See “Aloha” means both “Goodbye” and “Hello,” so… yeah… buh bye Hawaii and hello half-done cork floors. We’re back in Richmond (insert forced enthusiasm here – woot?) and we’re eager to tell you more about our trip. But we’re more eager to dive back into DIY and spill all the details about our big cork floor project that we started right before we left (about twenty four hours before we hopped on the plane actually). Oh and for those who didn’t drop in on us last week since our little vacation announcement, we actually did share two posts (along with a giveaway) while we were gone, so you can find those here and here.
We’re still recovering from jet lag (and from flying home on a red-eye with a toddler, haha – we’ll share more on that over on Young House Life at some point) but we’re very grateful for our little break to unplug and enjoy some sun and sand. So we’ll just update you on as much of the flooring as we’ve laid (and keep working the nights away until it’s done and we can do a full reveal post for ya!). Oh and we’ll write all about our HI adventures when we have time to sort through about two thousand photos and write all about it – hopefully by the end of this week. But back to the floors. We had originally hoped to completely finish the floors before we left. That was the plan…
We knew the photo crew would finish up on Friday the 17th after three full weeks of shooting in our house (we knew better than to try juggling book shoots + toddler + new floors, so we thought waiting until the book shooting wrapped was the best idea). So since we didn’t leave for Portland until early on Tuesday morning (the 21st) that meant we’d have Saturday and Sunday to install the floors while Clara napped/was in bed for the night. Then on Monday we’d pack, finish up/proofread all the posts for the following week that we’d share while in Portland, and get ready to leave on Tuesday am. Seemed perfect… ’til we realized on Friday night that we hadn’t let the cork boards acclimate OUT of their boxes for the recommended 48 hours. Cue the sound of a balloon deflating.
Yup, they had sat in the corner of our bedroom in their boxes for months (months!) since we purchased them in October from Lumber Liquidators on clearance. But we hadn’t taken them out to acclimate in all of that time. So sad. We just didn’t even think about it. So the above photo depicts the scene in our house on Saturday and Sunday while we literally waited for those guys to acclimate with bated breath. Nothing got installed over the entire weekend. It just sat there… acclimating (i.e. adjusting to the temperature of the house so any expansion or contracting would happen before putting them in place instead of after- which can make them buckle and warp).
The last minute wait-time did give us a couple of days to read up on the process, though. We’ve never installed a floor like this, so we referenced how-tos like this and this to get our heads in floor mode. Oh, and we were able to get some of the floor prepped in the meantime, like prying off all of the shoe molding around the room. Since ours is painted over, we used a razor to slice the paint so it would come off cleanly without peeling. With a floating floor you actually have to leave a gap around the edges (our cork packaging recommended a 5/16″ of an inch space) to give it room to expand or contract with changes in temperature. But when the shoe is reinstalled after the cork goes down it’ll cover that gap.
Another thing we had to do was trim the door molding to accommodate the new cork flooring. Since it’d be a pain in the behind to cut the floors perfectly around every groove in the molding, I learned how to cut a sliver out of the molding instead (so the cork floor could slide right under it for a seamless look). I used one of the techniques that I read about where you lay a hand saw flat against a piece of floor (and underlayment) as your guide and just saw away. Seemed kinda crazy…
…but it worked!
Once we had all of the shoe removed, the door moldings cut to accommodate the cork that will run under them, and all of the transitions pried up in the doorways, the floor was officially prepped. Oh yeah, and we gave it a good sweep too.
Then once the 48 hour acclimation time was up and the floors were cleaned, the next step was putting down the underlayment. This is the stuff that Lumber Liquidator’s recommended:
There was a slightly cheaper option, but that one wasn’t made from recycled material (boo) and it was slightly thicker (and we wanted the added floor height to be as minimal as possible since we had to float it over our existing flooring instead of removing the old vinyl due to the presence of an asbestos liner under it). Thankfully the cork is thin too, so when it’s all said and done the cork floor should only be able a quarter of an inch higher than the hardwoods around it, and with some nice smooth low-lying transitions it shouldn’t make for any annoying toe-stubbing or baby-tripping. We’ll keep you posted on dealing with those transitions as we get there.
Ok, so being that it was now Monday morning (i.e. less than 24 hours before we left on an 11 day business / pleasure trip), we were scrambling a bit – so our pictures aren’t as thorough as we’d like. We’ll do better as we finish up the floors this week (by taking a ton more photos) since we won’t be distracted by book photoshoots, cleaning, packing, and Portland-presentation-practicing. But here’s a pic that I snapped once we got the underlayment mostly down in one side of the room (it had a sticky strip on the back of it keep it in place). The underlayment doesn’t overlap itself, it is just laid in strips right next to each other and stuck to the floor with that sticky strip that runs down the side of it. Oh and you can see how I just used a regular scissors (not Sherry’s good scissors because I know what’s good for me) to cut out the underlayment that overlapped the stone fireplace surround (a box cutter also worked well).
To help with the actual floor installation, we bought this $16 kit from Home Depot. It came with spacers (to keep that recommended 5/16″ gap around the edge), as well as a pull bar and a tapping block. Those are both to help hammer the boards into place, but since you don’t want to hammer the board directly you use the block as a buffer (you hammer the block which slightly shifts the board so there’s not a big gap/seam). And the pull bar helps with the boards closest to the wall. I’ll take pics of these in action next time so this makes more sense. Promise.
The process was pretty slow going at first, mainly because almost all of our first few pieces required cuts. But at least it was good to get them out of the way.
Some of the instructions I read suggested cutting with a jigsaw, but I figured my table saw would make straighter cuts so I lugged it up to the carport to make my many (many) cuts more convenient. It worked really well.
Even after we got around the fireplace, we still had to cut the board at the start of each row (or “course” to use flooring lingo). We staggered each row/course because (1) it makes the whole floating floor stronger by offsetting the joints and (2) it makes it look more like a traditional hardwood floor. My boards were 36″ long, so we offset the courses by 12″ each. See the staggered edge below?
Even with those initial staggered cuts, it was pretty fast snapping in a whole row of whole pieces. In other words: cuts took a lot longer, and snapping whole pieces in was a breeze. I think all-in-all this whole section took us about five hours to do. We hoped to get more done in that time (our initial goal had been to finish the whole behind-the-peninsula section of the kitchen before leaving) but we got distracted by a morning snowstorm, a lunchtime wrap-up meeting with the book photographer, and eventually got caught up trying to pack for Portland and Hawaii (packing for ourselves took ten minutes, but packing for Clara took a little longer – and our flight was so early on Tuesday we couldn’t leave anything for that morning).
But as Sherry mentioned on Friday, having the floor started only makes it easier to get it finished this week. So our new goal is to have pictures of a completed floor by the end of the week (we’re actually gunning for finishing Wednesday night or very early Thursday morning so we can have the pics up on time for a Thursday morning post). We’ll be sure to take some time to snap better photos of the actual process too (imagine that!). Now that we’ve done around 30% of the floor (we’re doing the laundry room too) it shouldn’t be too hard. Wait, were those famous last words? We’ll just leave it at: we’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll get ‘er done!
What have you guys been up to lately? I’m not one to get all mushy, but we missed you guys last week. Any flooring projects going on? Do you like to leave the house perfectly clean before embarking on a big trip or start something and leave it half-done to greet you when you return?
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
So glad you guys are back! I didn’t know how to start my mornings last week without some YHL!
The flooring is coming together nicely! I’ve been busy getting my saint patrick’s day decorations up: http://mailboxjourney.com/2012/03/05/st-pattys-day-mantel-2012/
I typically like to have the apartment as clean and put together as possible before a trip, so I come home feeling relaxed knowing that everything is done and in order.
YoungHouseLove says
Looks festive! My due date was St Patrick’s Day (I was two days late though, so I was born on the 19th) so I have a soft spot in my heart for that holiday – even though I’m 0% Irish! Haha.
xo,
s
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
Aww. :)My birthday is the 10th, but I do have some Irish in me. Just a little though.
YoungHouseLove says
Woot! March birthdays unite!
xo,
s
Linda says
So, Shari, you were born on St. Joseph’s day – that’s a very big celebration in Chicago (as is St. Patrick’s day). I think it’s really a good day for you to share – I always think of St Joseph’s day as being very family oriented, very warm and sharing, and of course, St Joseph was a carpenter – probably pretty good at DIY.
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!!
xo,
s
KC says
Welcome home guys! You were certainly missed. Can’t wait to hear of your adventures. :)
annabelvita says
Hooray! You’re back! Floor looks great. I moved today, so I mainly packed all weekend.
Cna’t wait to hear more about Hawaiiiii.
Krystle @ ColorTransformedFamily says
I already love the flooring and can’t wait to see the finished product. Congratulations on having a fabulous vacation and break from the blog. It was well deserved.
Growing up I never understood why my mom always wanted us to have the house clean before we left on a trip. I find myself doing the same thing now though. It just makes things so much easier since we always bring back bags of clothes that need to be washed and other odds and ends that need to be put up.
Elizabeth says
Love it!
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
I’m so glad you all had a wonderful vacation! I can’t wait to hear some details & see some pictures about it (it’s been very cold up in NY so it’ll be refreshing to see some warm weather!).
Also, the floors are looking AMAZING so far and I can’t wait to see them finished. I still can’t get over how quick your kitchen reno went!
Deb says
Welcome back.
I can never sleep before a big trip so I’m absolutly a pre-departure cleaner, nothing worse than coming home all relaxed and looking at chores that await you. The come down from cooked breakfasts and room service is hard enough.
Lori says
Welcome home! We missed you :-) The floors are looking great so far! I can’t believe you started this right before your big trip, but you’re right that it makes it easier to finish. Good luck!
Jenn @My Southwestern Life says
YAY! You guys are back! haha I missed you so much while you were gone that I was going through the archives.
We are thinking about replacing the carpet in our house with vinyl flooring that looks like wood. I saw it in a friend’s house and was really impressed by how great it looks. We’re looking at Metro Flor. There’s a style we like a lot called Ashland Walnut.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that sounds cool! Send pics!
xo,
s
adriane Wacker says
Glad you had a good vacation! Can’t wait to see the floors!
Sydney says
I’ve never gotten to leave a first comment before! Glad you guys are back, missed all the daily posts! But I’m glad you all had a break, you deserved it!
Lizzy says
Welcome back!
The floors are looking great – you can see how much they are already warming up the space in those last few pics. They look awesome with the wall color as well!
Vanessa says
Oh, thank goodness you are back.
I’ve been going through a horrible YHL withdrawl. Bad shakes. The need to buy ceramic animals. Curling up in the fetal position and rocking back-and-forth mumbling – “I miss Sherry and John” and “Why do I have the urge to stencil?” over and over.
All kidding aside – glad you kids are back. The floors look AH-Mazing
Can we work on a YHL withdrawl patch or somethng in case you go away again?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re cracking us up. We missed you guys too!
xo,
s
Sandra T says
Vanessa, your post made me lol! I was a little surprised when John said in his last paragraph, “we missed you guys,” cause I felt like saying “really?? YOU MISSED US? From Hawaii, for crying out loud?” ha ha WE missed youse guys like carazzzzzy! And the floor is looking fabulous, and I can’t wait to see pics of Clara doing the hula and eating poi! (yuck poi) Also, before I go away on a trip,I make sure that my sheets are changed and the bathroom is clean! Those are the things I love most about hotels! :)
Julia @ Chris loves Julia says
I am so excited to see the floors done! …and to hear about your vaycay. I know first hand the hardship of a red eye with a toddler. The memory brought tears to my eyes. While you were gone, we got new flooring, too! Carpet, though. But we kinda feel like if we’re going to carpet a room, it should look like this:
http://chrislovesjulia.blogspot.com/2012/03/winterthur-carpet-ftw.html
We love it.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- it looks awesome!
xo,
s
Katie says
I think it is silly how much I missed the blog last week. I still checked every day just in case. I am really glad that you all took that time out for your family. Are your kitchen floors level? Would they have to be in order to install the floating floor on top?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, they recommend a completely flat and level surface to go over to keep things looking their best. Ours is pretty close to that, so we’ll let you know how it goes! So far, so good…
xo,
s
Ali N. says
How does cork flooring compare to laminate and hardwood as far as price? Is it somewhere in between? We just bought our first house last week (AAAAHH!!!!!) and it has some pretty nasty carpet upstairs that we’re looking to replace with a more pet-friendly (read: easy to clean) option.
YoungHouseLove says
I think it probably differs greatly depending on the quality/source but if you click back to the post in October about getting our cork (it’s linked in this post) it might shed some light on that. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
rhonda says
Yay you’re back :) Kinda weird how much I missed your posts last week, but so glad you took a vacation! Hawaii is definitely on our bucket list…can’t wait to hear all about your adventure! Welcome home!!!
Esther says
I really like your new floors!
We have been busy working on our entrance this last week, making it more pleasing to the eye, since it’s the first thing you see when you walk into our Den.
All the best with your floor laying and catching up on sleep.
Jackie says
Looks great! Are you planning to run these floors through the entire house someday?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually plan to refinish the rest of the wood flooring in the house to be the same color so it’s a seamless look without having to buy tons of new cork to lay (we love hardwoods too!).
xo,
s
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh says
Yet another post I’m bookmarking!! I can’t wait to hear about your HI adventures. We’re going on our 15th trip (Maui, Lanai & Big Island) and it never gets old. Hopefully we’ll be living there in the next 10-15 years!
Welcome home! Me ke aloha!
Jolleen Fahner says
Looking great! Lover the color!!
Don’t answer this if you plan to address this in a future post, but I NEED to know how you plan on trimming out the floor/fireplace hearth transition. We installed hardwoods (nearly two years ago!) in our living room, and the transition to the tile fireplace hearth is still not complete. Our floor boards intersect perpendicular (yours seem to run parallel), but still any ideas/tips you have would be great. Our wood flooring is oh-so-slightly higher than the tile (Even though in another area of the house, the same wood and the same tile are perfectly level in the transition, ergh!). We looked into the T molding that coordinates with the wood, but it just didn’t look good ;o(
I am at the point now where the only thing I can think of is actually re-doing the hearth with a stone slab that overlaps onto the wood a bit. So please share!
YoungHouseLove says
I think we planned to use the same method that was there originally (just some very small flat thin pieces of wood (painted white to match the white hearth) to create a little “frame/transition” – will share those details as we go for sure!
xo,
s
Allyn says
Pretty floors! Amazing what a difference they make.
SERIOUSLY hoping that hearing about your trip convinces my husband that we need to go visit his family in Hawaii sooner rather than later.
Katrina @ 'Sota is Sexy says
The floors are looking beautiful!
And welcome back! Glad you had a great time in Hawaii! It’s such a magical place :)
Brian says
There’s never been a more timely project going on at YHL!
The wife and I just bought 1100 SF of laminate flooring to finish out the carpet portion of our house to match the existing laminates.
So excited that you two will be a few weeks ahead of us, posting great How-To links, and sharing your personal tips and success.
Thanks guys!
Kim@superchyc says
We missed you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looking forward to HI pics. I’ve been wanting to take my Peanut there for a while (he loves volcanoes).
Emma says
with the help of my dad this weekend, i made an upholstered headboard for my bed! plus i am in the process of painting some lack side table to make them look less-ikea like :)
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! So exciting!
xo,
s
Brandy E says
I love the dark, wood, but marbling look of the cork! You said it was soft, is it absorbent? I was thinking about using it in my add on, but my daughter’s Chihuahua Tuba has a thing for peeing in the house no matter how much you take her out :( So I would not want to use it if it will suck the pee and smell up. But the fact that its is ‘soft’ make me want to use it for the add on even more, since it is also our kids playroom. But anyhow, do you think it would drink the pee up? Or is it waterproof? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, it’s sealed so it shouldn’t act like a total sponge or anything but it’s also not recommended for really wet rooms (like a full bath) since wetness sitting on it can warp/hurt it. It’s cool for kitchens and half bathrooms (without a tub) since small amounts of water aren’t supposed to be bad, and sealing it again once it’s down is a way to add even more durability so that’s our plan. I wonder if anyone with a pooch who leaves puddles could weigh in on how it does? My instinct is that cork and hardwood might soak up the smell over time since they’re just natural materials (like a wool carpet would) and something manufactured like vinyl or linoleum or faux-hardwood planks might be your best option.
xo,
s
Brandy E says
Thanks, I didnt know about the sealing! I think I will be looking into cork! Thanks guys!
Mandy says
Welcome back!!! You were definitely missed :)
I like to clean everything before we leave, that way when we come home, its just taking care of unpacking and laundry (or just throwing everything into the spare room to be tackled another day!)
SOOO excited to see the floors!
Alison says
Welcome back!! I went through some serious YHL withdrawal last week, but I’m so glad you finally went on a “real” vacation and unplugged! How was your Burger reunion? Did he go wild with excitement?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh it was amazing. He was so happy to see us! I worried he wouldn’t care (he loves his house sitters so much!) but he wagged all over the place and we were so happy to see him!
xo,
s
Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate says
I look forward to seeing the completed project, as I’m sure you do as well. ;-)
But give yourself a day or so to acclimate back to home, there’s no need to exhaust yourself over this project. Virginia to Hawaii is a *big* time difference.
Katy
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Katy! We’re happy to report that Clara is still sleeping (wahoo! sometimes the whole time difference thing rocks!) so working away this morning might be an option if the tapping and sawing doesn’t wake her up! If not, we’ll be sure to get through the whole day just writing posts and going through photos and will only get to work tonight after she’s back in bed. Thankfully after weeks full of photoshoots and folks in the house, just having the three of us here feels like a “break” already!
xo,
s
erica says
Looks good — we had new hardwood floors installed exactly a month ago (should have done it sooner though!) and used the same underlayment, it is good stuff. Everything looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad to hear it!
xo
s
Cathy says
They look great! We just finished painting our kitchen cabinets (Thank you for your lovely inspiration and information on that!) and after letting life settle down a bit we will be putting in laminate flooring on our fist floor. So yes, we are heading into a flooring project as well. I can’t wait to see how your flooring project ends up!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good luck!
xo,
s
Carissa says
Welcome back! Missed you guys last week!
Hope you had a great time!
I can’t wait to hear all about the floors. They look comfy already, too!
Confession: I had a dream last night that you blogged about painting your driveway…parts of if were in reflective paint and parts were hot pink. You used a giant picture frame as a stamp and made a design on the driveway using the frame…what’s sadder? Dreaming up this design or dreaming about your favorite bloggers? It’s a wash!
Oh, and HAVE to have the house immaculate before I leave for a trip. Nothing as wonderful as coming home to a cleaned up house! But that’s because it usually takes me a week to put away the luggage…
YoungHouseLove says
Bwahahahahaha, I love that dream. It really is very creative if you think about it – go Carissa! Haha.
xo,
s
Tara says
So glad you took a vacation (you 100% deserved it and it makes you seem more human…or alteast makes the rest of us feel less lazy in comparison. Hahaha).
This month’s “Style at Home” has a room with wallpaper almost identical to your office stencil (same colours and almost exact pattern). Also, they feature a kitchen with chairs/stools almost identical to your new kitchen ones. I live in Canada, so it’s the “Canada’s Style at Home”, but I wonder if the US version has it too? If not and your interested, I can scan and email the pics to you.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh we’d love to see it! Can you scan the pics and share them on our Facebook page? Sounds like an awesome mag!
xo,
s
Melissa @ HOUSEography says
I find that starting a project when you know you don’t have time to finish it is inspiring to get it all done! Very interested to see the final result. I think it may end up being one of your favorite things in the kitchen.
Nancy Powell says
Can’t wait to see your finished floors.
I HAVE to clean the house before I leave, or it seems to ruin the vacation fast by looking at a mess when I come home. Deflating, for sure.
Glad you all got a break…can’t wait to see pics!
Nancy
http://www.powellbrower.com/2012/03/quintessential-patina-style.html
Jimmy says
I used similar floating wood floors in my bathroom (with bamboo instead – as far as wood in the bathroom goes, they tend to hold up well against the moisture). ou can see pictures here: http://www.thebookofjimmy.com/hytte-posten-part-2/, as well as the rest of our renovation-in-process out in West Virginia.
I love this cork flooring though. Some family friends have it in their kitchen, and it is very comfortable underfoot – especially for people who spend a lot of time cooking. The family decided on cork because the dad/cook of the house has a bad back. So, healthier living for you guys – nice little added bonus.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- those floors (and that vanity) look amazing! And so glad to hear that your family friends are loving cork in their kitchen!
xo,
s
Rachel Tatem says
Lookin’ great!
Kelsey S. says
Looking good! This post is especially relevant to me since my husband and I just starting laying our new floating hardwood floor. It’s a pretty similar process, except we have to glue the tongue and groove together instead of snapping the boards into place–and we’re doing our entire house! I’m jealous of your comparatively small area. Maybe seeing your finished pics will keep us motivated to get it finished before we have to move in at the end of the month!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, good luck Kelsey!
xo,
s
Alanna says
it looks great! installing floors is a lot of work, but it makes such a HUGE difference once it’s all done!
thankfully, our flooring project has been done for months now. we installed new bamboo flooring throughout our house last summer. however, we didn’t go the floating floor route… we opted to do glue down which turned out to be so much more work than we’d bargained for. i’m not going to lie… installation totally sucked! but in the end the time spent and the money saved was totally worth it! you can read about that process here http://alanna-wendt-to-tennessee.blogspot.com/2011/06/installing-floors.html and here http://alanna-wendt-to-tennessee.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-floors.html
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- those look amazing! What a huge difference!
xo,
s
Laurie says
We are off to Disney Land for Spring Break next week so I have been doing some deep cleaning in anticipation. I must come home to a clean, orderly house. I stress more than is probably healthy at the thought of my house not being in order while I am gone. I do not do down time all that well so having the house sparkling clean before I leave makes it easier to come home and not dive right into more chores and ruin my vacation high. I probably need an intervention. Looking forward to seeing the completed floors and hearing more about Hawaii.
Jenn says
My husband and I just bought brand new flooring last weekend from Home Depot. After months of shopping and researching we finally settled on Pergo XP in a gorgeous hickory color. We’re starting the process this weekend, ripping out the existing carpet and we have to patch up/redo/add to our sub-par sub-floor. We’re doing our entire first floor, around 850 square feet. I can’t wait to see your post on the kitchen!
Dona says
While you were gone, I had to tear up the flooring in my laundry room to find a leak that the plumbers couldn’t detect. So today, they are here jack hammering my slab to locate the leak I knew was there.
Fortunately, after reading your blog on the demo of your kitchen/dining room wall, I was prepared for all the dust by taping off the doorway with heavy plastic and turning off the heating system and stuffing things under the doors. Otherwise, I would have just assumed the plumbers would have taken the proper precautions…..
I learn so much from your blogs. I missed you while you were gone. :) Glad you had some time to relax and renew.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man that stinks Dona! So glad you sealed off that doorway and prepped the space for that demo! Totally a lifesaver! Good luck with everything.
xo,
s
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
We’ve been painting and unpacking like crazy after our move a little over a week ago, but things are starting to come together. http://www.attemptsatdomestication.com/gettin-er-done/
I’m the type of person that has to have the house spotless before we can go on a trip or vacation. It stresses me out too much to know I’m coming home to a dirty house.
YoungHouseLove says
Congrats on your move! Looks like you’re getting tons done!
xo,
s
Ellen says
We refinished the floors in the nursery (pics in this major update post: http://www.kellyandellen.org/house/2012/02/nursery-updates/) and doing so got me all excited about ripping up the rest of the upstairs carpet…
Welcome back, by the way! I hope your vacation was restorative…
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous! What an amazing job!
xo,
s
Ashley M says
Missed you guys too! not to get all sappy and overly dramatic but you guys really help get me through my workdays at a job I don’t love so much. I look forward to your posts throughout the day and living vicariously through you!!! so thanks :) and good luck with the floor!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re sweet Ashley! We’re glad to be back!
xo,
s
Vidya @ Whats Ur Home Story says
Great to have you guys back and glad to hear that you had a nice break. Now this might be a dumb ? still what would happen if you don’t use the underlayment? Let’s say your floors were already level would you still need to use it?
YoungHouseLove says
Both the guys at Lumber Liquidators and the cork manufacturer recommended it (I think it even voided the floor’s warranty without it) so we went for it! It also makes things softer and deadens sound (so kids and shoes don’t clomp across it loudly) so it should be a nice little buffer under there to keep the floor durable, soft, and quiet underfoot.
xo,
s
Margoren says
For Lisbon cork you don’t need underlayment. However you do need a moisture barrier if installing over concrete. I have exactly the same cork floors, even color (Porto), I was told by LL the planks came with a cork underlayment (and they did!) The instructions from manufacturer do not recommend or require it (I just doubled check mine). Of course it does not hurt the floor if you want to add extra underlayment to the one included with the planks.
I just don’t want any one to panic if they think it will void their warranty if they did not lay extra underlayment.
You can also find here the answer to this question from LL customer service:
http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=5188#prPaContainerCKCLDI
We did not lay any extra underlayment, installed over plywood subfloor, and it is 100% noise free when walking (the original wood floors from 50 years ago make a lot of noise…) They are really soft and really quiet!
But again I am sure it does not hurt to lay extra especially if you need the extra thickness!
YoungHouseLove says
Great to know! Thanks for sharing Margoren!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Oh yes…trimming the door molding. We learned that the hard way for our first tiling job, the second time we took the trim off, cut it with the table saw then put it back up. Our hand sawing job the first time just seemed too ragged.
Laura says
So glad you guys are back! It was slim pickin’s last week trying to find reading material when you’re-at-work-but-really-just-need-a-mental-break-even-though-you-know-you-should-be-working.
Floors look great! Can’t wait to see more!
Hubby and I are going out of town at the end of the week to Amelia Island. So we’re busting it over the next couple of days so we can come back to a perfectly clean house after a nice 3 day vacation at the beach. So excited! =)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw have fun Laura! We missed you guys too!
xo,
s
Lisa@wanderdownpennylane says
I’m so interested to see how your floors come out…especially since we are researching flooring options for our house.
We are working on re grouting our shower. We used your older bathroom renovation as one of our references so thanks!
http://wanderdownpennylane.blogspot.com/2012/03/bathroom-refresh.html
YoungHouseLove says
You’re welcome! And good luck!
xo,
s