Amorim is THE LARGEST cork distributor in the world. They control as much as 75% of the world's cork supply. They manufacture many of the biggest names in cork (Wicander's anyone?). The Cork Wise line is their 'cheap and cheerful' line. The planks are thin (10mm if my memory serves) and the finish on the cork is rudimentary.

I would work with a higher grade product for the same price: icorkfloor.com

Thank you for your response! It’s very helpful. I put Sono in a rental condo but have had issues with random chipping (I noticed your helpful responses in SONO thread) as have others . I’m disappointed since I wanted a waterproof , wood looking , non pvc core flooring and thought SONO was it. I was looking into cork flooring for my house but have decided against it. I’m am looking into reward gemcore or stone Core X or Provenza.

What did you end up going with? I'm considering cork or natural linoleum for my house for a eco-friendly healthy option. But since it will go in a kitchen, with dogs and kids, I need something that will be water proof and fold up well.

Lara S, did you decide on the cork or the linoleum? I’m trying to decide between cork and SPC. Choosing a floor is hard!

After a lot of deliberation we decided to go with ceramic tile. I got some samples of the click tile Cork Wise and my husband pressed his finger nail into it easily and immediately said no. We have a 40 lbs dog and a toddler, so while I like the look and the cushion, it isn't the right option for our kitchen. If we needed new floor in our bedroom or den I would probably go with the cork. We were trying to save money thinking the click tile would be a similar installation cost as LVT, but in the end our tiler agreed to just put in tile floor for nearly the same cost as LVT.

hope that helps.

Uhhhmmmm Tile installation the same cost as LVT installation???? Oh dear. I've heard this type of thing before and it never works out well. It either impoverishes the flooring installer to the point of personal bankruptcy (sigh...so sad) or it causes HORRIBLE issues with the tile (can be inside of a few weeks). Or it causes BOTH...and then you are in REAL trouble.

Labour to install floating vinyl = $3.50/sf.

Labour to install cork floating floor = $3.00/sf

Labour to install tile: $12 - $15/sf

Be VERY afraid of anyone who says they can lay porcelain/ceramic/cement/stone tile for $3.50/sf.

I don't mean to insult you, but I do want to warn you. You could be forcing your installer to walk away from this job...leaving you in a lurch. We've seen it sooo many times. Please offer to pay more than $5/sf for labour. Try to get to $10/sf for your and his comfort.

Please. You owe it to your tile floor to pay the right amount for labour.

STAY AWAY from Amorim cork flooring if your floor will experience direct sunlight and/or temperature fluctuations...here's what mine looks like at 2 pm every day--it pops up about 3 inches and then settles back down in the evening...I'm in west Sonoma county California (80H/40L) and yes, my installer left the standard 1/4" gap under the baseboards...I filed a claim, sent pictures, pulled out the trim to show the 1/4" gap, etc but no resolution...I'll probably end up paying to have it replaced and sue Amorin to try to recover the cost...DO NOT RECOMMEND

I'm sorry you have had this experience. The floor needs 1/2" around all vertical surfaces. A 1/4" isn't enough. There is something else going on here (not just the heat). A cork floating floor is dynamic but not THIS dynamic.

A cork floating floor (which is yours = standard stuff for me...I'm a cork flooring expert in Canada) can AND WILL expand one (1) FULL INCH over 25 linear feet of cork flooring. I HIGHLY recommend you get out a tape measurer and check out the LONGEST that includes this section.

I have seen WEIRD things happen when the continuous floor is TOO MUCH for the construction of the plank. But again, this is excessive. I have a HUGE suspicion this floor is being PINCHED underneath something. Like baseboards that are pinching down on the cork.

Did the installer REMOVE the baseboards, install the cork and then put the baseboards above the cork floor? Or did s/he try to 'wiggle' the cork underneath so that the effort/expense of removing the the baseboards?

Example: the LONGEST POSSIBLE RUN = 27 linear feet (regardless of how the plank is run). The continuous run includes 35 feet into a narrow pinch point (like down a hallway). Or the transition or expansion gaps are missing through doorways or in the field.

The ABOVE mentioned issues are INSTALLATION ERROR. The human who knocked them together made mistakes. And the company who sold them/made them are not responsible for the human error.

The other issue - which is directly related to HOME SETTING and therefore lies directly at the feet of the homeowner: wild heat fluctuations. Direct sunlight is not the issue. The HUGE temperature spikes are.

As the homeowner, you must take all steps to remedy this issue. If this were a vinyl floor, it would do the same. If this were a laminate floor it would probably do the same. If this were an engineered floor you would have issues very likely the same.

Something is going on and it is 99% likely it is NOT the floor. The HEAT needs to be reduced on this floor in the afternoons. That's the easiest thing you can do right now. I suggest black out blinds.

Please load MORE PHOTOS of the rest of this floor installation. I can pick this thing apart from my sofa. I guarantee there is MORE than just 'bad floor' going on here.

Thanks for your reply! Can you please provide me with a copy of the "installation instructions" you speak of? The paperwork that came in the box did not specify 1/2" gap nor max 27' run...I would also like to be directed to where, in the Amorin marketing material, they warn that their product is not appropriate for use in certain climates (i.e. over a certain temperature)...

Room is rectangular, >40' long (no pinch) baseboards are brand new, installed AFTER and ABOVE the planks...Black out blinds are not an option, I DIDN'T PURCHASE A HOUSE WITH A VIEW TO BLACK OUT THE VIEW...

SO my bad, I got sold a product that will not work for me because my house is too big and gets too hot..SMH...hopefully others will read this and not make the same mistake...

You can find the installation instructions on the Amorim website. The warranty will indicate homeowner requirements. The window glass on the doors/windows can be changed out to high-UV blocking units. That will drop the temps. Indoor living conditions are listed in the NWFA Wood flooring hand book. These are set. They are recognised as standard across the building industry.

A glue down floor is better for these large spaces. There are very few floating floors that can handle 40' x 40'. That's 1600sf! That's huge. Like commercial size big. There's a reason why large spaces in commercial spaces receive permanent flooring....like glue down floors.

The heat the Windows is your responsibility to control. No flooring company will look at a flooring the sunlight pooling on the floor reaches MORE than 85F or hotter. Get yourself an outdoor thermometer to sit on your floor at 2pm. I'm going to guess it will be closer to 100F than to 80F.

If you choose to ignore the house's faults, that's your choice and your right. Just know what the limitations are when you choose items to install.

Who installed the floor?

I'm an independent cork flooring expert. I know it. I live it. I understand it. I know flooring. The floating flooring is not ideal for anything with 40ft run. A glue down option would have been better.

If you replace this with another FLOATING floor...you will have to make corrections to the windows. The windows allow heat. The heat causes severe damage to MANY floating floors. The installers are not responsible for this. The manufacturer is not responsible for this. The home's owner is 100% responsible for the windows and the intense heat that occurs.

If you do not want to change the windows...then I recommend porcelain tile.

update: i hired and expert to do a forensic analysis (in person, not from his couch) at my own expense…he determined the installation was done correctly, the Amorin Wise floating cork flooring marerial had failed (not just near the windows, there is “cupping” throughout) and its my fault for choosing the wrong material/method (he said it may have had a chance if it were glued down)…so again, buyer beware: If your space is large, do not install Amorin floating cork flooring. If your space receives direct sunlight, do not install Amorin floating cork flooring.

Do NOT BUY AMORIM CORK FLOORING. I have a new high end kitchen remodel and the floor is failing after 3 months. At first it got nicks, dents and scratches. I sent pictures to the manufacturer who refused to pay for an inspection. Now, with only using Bona for cleaning the texture is coming off. In addition, the planks are starting to separate. When the finish started to come off, I sent more pictures to Amorim and they again refused to pay for an inspection. Not only is their product poor, but their lack of follow-up is unacceptable.

I am considering cork floating planks from icorkfloor for bedrooms. However, I would like to know if the 'real wood'or thr other 'design' flooring would be best in an area where humidity levels fluctuate? I am using an installer but are there any special instructions?

I had Amorim Wise flooring installed and 14 days later the floor begin to peak at the seams. So it looks really bad now. I'm so disappointed. It was really beautiful at first. I can't recommend this flooring. I waited so long for a non-toxic flooring and I was so thrilled and now I'm really upset because I do not have the financial means to take up the flooring and put new. So I have to live with that every day now and pray that it doesn't get any worse

I am looking at installing Amorim Cork in the wood like Sprucewood style in a 4 season room with a concrete slab floor in Iowa. The room is 17' 6" x 10' 3". SJ Mcarthy - in your expert opinion, would it be wise to use this floating floor on a electric grid radiant heat system & would it work, without cupping/pinching that size of an area leaving a 1/2" installation gap with new baseboards installed on after the flooring install & on top of this flooring. The outside temps fluctuate here, currently 9 degrees Fahrenheit but has recently been -19 overnight to temps in the high 90s in the summer. Sunlight is mainly indirect as there are several large shade trees surrounding this area of the yard in this area. Help!