I had a friend who had a cork floor in her kitchen and she loved it. It's a forgiving material.

As to whether or not it should be a herringbone pattern, I think that might be a bit too much with the character of the cork.

And lastly you said:

I’m redoing my kitchen, hoping to be practical (two young kids) and as eco-friendly as reasonably possible. It will be a galley kitchen that leads from the dining room to the rear patio.

Does that mean everyone going in and out of the patio will be crossing your actual work zone? If so, have you considered posting your plan to see if there's a better layout and a safer one?

I agree posting a floor plan is always a good idea and IMO unless you have this same floor in the whole house I would look at something else for flooring and certainly not herringbone with those cabinets and that flooring which is already busy.

I’ve been hoping to do cork flooring in my master update, either that or the laundry room. I’ve had this pin saved.

Floor

Thanks, that’s great to know about the nature of the material! Would you happen to know whether it was the floating floor variety? And not adding my past question about the layout was an oversight, oops! That would have been helpful... https://www.houzz.com/discussions/best-use-of-extra-kitchen-space-dsvw-vd~5687744

But yes, I worry the herringbone might be just too complicated, for a questionable result, to be worth it.

If you want cork in a herringbone pattern, you need to look at cork tiles. I don’t know if Wicanders has cork tile, if they do it has a veneer. Other manufacturers such as Globus, APC and USFloors have cork tiles. Make sure it’s at least 1/4” thick and doesn’t have a veneer.

On the recent hgtv dream house they did a white cork floor in a large space. I was all set on a traditional color cork for my space, or a checkerboard pattern of two neutral tones, but after seeing the white cork I may go in that direction. It’s still interesting but brighter and easy to design around.

My SIL put a cork floor in their kitchen and loved it. I want to put it in my kitchen. (But changing just the floor opens a whole can of worms and, by necessity, becomes "if you give a mouse a cookie" syndrome.)

Thanks. Patricia, there is hardwood in the living/dining, but it has “character” (ie is beat up, has gaps, is who knows how old) that I could never match, nor do I want to replace all flooring in my house. Tile is okay... but cold and hard. I looked into marmoleum but unfortunately just don’t love the look.

Annette, that’s pretty amazing but might be too daring for me! It could grow on me though, just not sure about the extreme contrast. Then again, the more I look at it, the more I like it.

zsmith, thank you for the very specific information, that’s very helpful and just what I need to know on the pragmatic/logistical side.

Happy to help, Adelle. I went through this 5 years ago with my kitchen, and I wound up using one of APC’s traditional plank options. It’s been a really good floor.

Adelle I looked at your floor plan. How wide is your aisle in the kitchen? I ask because it still seems like it might not be enough room with people coming in and out of the back door.

A galley won’t have a wide enough central aisle to appreciate a herringbone pattern in a larger floor tile. Simple is always better when you have a smaller space. Which brings me to the choice of dark cabinets. Those can be quite the dramatic look, but they will require a bit more added lighting beyond the typical kitchen. Have you thought about your lighting plan yet?

Width depends on how small we can get the powder room to be, and how realistically narrow we can get the powder room door without being comical. I’m waiting to hear back on what’s actually doable now that the precise measurements are in. I would love 5 feet between countertops but I suspect it will have to be closer to 4. This is a very old townhouse, it just is what it is. The only non-negotiable for this whole project is the powder room. It’s the thing that started this project in the first place.

The cabinets... yes, they’re dark... the primary draw is the story behind them, but I also like the look. I have not discussed lighting in depth yet other than expressing my reluctance to go with recessed lighting, but I’ve already accepted that I will probably have to give in on that. My initial hesitation with cork is that so much of it looks orangey-brown, dark, and blotchy. I like the lighter ones though with a more linear pattern.

I put glue down cork floor tile in part of my basement. It looks beautiful but I admit we did not spend enough time and effort on floor prep. The concrete is from 1933 and has lots of pocksmarks and holes. We skimmed the entire floor but should have been more careful with the overall flatness and ground down some of the high spots. The condition would have been just fine for floating floor, but glue down does not hide any issues. The other issue we had was the tiles were low end and not perfectly consistent in size.

I love my cork floor and would do it again, just more carefully next time

. I would love 5 feet between countertops but I suspect it will have to be closer to 4.

That's an accident waiting to happen if you or someone is cooking and someone comes in from the outside or needs to get something out of the fridge.

My other concern is you say it's a very old townhouse. Does it have any interesting, classic features or have they been removed. If they are still there, I don't see that cabinet style working with the style of the house.

HGTV is known for ignoring the bones of a good house and doing whatever is the current trend, but that doesn't mean you need to do the same. Plus as Cooks mentioned, it will make your very narrow kitchen very dark.

I hear you on needing a powder room. Can you post your full floor plan?

The ONLY way to get a herring bone with cork is with a GLUE DOWN tile. Sorry but that's how the click systems work. As a former cork flooring professional (I sold it for 6.5 years and had the reputation as having the most knowledge this side of Portugal) I can tell you there is *almost no way to click together a floating cork floor as a herring bone. It can be done...but you have to trim off ALL the edges, slice the planks in half and in quarters and then GLUE them down....which still means you have a glue down floor.

Please believe me when I say the herring bone in a narrow galley kitchen is an expensive exercise in futility. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it is. I've seen many try - and every single one of them ended up crying their way through the install. And that was just the installer. The homeowners were beside themselves with unhappiness. Why? Because the COST far out weighed the outcome. And the fact that the install took 4 times longer than anticipated. And the look was....muddled. The herring bone pattern (in a glue down cork can be $12-$15/sf just for labour) was lost with the pattern/movement of the cork. It just doesn't work unless the cork tiles (glue down) have the ability to stretch their legs over 15 - 20 linear feet.

As for a cork floor in a kitchen, it is a great idea. Wicanders is THE name in cork. Be prepared to pay SERIOUS money for their product. Be aware that their LOWEST priced product has the polyurethane finish - which allows it to be refinished/site sealed for kitchens. This is the one you want. The higher-end finishes from Wicanders have VINYL on top (yes..you are stepping on VINYL) which means plenty of upkeep that no-one in the industry (ie. sales people) understand the upkeep (you will be blown away at how much upkeep the Wicanders 'high-end' vinyl finish requires).

I prefer a polyurethane finish. It can be site finish (a coat or two applied at the time of install to seal the seams and make it as water proof as possible to surface spills). It can be refreshed. It can be maintained over 20+ years if you are diligent.

If you are looking for a floor that has all of those possibilities, have a look at www.icorkfloor.com

You might find what you are looking for. And if the glue down tile (which are site finished = water proof to LARGE surface spills) is an option, iCork has a large selection.

https://www.prettyhandygirl.com/installing-cork-tile-flooring-in-the-kitchen/

Wouldn’t need to be two-toned like this...

With not even 60” in between the two cabinet runs, and using s standard 12x24 tiles, ^ would be more like it. That’s it for the room. Thst just looks like the big mistake that it is.

Thank you so much for all that information about cork flooring, SJ McCarthy. That is so helpful.

We installed a cork floor about 5 years ago in our kitchen using a visually similar product. Almada, US FLoors? Still love it today!

SJ McCarthy, maybe not what I would want to hear but definitely appreciated! Thanks for confirming that the click tile is a no go. I’m okay giving up the herringbone idea. I don’t want it badly enough for the cost, time, and hassle. I am very happy to see that so many people are happy with cork in general, though. From what I’ve read, I would feel more at ease with the glued version despite the risk of some unevenness. Too paranoid about water damage, and anyway, part of the appeal of cork is avoiding vinyl.

Mer03, thanks for sharing the photo. It‘s always so different comparing small samples/images with how they look on a larger scale.

As for the questions about the overall layout, I appreciate the interest as I realize it’s above and beyond flooring issues. I will try to sketch out the main floor tomorrow. But everyone who has come to look at the space agrees that really it’s the only place a powder room can go. I don’t want to philosophize too much about it, but I find sustainable design very compelling, and as we’re going with IKEA for cabinets anyway, I’ve become quite attached to the kungsbacka. We will look to incorporate a lot of light, definitely. We really are okay with the galley layout though. I used to work at a cafe with boiling water, hot coffee, heavy carafes, people pivoting quickly without warning, in a tighter space and way more people. Plus so many teeny tiny apartment rentals! The biggest irritation with what we have now is wasted space.

Agree with you, Adelle, on the vinyl clad cork. Kind of defeats the purpose, right? Plus it dents and dings like crazy because the cork core is soft and if the vinyl cracks or rips then it is permanently damaged. That's why I cautioned against a cork floor that has the pretty layer that's just a thin veneer, like Wicanders has. SMH about the "pro" recommendations for it. APC and USFloors have floating planks where the construction of the planks does not include that micro-thin veneer that Wicanders uses. This is why Wicanders has so many beautiful options vs. the limited selection of APC or USFloors. The Wicanders top layer is paper thin and subject to damage if you drop anything on the floor. And I believe this is where cork flooring gets a bad rep for being easily damaged.

Also, APC seals the edges on their floating planks to protect the MDF core from immediate damage by water spillage. I've had it in my kitchen for going on 5 years, and it has held up very nicely. It's been a really, really good floor. :)

I don't have much to contribute regarding the herringbone, but I did want to chime in about cork floors in kitchens... We installed a Wicanders floating cork floor in our kitchen 12 years ago, and it is by far our favorite part of the kitchen! We would do it again in a heartbeat, and plan to install it whenever we live.

I was recently talking with a flooring salesman and he mentioned that one needs to be sure to buy a high quality cork floor. They have been having lots of customer complaints about the cheaper cork lines.

Best of luck! You will love living with cork!

Nicole

I love the look of the APC cork, but can’t find a source for Canada, where I am. It looks like the main options are Cancork (which seems to be icork elsewhere), Wicanders, and DuroDesign. Anyway, I’m excited about cork now! The more traditional look is growing on me, too. Haven’t had the chance to sketch out my whole main floor. It was a long weekend here and was occupied by family.

DuroDesign is another good brand. They have just a few floating plank options, tho. The rest is all glue-down tile. Their customer service is incredibly helpful. Definitely reach out to them. Good luck with your decision! :)