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mish_elle11

Amorim Cork flooring?

4 years ago

I have been looking for non toxic flooring options for my bedrooms and family room. I love in NJ, so the humidity levels vary, I’m on a slab, and I also have pets.
A green building store suggested Amorim cork flooring. However, I also have heavy exercise equipment. I was wondering if the flooring could withstand the weight.
I am also concerned about what would happen if a pet had an accident- would it discolor?
I was told that individual pieces can be replaced, if necessary but I’m not sure exactly how that’s possible without removing baseboards or adjacent pieces of flooring.
I’m trying to determine if this floor is a viable option.

Comments (18)

  • 4 years ago

    It’s the waterproof wood-look cork flooring that is sold by green building supply.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Ok....it's not cork. It's vinyl. The cork is the core. There is vinyl on the bottom. I've written about this in a few other threads.


    https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5932675/amorim-waterproof-cork-flooring-yes-or-no#n=23

  • 4 years ago

    I really didn’t want anything that contained vinyl. Are there any other cork floors that look like wood and can withstand the conditions I mentioned above?

  • 4 years ago

    According to Greenbuildingsupply, the product contains no vinyl. The waterproof nature is in the food grade plastic coating that is applied. It is, however, 7.3mm thick.

  • 4 years ago

    I noticed you also replied to someone’s question about installing Kahrs engineered wood. I’ve also been looking at that but I’m not sure what the difference is between all of the collections, as the prices vary a lot.
    I don’t intend to be in my current home forever. I’m hoping to sell within the next few years. So, I don’t want to go overboard.

  • 4 years ago

    Oh...boy. I'm not sure you understand what it is you are getting into. Technically the coating on top is 'not' vinyl...it is a super tough Polypropylene (feels like vinyl...but itsn't). Then there is a THIN cork core (please reread my posts about NO ONE ELSE in the cork UNIVERSE is making this click edge....NO ONE) is all that is holding this together. You will not 'feel' the cork because you are not STANDING on cork...you are standing on a fantastic layer of plastic (non-pvc does not mean 'natural').


    If you want to use this floor I HIGHLY recommend you GLUE THIS DOWN. Why? Because NO ONE ELSE (in the cork industry) believes these floors will work for any length of time.


    If you want cork, go for cork. If you want 'printed cork' then go with that. The traditional HDF core + cork on top and bottom = all anyone has needed since 1998.


    Please glue these down. Please. The glue will only cost $2/sf and the install will only go up by $2/sf. That's an extra $4/sf ON TOP of the $5/sf cork and the $2.50/sf install for cork.


    Or you can go with something like this:

    Cork Flooring 11mm Forna Floating Click Plnak (icorkfloor.com)


    They work out to be $4.39/sf and I GUARANTEE they work MUCH better than WISE.


    But if you must have water proof at least work with the stuff that is KNOWN to work = cork glue down floors: Vinyl Wood Flooring Cork - Silver Pine (icorkfloor.com)


    Did you know that a cork floating floor can be installed in a kitchen? The bathrooms are the ONLY place where WATER PROOF cork is required.


    I've just searched Wicander's website for this 'type' of product...and they (the inventors) DROPPED the line. Oh...Dear. This product was supposed to revolutionize the cork flooring industry. And yet here's Wicander's poor cousin (Amorim Cork) being given the crumbs of a failed experiment.


    Wicander's was selling this type of floor for $9+ per square foot. They no longer want anything to do with it so they handed the 'technology' off to their 'low-ball' cousin, Amorim and have moved on.


    Amorim sells this for $5/sf...makes you wonder why it's SOOOO cheap doesn't it?


    If this had worked, Wicander's would NOT have given up on the product. They would have continued with it. As it is, the Wicander's line only lasted 5 years (I first saw this 'up and coming' floor in 2016 from a Wicander's sales person/CEO Family Member presenting their line to our cork flooring company). Now it's gone. Hmmmm I guess everyone else in the cork business was right...the system doesn't work.


    It's your call.

  • 4 years ago

    What about Kahrs engineered wood?

  • 4 years ago

    Different category of flooring. You might want to start another thread. You will want to begin with what you are looking for and what you expect it to do and for how long you need it to do that.

  • 4 years ago

    I would install cork flooring in my home because I want an eco/friendly, non-toxic floor. However, I was thinking about my area and I know that it would not appeal to potential buyers. The homes here are older and generally, not very modern inside. Wood/eng hw is the standard here. That’s why I was considering the wood-look cork but I don’t want any polypropylene coatings or flimsy planks.

  • 4 years ago

    Cork is historically accurate for anything built around 1890 and younger.

  • 4 years ago

    By older, I mean 1970s.

  • 4 years ago

    Cork floors are HIGH END products. They rank as 'luxury' finishes. For that reason, they were (and are) reserved for high-end homes.


    A cork floating floor with the PHOTOgraph on the top (it's called printed cork) have the same low-voc profile as a traditional cork floating floor.


    Yes a floating floor has a fibreboard core....but these cores (High Density Fibreboard = HDF) are BETTER than the nasty engineered hardwood floors that are available for $6/sf or less. The European HDF ranks as E0 (best of the best of the best) or E1 (best of the best). The adhesives are 100% formaldehyde free.


    Cork uses 100% formaldehyde free adhesives and finishes. How do I know? Because 95% of all cork floors are sold in EUROPE. And EUROPE indoor air quality requirements are the toughest in the world.


    www.icorkfloor.com


    Their front page advertises 11mm Swiss Design Cork. Click on the photo. You will find PRINTED cork (traditional water based polyurethane out of Germany) with a photograph on the cork (direct printing = maintains SUPER low-VOC profile) = wood-look floor that is actually a cork floating floor.


    No PPE. No PVC...just cork floating flooring + VOC free printing ink. There you have it. All for $4.35/sf.

  • 4 years ago

    Thhe printed, floating cork on this site is coated with polypropylene. I’m on a slab, ao glue down would be difficult, especially after removing ceramic tiles.

  • 4 years ago

    That's the Fusion. The printed cork is different. You do not glue them down. You float them. You're on the wrong page.

  • 4 years ago

    For the cork flooring that looks like wood, the descriptions either state that a polyurethane coating is required after installation, or, that the flooring has a polypropylene-embossed finish.

  • 4 years ago

    Fusion = PPE finish (super tough; No VOC; No phthalates)

    Printed cork = polyurethane (traditional finish) which means it can be sealed after installation. The US market is EXTREMELY hard wearing on their floors. A cork floor can be thoroughly TRASHED inside of 5 years....IF PREVENTATIVE maintenance is NOT done at the beginning.


    So...you have the cork floating floor (click together) installed. You then clean the floors (water damp only); give them a snick of a rough up (light sanding) and then apply 2 coats of Loba 2K Supra AT. The VOC content in the Supra AT is SUPER low (100g/L or less). Super low...as in damn low!


    Now, you allow it to cure for 3-5 days and move in. Now you have one of the TOUGHEST floors on the market. Not just a tough CORK floor...but a TOUGH WOOD floor.


    There you go. You have CORK (check), you have wood-look (check), you have TOUGH (check), and you have extremely low VOC content (check and double check).


    Done like dinner. And once the floors are sealed, they are ready for plenty of spills in the kitchen and in entrance ways.

  • 4 years ago

    Got sidetracked. Thanks for all the info. I think I'm goig to use the Swiss Design in the bedrooms.

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