Anne at iCork Floor is a former colleague of mine. In your situation I prefer the Fusion options. I know. They do not come in the light gold you have found...but the WEAR SURFACE is OUTSTANDING! I mean - drop-dead-gorgeous-outstanding! Fusion is one of my favourites because of it's toughness (did I mention how tough this stuff is??). The NON-PVC surface (ie. NO VINYL = no off-gassing) of the FUSION is much much tougher than regular vinyl.

The rigid plank Fusion allows PLENTY of cork underlayment. In a regular 4 season climate the 6mm cork underlay is all you need.

The Design Cork is a photograph that is sitting DIRECTLY on the cork surface. It CAN BE DAMAGED. To STOP the damage, we (Anne and I...Anne specifically) ALWAYS recommend 2 coats of the Loba 2K Supra AT applied to the finish. That adds another $1.00 per square foot for MATERIALS plus another $1/sf for the application (unless you are happy applying it yourself = totally duable...and most homeowners do the best applications!...just sayin').

Or...you can skip the coating on the Design cork and work with the SUPER TOUGH fusion! And go with 6mm cork underlay unless you routinely see -40 F (or C) in winter.

So long as you have a heat source, the cork and cork underlay will STOP the concrete from pushing the cold into the room. Super easy...super fast. And fusion is super tough.

Get samples of both...and check them out.

SJ, thank you! Yes, I do prefer more traditional coloring but will take a look at fusion Ash and see how gray it gets.

We did refinish ourselves hardwood floors in the past so thinking we can do top coat.

The Loba 2K Supra AT is pretty easy to work with. You can add the toughness of the finish to the Design cork.

Any thoughts on how Cork would do with dogs? Not just nails but dribbles around the water bowl? Although we love our Plyboo Stiletto floors, they are no match for messy drinkers. I know LVP would solve the problem, but the more I consider it, the less it feels like the right choice.

Cork is 100% water proof. The champagne bottles removed from the Titanic were intact and the wine in the bottles was sweet (no salt water intrusion) because of the cork stoppers. The EDGES of a click floor need to be protected from moisture. You protect the edges by ADDING the 2 coats of Loba 2K Supra AT (assuming you choose a cork that allows the application).

The 2 coats ADDS physical scratch protection AND it deals the edges against large spills (1-2 gallons of water sitting on the cork for 48+ hours). It's as close to water proof surface as you can get without using glue down cork/porcelain tile.

I've helped with something like this more than a few dozen times. Only a flood (1" or more standing water from wall to wall, etc) will require removal/ replacement...like every other floor on the market...including porcelain.