I finally got the second picture to load. Thanks for the advice and the samples are from Green Building Supply. A link to the light wood color sample box is https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Sustainable-Samples-Box-Waterproof-Cork-Wood-Look-by-Amorim-Light

A link to the cork look sample box is https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/All-Products/Sustainable-Samples-Box-Waterproof-Cork-Cork-Look-by-Amorim

Thanks for the tips about orange and gray not working well together. That is the way I was leaning since I read about bringing balance between cool and warm colors but didn't dive into it deeper than that. My sister and daughter both feel like I should go with a neutral color. What colors would go with the walls I have? I will post another picture showing the ceiling which is mostly white.

In the world of design, neutral means "gray", "White", "Black", "beige". You currently have beige carpet. That mimics the natural colour of cork.

If you go white you will need to go SUPER white. Because you have HUGE amounts of wood, I would stay away from the 'wood print' look. To get a wood-look to work, you would have to paint your walls.

Again, the DARKNESS in your cabin is coming from the WALLS. If you get rid of the dark orange on the walls, you can have any colour/pattern you want. I know a lot of people (men especially but many women as well) REFUSE to paint/cover up natural wood grain. This is a choice. I get that. Many people love the look of natural wood in an orange oil based finish.

The choice to keep the look of deep orange on your walls is going to force you into interior choices that may not help you 'lighten up' the cabin. Just be 100% aware of what it means to keep the dark orange walls.

As for the Amorim Wood-wise flooring, it is a good product. The finish is the HRT finish. This is a finish that can never be refreshed nor refinished. That's great until you have problems. It is a 'plastic coating' (resin = plastic). it is not vinyl (they have a different line that is vinyl coated). It is relatively thick. I've been able to 'peel' the finish right off the plank. Yep. It can peel. Especially when it is heated above 85F (28 C) in direct sunlight. Steam cleaners can get the finish to peel after a years worth of use (steaming ever 2 weeks x 1 year = ruined cork/wood flooring).

Amorim states it helps reduce fade (traditional cork patterns). I would test that hypothesis. I would cover 1/2 plank in black plastic (ie. garbage bag) and leave the other side exposed. I would then stand the sample in one of your windows (not on the floor...standing on the sill for maximum exposure). I would choose the sunniest side to prove/disprove this claim as quickly as possible.

You should be able to see a colour change inside of 2 months (yep....months). The 'white' should get WHITER (which is fine...no one has ever complained of white floors getting whiter!). The deeper orange planks (again in the traditional cork pattern) should fade QUICKLY and severely. That's the one I would use as the 'fading sample'.

Now onto the structure of the cork flooring. It is a thin plank = 7.3mm thick. The 'core' is not described...which always makes me question what it is. There is NO WHERE on the website (I'm very good with Amorim ... I can check the English or the German language side and NO WHERE does it say what the centre core is. It just says what it ISN'T. Remember: the quality of the click system is DIRECTLY related to the THICKNESS and material of the 'core'. A thin core = a poor click system.

The click edge is the Valinge System 2G (2nd Generation). The 'big' name company, Wicanders (which is produced/owned by Amorim) is using the 5G system. That means the click edge is the lower priced product. Again, this might not be an issue, but it could be. It all depends on the core.

Please tell us if the cabin is full heated (15 C maintained 24/7) in the winter? How about cooling in the summer? Any A/C or ability to keep the cabin relatively cool and comfortable?

Thanks for the helpful information! I am hesitant to paint over the wood grain or the walls as you mentioned. I don't know why. My daughter talked me into painting over wood paneling at my mother's home and it came out great. This being a cabin though, I am not likely to paint over the wood. I also had the thought that going with a wood grain pattern on the floor would be too much wood. There weren't any colors in the cork patterns of the samples I received so I ended up favoring the light grey wood pattern in the photo.

Good advice about testing the fading of the cork samples. Glad you think it is a good product but that it can peel sounds distressing. Do you feel like the click systems could be a problem?

The cabin is not heated in the winter. I lock it up in the fall and don't come back until May most years. There is no cooling. It is in the woods so doesn't get too bad and open the windows at night to cool off.

The reps at Green Building Supply have been really positive on the product but would like to find some independent reviews. I was originally planning to go with the Wicanders cork, but the advice was that the waterproof cork would be a better choice given the cabin not being heated in winter. Do you have any suggestions of alternative flooring that would be easy to install, maintain and be non/low toxic? Thanks!

I did notice that the samples were on the thin side and thinking this would partially negate some of the benefit of having a soft to walk on cork floor. Your thoughts about surface colors not close to the underlying cork has me thinking maybe I should go with the cork pattern in the photo I posted.

From a design standpoint using the same floor in as many spaces as possible will help make your space look more cohesive. Your plank walls are already quite busy, the eye needs some calm spaces too.

I played with the room visualizer on the company website.

I can't speak to durabily or fading but I like these two with your walls.

Originals harmony

I'd add a cheery rug to brighten things up and define your seating space.

The thick finish HRT will protect the whites from chipping. The cork will want to expand and contract MIGHTILY. Here's the issue: cork MUST sit on something that LOVES to expand and contract as much as it does. Because I cannot tell what the centre core is, I cannot say whether or not the core can keep up with the cork.

That's why I asked if you heat the cabin throughout the winter. The cork WILL expand/contract MORE than you ever thought possible. That's fine when it is attached to a REGULAR HDF (fibreboard) core. Fibre board expands JUST AS MUCH as cork. They have a symbiotic relationship.

I'm not able to say whether or not the Amorim Wood-Wise will handle an environment that is NOT 100% controlled. I've spoken to the Portuguese manufacturers and they are a little dumb-founded by 'cabins' that are used 2 months a year and then left alone for the other 10. They understand HEAT but they don't understand heat of 40C AND freezing temps of -40C. They do NOT produce floors that handle those MASSIVE swings.

Please tell me: Is the cabin occupied 12 months per year? Are there stretches of time it is left unheated/unconditioned?

Thank you for posting the picture from the room visualizer. I didn't know there was such a tool and great way to see ahead of time what it will look like. I wil see if I can find and try different floor options.

Great information about cork expanding with and the relationship with the material it sits on. Thanks for digging into the temperature issues. I only use the cabin most years from intermittently from May til Oct. It sits empty and unheated/air conditioned for 10 months per year typically. I would think the interior temperatures don't get much below 20 deg F during the winter due to thermal lag but don't know that for a fact. Did Amorim give a temperature rating on their product?

I've put traditional cork floating flooring (11mm product on HDF) in a trapper's cabin in the Dakotas. The trapper uses it every couple of weeks in the winter (when he runs his trap lines). That was 7 years ago As far as I know the floor is still going. He also went with the lowest cost floor (cause he didn't want to waste money on a floor he didn't expect to last 5 years).

Only Amorim can tell you the temperature range. Traditionally the ADHESIVE is the temp limits. The Low VOC/No VOC adhesives out of Europe have difficulties with temp swings. If you assume 28F - 83F range you should be fine.

And to be clear...the HRT coating does NOT like to get too much heat. It has a limit (and it is the upper limit) of 83F. That's why I asked about the interior conditioning throughout the year.

If it were me (being a cork expert), I would work with a traditional cork floor (HDF core), in the lowest cost option possible. I would add 1-2 coats of polyurethane to the floor once it is installed and then leave it alone. Because it is so cost advantageous I wouldn't care if it died in 7 years.

The cost of the Amorim Wood-Wise should be quite hefty. I would be ROYALLY P!SSED if that died inside of 10 years (because I ruined it with temperature swings outside of warranty).

Thanks again for the information. I will check on the temperature rating of the Amorim floor to see if it can handle in the unheated/air conditioned environment. Do you know of any good brands I can look at in a traditional cork floor? I don't need anything fancy and would like to get a floor that I can refinish if with a clear coat if need be. Thanks!

Have a look at icorkfloor.com

The floating floor planks will do what you want. Anne, the sales person there, will have more information about the 'trappers cabin'. She's the one who sold the product to that customer. They still keep in touch.

Thanks for the tip about icork. I called and the person was very helpful. I put a sample order in for different colors in their 1/2" floating cork line. I didn't realize until I measured , but the Amorim product is close to 1/4" thick. I can tell it doesn't have the same cushioning under foot as what I would expect from a cork floor. The rep at icork suggested using their 1/2" cork underlayment for my application to give good thermal insulation in colder weather. They also recommended rolling a top coat of their polyurethane after laying the floor. It is supposed to expand at the same rate as the flooring planks so sounds like a good match for the floor. A link to it is

https://www.icorkfloor.com/store/product-category/water-based-polyurethane/

They also said that the icork flooring has more cork and less of a top coat than others which sounds good to me, I'd rather have more cork. Looking forward to getting the samples and any thoughts about what they suggested will be appreciated!

Yep...just as I taught her! But believe me, she has tremendous amounts of knowledge (the pupil has surpassed the master) in your situation. I too like the 1/2" cork for the thermal break. Just make sure you have clearance at all doorways and where else the floor gets to.

Your carpet is old and is probably very thin...it no longer sits 3/4". Be very careful to ensure you have the clearance for everything.

The samples will help. All you have to do is stack the cork on top of the underlay and slip it under a door. If it doesn't fit...I guess you know you will have to make a choice.

Thanks for pointing out about the door clearance. I check the 2 doors that would over the new cork floor and neither will clean with 1/2" cork and 1/2" cork underlayment. I am planning to go that way anyway and take the doors off the hinges and trim the bottom of the doors. The samples are on the way and excited to see them.