeowners and flooring products alike. Finding something that will put up with unheated winter season that matches a homeonwer's aesthetics is very tough.

Good luck with your cork....if you add heat in the winter, your floor could last longer. Maintaining 15 C (60 F) throughout the winter in could stretch the lifespan a few years longer.

Cancork Floor Inc. - we just purchased the "Everglade Oak - Cork Canvas, Cork Canvas Collection by USFloors." didn't realize it would have an odor and it seems it does. It has been a little over two months. How much longer will it last and is it toxic? It is my children's playroom and I purchased to have the safest flooring possible for them and now I am concerned.

HELP!! We recently installed 1000 sq. feet Core Tech LVP City Line 5" in Brockport Oak. It was laid in my basement on top of dry concrete, with a thin plastic vapor barrier. At first, I thought it was a sewage smell, now I think it may be the floor? We purchased from bestlaminate.com and now I am concerned this was a very bad idea. I'm looking online for reviews and such. Anyone know if this is a major problem?

Will the urine smell come out of a cork floor?