Cork flooring help? pattern? colour? company??

3 years ago

I'm redoing my kitchen and would really like to do a floating cork floor. I have original oak floors (1950s house) in the living room next to the kitchen. My first choice would have been to have the original hardwood extend into the kitchen. I was crossing my fingers that by some miracle the oak floors were hidden by the subfloor under the ceramic tile that just came up. No such luck.

I know that I can't match the old hardwood and I do not want to replace what I have, or even refinish it as the wood floor is in good shape. So, I've decided on cork for the kitchen, hoping to compliment the rooms.

There are many properties about the cork floors that I like. What I'm having trouble with is deciding on what colour of cork to get and perhaps more importantly what brand. I live in Canada so the companies I think available to me are Cancork, DuroDesign and Jelinek. Full disclosure, I already have boxes of cork planks that I ordered from Jelinek. Sadly, now that I have the bigger planks (not just a tiny sample) I don't love the pattern and the colour isn't quite right for complimenting the wood floors in the adjacent room. So I'm cutting my losses and trying again -- just more cautiously this time.

Any suggestions? feedback? Should I give up on the cork idea and just go with some other material?

This picture shows a couple of planks of the cork floor I got on the hardwood of the living room.

Featured Answer

Fori

3 years ago

A floor team can match your floors--they won't have quite the patina as the originals but it's doable.

I like your take on the cork, though, and think the one you show is nice next to the oak. Something else to consider if you like a little squish to your floor is Marmoleum. They have some corky (and many not-at-all corky) colors that complement oak nicely. Natural linoleum probably wears a little better than cork and is definitely good in a kitchen.

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Comments (10)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Of course you can have the old floor matched you get the same wood same width or if not the same width this is not a big . Get the new floor unfinished and have it finished to match. I do not like cork floor it does not wear all that well without sealing often

In general, cork flooring can be stained by oil, dirt, and spills if not properly protected, so it is not the best floor to have in a kitchen. While cork has waterproof properties, they are not permanent – cork flooring must be sealed every 5 years to keep its waterproof characteristics.Mar
E Shef thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
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acm
3 years ago
Cork is nice to walk on. Do you have pets? Our cats apparently race away from the litter box after using it, and within a few years the cork was all scratched and marked and we had to replace it...
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
Cork is beautiful- I installed it for good friends in their bedroom wing years ago and it still looks brand new. In a kitchen… so much risk. Your existing oak is still readily available, install new oak perpendicular to what you have and stain it as close as possible. If you really want to have cork I prefer the glued down versus floating.
E Shef thanked HALLETT & Co.
PRO
DeWayne
3 years ago
Cork fades badly with light exposure is the big issue. And that is why a sunny room full of cork will be an entirely different color than a dark library full of cork.
kculbers
3 years ago
I agree to stick with the oak flooring; it is beautiful and very durable.
E Shef
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you everyone for the input! I really appreciate it. I think I'll investigate getting hardwood installed in the kitchen instead. I do have my worries about the wear and tear on a cork floor. I had short-listed marmoleum too, however, I couldn't find a nearby retailer where I could check out the colours etc.

Thanks again! :)
la_la Girl
3 years ago
there are online retailers who can send you a sample pack of marmoleum colors if you wanted to pursue it - your oak floors are lovely!
E Shef thanked la_la Girl
Cookie Montgomery
3 years ago
I had cork in the kitchen in my last house. I can't remember the name brand. I feel like it was 2 initals and a last name like J.W. Wixford. It was the greatest flooring ever. I lived in that house for 7 years and that flooring looked as great at the end of year 7 as it did when it was installed. I was so comfortable and easy to maintain. At least once a month I think about how much I miss that cork flooring.
E Shef thanked Cookie Montgomery
Kendrah
3 years ago
My parents have a floating cork floor in their kitchen and it is excellent on my back. Two years ago I tried to get it for my kitchen and so few people use it now the choices are very limited so we gave up. I think you will be really happy with extending the oak.
E Shef thanked Kendrah