Is Cork Flooring Worth It After 3 Years? Pros & Cons Revealed!

[@cdb5001]

Had a cork floor installed in my kitchen in my old house. 6 years, no issues. It was perfect. Installed white cork in my living room in my current house. Sem problemas, would do it again and again. Cumprimentos.

[@MeetCarolas]

Thank you for the feedback ;) we love the cork had a lot of bad luck in our kitchen with water :(

[@stonedoliveees]

Love it, one of the best house choices made, if not the best decision...would do the same in the next move. Wood filler for any dents blends in super well. Over 15 years and still robust, any discrepancies, with usual natural "wear and tear" seem to be 'more forgiving on the eye" with this substrate which gives it an extended longevity than if the floor was plain, carpeted and no pattern. 🙏

[@MeetCarolas]

Lovely! Thank you for sharing

[@MrBeat1969]

Thanks for the informative video. Blaming the cork floor for not holding up to 7 times kitchen flooding is a bit silly. Any organic floor would have issues with that.

[@MeetCarolas]

My bad if it came across that I blame it on the floor. That was not my intention, we love the floor just had bad luck with our kitchen water issue.

[@MrBeat1969]

@MeetCarolas Sorry about the bad luck. Hope the floor continues serving. Have a good year.

[@MeetCarolas]

Thank you! Happy new year!

[@Troy_Kelly]

I really enjoyed your video on cork flooring! It's great to hear about your experience after three years. I completely agree with you about the comfort-walking on cork is like a dream, especially during the colder months. I installed cork floors in my living room and found them really warm and cozy. However, I also faced similar flooding issues in my kitchen, which was frustrating. We had a leak under the sink that caused damage despite using mats and sealing properly. I noticed some dark spots too, so I can relate to what you described. For anyone considering cork, I recommend keeping a close eye on moisture-prone areas. After a year, I ended up replacing a section in the kitchen with vinyl planks that are more waterproof, and it has held up much better. Thanks for sharing your insights! It’s always helpful to hear real stories from fellow homeowners. Looking forward to more updates on your renovations!

[@MeetCarolas]

@pepdealc192268 Thank you for your lovely comment! your feedback is key for us to know if this type of content resonates ;) glad it does and its helpful!

[@handlethehandle7]

@@Troy_Kelly thank you. Yup washing up area gets wet. Your idea is great.

[@handlethehandle7]

Yes plz info about the aluminium underlay.

[@handlethehandle7]

I'm laying cork tiles in my kitchen..will look for some resin to put on top. Tx for your nice mini vid =)

[@MeetCarolas]

Sure :) we bought this www.spacereflex.com/en/produto/thermal-insulation/pro-db-thermal-roofs/ it seems they know have an upgrade with is thermal and acoustic version of it. What is the resin you will put on top?

[@handlethehandle7]

@MeetCarolas not sure...there was a comment which said it was a good idea. I might ceramic tile under cupboards as this is such valuable cool storage space.

[@ToxicVaccines_HivHoax]

A considerable number of houses in Australia have cork flooring. And it is extremely resistant to water damage. The reason for the resistance to water is a thick clear resin that is poured on top of the cork flooring when it is installed. The dried resin forms a thick waterproof barier on top of the cork flooring wich makes the floor waterproof also. Did you pour resin on top of your floor in the kitchen?

[@MeetCarolas]

We were not aware of this resin treatment you could do. Thank you for sharing will keep it in mind for the next installation of these floor

[@handlethehandle7]

@@ToxicVaccines_HivHoax Hiya toxicvax ... great name .. what sort of resin did you use? Brand name?

[@CK1000ism]

What replacement are you considering?

[@MeetCarolas]

We love the brand Wicanders floor, probably will go toward an OAK floor type. We've used Wicanders in the past and after many years the floor still looks amazing! Our only complain is the price.. since we first bought it in 2016 its has gone quite a bit in price but is superb material. Here is the link - www.wicanders.pt/produtos/wood/bionatural-xl/dakota-oak-1409

[@beverlynmendez1348]

Great video, would love to know the name of the material you installed under your floors. Thanks!

[@MeetCarolas]

Thank you! :) we bought this www.spacereflex.com/en/produto/thermal-insulation/pro-db-thermal-roofs/ it seems they know have an upgrade with is thermal and acoustic version of it.

[@PrestonFoster-c9f]

Am I correct; the damage in the kitchen was the result of plumbing and not at all due to cork. Any flooring product would have been damaged yeah?

[@MeetCarolas]

Correct, we had extremely back luck in the kitchen

[@bugsymillar8402]

I laid a cork floor in my bathroom back in 2000 which I stained and varnished. It was only in 2022 that I sanded off the varnish, which was showing signs of wear. I re-stained & re-varnished the floor and it looked as good as new. Cork is environmentally friendly, highly water resistant, anti bacterial, lightweight, very slow to burn, as well as being an acoustic, thermal, and impact insulator. I now have a new home and when refurbishment starts ........ all of my floors will be cork. FYI #1 cork is used as a thermal insulator in the nose cones of space rockets for all of the reasons I noted above. FYI #2 not only is cork used internally, & externally, as house insulation but an actual house has also been built of cork. It is in Windsor, Berkshire, UK. It is also used to many toys, furniture, sports gear, in the construction of shoes ...... and has even been turned into fabric to make clothes. I think it is amazing stuff. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXyuqYGAr96gfpI

[@MeetCarolas]

@bugsymillar8402 Thank you for your insights! Can you tell me what product you use staining and varnishing? we might need to do that to keep it lasting a long time ;)

[@bugsymillar8402]

@MeetCarolas Hi. I am in the UK so used a Colron wood dye. Some other brands here in the UK are Ronseal, and Liberon, but there are many more. As cork is the bark from the cork tree (i.e. it's wood) and product - adhesive, paint, dye/stain, varnish etc, can be used. Once I had finished staining the floor I then used 3 or 4 coating of a normal floor varnish. Just some brands here in the UK are Ronseal, Rustins, Fortress, but again, there are many more. I would suggest that if you want to dye the floor it would be helpful to get a sample of the cork and try out your chosen colour. When I applied mine the colour was lighter that I wanted so I did several coats of the dye and then, once dry, I did several coats of the (water based) floor varnish.

[@MeetCarolas]

@bugsymillar8402 Thank you for the insights! Much appreciated! will look in to those brands to give a layer of protection

[@SeaWead100]

Hi! I’m curious what product you laid under the cork. I see some cork manufacturers recommending an underlayment which is also cork so I’m interested in what yours is

[@MeetCarolas]

Sure :) we bought this www.spacereflex.com/en/produto/thermal-insulation/pro-db-thermal-roofs/ it seems they know have an upgrade with is thermal and acoustic version of it.

[@Solo50plus]

Love hearing details of the materials you are using in your renovations. Please keep sharing. Muito obrigada 🙏🏽😊

[@MeetCarolas]

Thank you Luise :) If all goes well we might be sharing soon an exciting renovation project ;)

[@deansmits006]

I was just looking at cork flooring, and it sounds like it's best for the living room and bedrooms. Tile or linoleum for bathroom and kitchen. Could you replace the affected pieces of cork flooring in your kitchen without doing the whole kitchen?

[@MeetCarolas]

We love the cork floor! even in our kitchen, we had the bad luck of several big leaks in our kitchen.. specially under the floor which accelerated the damage. There is folks that have cork in the kitchen with zero problems at all. Right now we aren't sure we can savage it yet. When we remove the affected pieces starting with the ones under the kitchen cabinets we will be able to assess if we can replace those with out redoing all floor. The main issue for us is the fact that we installed it continuously thru the kitchen, under the cabinets all the way to the open living room. Looking back at it wasn't the best approach but we learn from it ;)

[@CuriouslyCute]

Thanks! Looking into floors that absorb sound, hold up against kids, feel good barefoot, and are easy to clean.

[@MeetCarolas]

Happy to help! we love our cork floors! now in Winter is lovely the comfort

[@tomaszstarzZz]

hey hey, really curious what you will swap for

[@MeetCarolas]

We love the brand Wicanders floor, probably will go toward an OAK floor type. We've used Wicanders in the past and after many years the floor still looks amazing! Our only complain is the price.. since we first bought it in 2016 its has gone quite a bit in price but is superb material. Here is the link - www.wicanders.pt/produtos/wood/bionatural-xl/dakota-oak-1409