Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 143 Comments

Why We Chose A Cork Floor

Cork Floor Started 1

Why? Because we’re crazy. And coming home to a partially-finished floor is our idea of a good time.

You think we’re kidding, but getting a jump on our cork floors by starting to lay them before we left for Portland/Hawaii wasn’t half bad. Heck, returning from paradise to the idea of finishing them and enjoying a rich, glorious mocha floor is downright titillating to nerds like us. They snap together and float over our old vinyl floors (which have an asbestos liner, so we followed safety recommendations and didn’t tear those up before laying the cork). And the floating aspect of our new snap-and-lock flooring means that our house sitters can just step on the cork and the thin underlayment that you see peeking out, or around it – depending where it’s laid – so they haven’t minded the half-done corner they came “home” to (no messy/smelly glues or anything like that to worry about).

Cork Floor Close

They’re so cushy and soft – it’s already a huge improvement! We’ll be back with alllllll the details next week when we’re back on the DIY train (so please hold any questions that you have for Monday when we hopefully can answer them all in that morning’s post). For now we’re just soaking in the sights and making friends with the fishies…

Cork Floor Clara

… you know Clara loves her fishies.

Psst- We announced this week’s giveaway winner. Click here to see if it’s you.

Comments

  1. Caro says

    The floor is going to be beautiful.

    By the way, have you heard already that IKEA is going to open a store in Richmond? It’s on the poppytalk blog today.

    Thought you’d be happy to hear if you didn’t already!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw man, just clicked over to her blog and that’s Richmond, Canada. Sniffle. Guess we’ll have to keep waiting to see if the Richmond, VA rumor is true!

      xo,
      s

    • kristen says

      I think they’re talking about Richmond, BC:

      “Also some exciting news locally for all us IKEA fans, the brand new Richmond store (completely separate to the old one) will open its doors next month on April 25th! The occasion will be marked with a ceremony starting at 7am featuring amazing giveaways and fun family entertainment. Hooray!”

      Since we don’t have an old store, I don’t think they’re talking about RVA, although that would make all my wildest dreams come true! :(

    • Wendy says

      Yes the new store is in Richmond, B.C. and they will take down the old one after the new one opens. Do you want us to send the old one to you? IKEA has been in Vancouver since 1976 and we have two of them – about 10 miles apart as the crow flies.

    • suzanne says

      Wendy, If you can’t get the Ikea across the border, could you just send it down my way to the Okanagan? We sure wish we had one here!!

  5. Meg says

    Love it! Great job guys!! Are your house sitters also Burger sitters?? This must be the first huge vaca without poochers!!

    Reply

  8. Kara says

    Ack! You guys are killing me with the pictures of Clara in paradise. Wonder if my ILs would mind if we canceled our summer trip to visit them and decided to go to Hawaii instead…..

    Reply

  9. Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says

    Ohmygosh I cannot wait for more details!? Cushy soft GORGEOUS floors? YES PLEASE!!!! They match the floors I have right now and let me just say that the color is so so so wonderful — I couldn’t imagine my home without warm dark brown flooring =) You guys are going to fall in love with it day after day!

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas and Crayons

    Reply

  13. Maggie says

    Stop commenting and enjoy Hawaii! lol!!!

    I have been waiting so patiently for your floors! They are going to MAKE your kitchen!! Can’t wait for the finished product!!

    Aloha!!

    Reply

  14. Allyn says

    Love them! Can’t wait to see it done.
    My husband is actually part Hawaiian Chinese and was born in Hawaii. He still has loads of family there, so I’m anxiously awaiting the day we can go and I can meet them all. Because it’s totally about going to meet them, and not about my ravenous desire to hit the beach. Ahem.

    Reply

  17. LauraElle says

    So happy y’all are enjoying some sun and chillaxing on the beach with fruity drinks in coconut shells, garnished with tiny umbrellas!!!

    Reply

  18. Carolyn says

    flooring related question. Have you all ever refinished hardwood flooring? Mine needs to be refinished, and I want to stain is a lovely mocha color ….love that mocha. I’m an avid DIYer…but it would just be me ( and by 10 and 13 year old boys) doing all the work. I’m scared of the sander, the dust, and making sure the surface is dust free prior to applying the poly! Advise from paradise?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We actually hired a local guy to do a ton of rooms in our first house for a really reasonable rate. We have seen folks rent a sander and DIY it too though! So maybe google around for a tutorial?

      xo,
      s

    • Kate Battle says

      As someone who DIY refinished hardwood floors in two rooms (14×14 and 20 x 12) in my last house, I would say if you are VERY strong (esp in your arms) then you might be able to do it. I had my very strong husband to help me and let me tell you, I couldn’t have done it without him.

      If you don’t count moving all the furniture so you can sand, you need to be strong for two reasons. 1) is getting the sander you rent in/out of the house up/down any stairs and back out and back to the store…the sander we rented came apart into two parts but the main part of it had to weigh about 100lbs! I physically couldn’t lift it in and out of our car. and 2) after doing the first room, my arms were so tired from controlling the sander (we switched on and off between me and my husband for about 10-15 min each) that I couldn’t do the second room. Luckily my husband is strong enough so that he could finish the second room. Of course I am sure that it depends on what kind of sander you are using and how many sq ft you are doing, but I would NOT do it again (neither would my husband) Hire it out! It is SO WORTH THE MONEY! (and I like to DIY everything!)

    • Sally says

      I’ve had the floors refinished in two houses now. I decided not to DIY because (1) I was afraid I’d gouge the floor with the sander during my learning process, (2) I was going to have to spend money on equipment rental, and most importantly (3) I needed it done quickly.

      Both times I had the floors redone before we moved in – which is way easier ’cause you don’t have to move everything, deal with dust on your stuff, or deal with the fumes. I totally recommend doing that!

      If I was going to get floors redone after I moved in, I’d recommend moving all your stuff to other rooms then moving out for at least a week. It took the contractor 3-4 days to do the work, but longer than that to air out the place.

      The first time around I got the traditional poly coating. It looked great and held up really well. But those fumes were horrible! In my second house, I got the friendlier-to-worker’s-health-and-the-planet water-based finish. It generally looks good but we’ve got a few problem spots where the coats peeled apart. The water-based requires more skill/attention to detail during the refinishing, but the fumes are much less of an issue.

      I’ve heard some people say that the drum sander is no problem. On the other hand, a friend who’s a handywoman told me that if you’re not used to them and are a small/short person with average upper body strength they can be hard to control.

      Way too much info, but I hope it helps Carolyn or others!

    • Chrissie says

      We’ve redone a couple of small wood floors which we couldn’t outsource because it was too small a job for any contractors.

      There were two big sanders we could rent from Bunnings (a big DIY and hardware store in Australia), one that would do a brilliant job but, if left in one spot for even a second longer than other areas, would leave a dent in the floor.

      We opted for the less super-scary one, which did a nice job of it, but boy was it heavy! Just like Kate Battle, my husband had to do most of it. I could barely manage the sander when it just had a buffing pad on it! Picture me being dragged around the room and using all my body weight to try and get it to go where I wanted.

      The dust wasn’t actually that bad for us, I don’t know if that’s just a characteristic of jarrah though. Either way, it came out great, but you or someone helping you will need to be strong like ox.

    • Julie Eps says

      Carolyn,
      We had our floors done and we hired out. It wasn’t as expensive as we thought it was going to be. The fumes can be bad–several days or even weeks after its finished. We got the water-based version, because it has less toxic fumes and off-gasses quicker than the oil-based version. I’d recommend getting an estimate or two. You may be surprised. Then you can spend your creative energy DIYing projects that will accent your beautiful floors.
      Just a suggestion. And good luck!
      J

  19. Meg says

    Wait – you went to Hawaii too? I totally missed that part of your trip announcement. I guess I was too caught up in the amazement that is preparing for your book. :-)
    I hope you enjoyed the time in the sun!

    Reply

  20. Marianne says

    So excited!!! Can’t wait to see the finished results! Maybe your housesitters will finish them while you’re away and you’ll come home to new floors!

    Reply

  21. AC says

    We have the same floating cork system in our kitchen and LOVE it! We have a boxer, however, so it god quite beat up with her nails and playing-nothing an area rug couldn’t handle. With Burger being to small and light, you guys should not have a problem. It is very comfortable and the finish is pretty durable. One thing to watch though, high heels! We didn’t think of it but after our first party, the high heel marks were everywhere. Some ‘bounced back’ but many remained. You only notice them when the light hits a certain way, but thought I’d pass along something we learned only after the fact. Good luck finishing the floors up!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks AC! Did you seal yours after installation? We heard from a bunch of people that extra credit step can make them more durable. Will report how ours do for sure!

      xo,
      s

    • annabelvita says

      My mum’s professionally installed and sealed cork floors get marked by stilettos – not any old high heels, just stilettos.

      She’s also recommend making sure there’s a rubber base on your counter stools so they don’t mark them. But other thean that they’re GREAT floors. We love them.

    • Krystal says

      I will definitely be interested to see how your cork floors hold up over time. I work at Menards, and when we pitch our floors to guests, we’re instructed to run keys over the display to show them how they wear and tear. The cork floors are our only exception though, and we are told to just run our fingernail over it. I was pitching the cork floors to a guest, ran my fingernail across it, and was shocked to see that it literally gouged the display sample. I was so embarrassed and just tried to steer the couple towards another display which I knew to be more durable. That’s just my experience with cork floors though, and I’m sure you’ve considered the durability aspect of the floor you purchased. I really hope it works for you because it’s beautiful.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks! We beat the heck out of our sample is maybe it varies by manufacturer? We’re also going to deal ours for more protection! They should be comparable to hardwoods. Will definitely keep you posted!

      xo,
      s

    • Sara says

      We have cork floors at my workplace. It is a really high traffic area, but after only being in this building 2 years it looks awful from all the high heel marks.

  22. Nicole says

    They are looking great so far!

    But I agree with the others, get off here and enjoy Hawaii for all of us! It looks so beautiful, definitely on my bucket list! Clara’s got the right idea, I love feeling the fishies on my toes!

    Reply

  24. Alison says

    Wow, between book making, appearances, blogging, I am amazed you find the time and get enough sleep. You too sure have alot of energy.

    Reply

  25. Jessi says

    AAAAHHH!!!! Can’t believe you would tease us this way! Hope the trip is as fantastic as it seams and can’t wait for you to come back :)

    Reply

  26. Rachel May says

    omg “…downright titillating to nerds like us…” that’s hilarious!

    There is something wonderful about being able to continue a project when you return, instead of feeling like you have the entire battle ahead of you.

    Reply

  27. jessica says

    having yhl withdrawal so bad that I dreamed about you guys last night. Can’t wait to next week! Keep having fun.

    Reply

  29. Amiz says

    Oh my gosh you guys stink!! Such teases!! I’ve been waiting through the WHOLE kitchen remodel just to see the floors!! I can’t wait for you guys to get back!! I hope you’re having fun in paradise :D

    Reply

  30. Lynn van Slyke says

    We are installing the same floor! Its been sitting in our hall since last summer. We’re hoping to have it installed before the first weekend in June. We have to refinish the cabinets, install a new back splash and install a new counters first

    Looks beautiful!! can’t wait to see it completed.

    Hope you’re enjoying Maui!

    Reply

  33. Rebecca says

    We recently had cork flooring like that (but in a lighter shade) installed in our 1939 farmhouse in the basement. We had to have all the proper waterproofing done to have it below grade, but it turned out wonderful. The floor is so comfy to walk on and the finished look is gorgeous. It cleans up like a dream too – I have young children who like to get muddy and even with heavy traffic the floor looks brand new. Hope you have a great vacay!

    Reply

  39. heather says

    Uhm, how awesome would it be if you came home and your floors were done?! (and I mean done correctly and sealed correctly). Would be sooooo badass.

    Reply

    • LauraBC says

      haha, I think they would be the only people in America who’d be pissed. No “during” photos, no live-and-learn lessons… :)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, there definitely is satisfaction in laying that last plank of cork ourselves! But if they did the middle part we’d be ok with it. Hahaha.

      xo,
      s

  40. Meg@ Green Motherhood says

    I think that was such a great idea! Sometimes starting a project, you know getting over that initial hump, is the hardest part. Now that’s over and youve got motivation to jump right back in.
    I hope you’ve enjoyed every minute on the island! Anxiously awaiting your return!

    Reply

  41. RobinDenning says

    I bow down to your bloggy ways! LOL, you know how to keep us coming back :-D
    It looks so good, when the carpet wears out, that’s what I am installing on our upstairs floors.

    Reply

  42. Lauren @ Lettuce Eat cake says

    Yay!! So I have to admit I’ve been dying for the floors to get started. My husband and I just bought our first home–a brick ranch built in 1952 with a definite Frank-Lloyd-Wrightian feel to it. We love it, but it has horrible, rust-stained, likely-asbestos-filled vinyl floors in the kitchen and sunroom, and we’re definitely leaning toward natural cork (to blend with our newly refinished medium-toned hardwoods). But I’ve been saying to the hubs, “We have to wait until Sherry and John start their cork! What if we start doing it and it’s a disaster because we didn’t get their tips first?” Haha. Hope you’re enjoying Hawaii!

    Reply

    • Katy says

      Just wanted to say that I work for a company that tests materials for asbestos. While your tiles might have asbestos in them, as long as you aren’t crushing the tiles up and grinding them into powder, it’s pretty safe to remove them yourself as it’s an asbestos-composite and so the asbestos is securely ‘locked’ into the vinyl.

      However, if you have an asbestos filled backing paper on the tiles, then I would wait and have a licensed contractor remove those bad boys. Ditto anything to do with asbestos insulation. Definitely a job for the pros!

  43. Sarah @Savvy Young Something says

    Yayyyyyyyyyy! I have been waiting for those pretty floors forever. Oh dear, that sounds creepy. But I have been really excited to see the rich contrast against all the other cool stuff you guys have done. I guess I am living vicariously through your kitchen reno. It’s so fun to watch it unfold!

    Reply

  44. Karina says

    Wow guys, do you ever sleep? :) really loving the floor… I grew up with a REALLY ugly cork floor in my bedroom – but this is gorgeous. Plus they are really easy to take care of, you will love it!

    Reply

  46. Krissy says

    I love floating floors! Nathan has installed them in his mom’s kitchen/living room and his grandma’s kitchen… our kitchen is next! We’re getting a laminate with a wood finish, but it’s the same concept… The installation is so simple and they allow for shrinkage/expansion with changes in heat/humidity (to a degree, of course). Yours look beautiful! Love that color.

    Reply

  48. Reenie says

    Oh that’s going to look so prettyful =)

    I hope y’all are relaxing and enjoying your time away….Clara looks so cute :)

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *