How to make cork floor by yourself?

Cork floor recently started to usepopularity. Modern manufacturers produce full-fledged budget substitutes for cork veneer that are available to everyone. Even a person who does not have the relevant work experience can produce. Cork floor, because of the inherentcharacteristics like good sound absorption and safety, it is recommended to put in a room for children or, for example, a study. However, you need to know that cork materials have the ability to cover not in all rooms. To get a quality floor covering in your apartment or private house, first of all you need to familiarize yourself with the existing types of cork floors. To date, there are the following types of such coverage:

One-piece veneer from cork, which costs moreTotal. This material is covered with a special varnish. The corkboard is environmentally friendly. The material is sold in rolls, in the form of tiles and large layers 5-6 mm thick. The wrong side of this board is in some cases protected with a vinyl-based film that can facilitate gluing and laying on the concrete base.

MDF panels with a cork. The material has an average cost. Such a laminate has the following composition: MDF base, cork plug layer and cork veneer layer, which is protected by varnish or vinyl-based film. Such material can be placed on almost any surface.

Laminate based cork. It has typical dimensions and thickness for this material.

Pressed crumb of cork. From it they make a budget cork tile. It is characterized by a fine-grained structure, which is similar to the stopper from wine. Coloring - complex figures of irregular shapes in yellow and brown colors. It should be noted that such a tile is able to provide a coating that is almost as good as the material of solid veneer. Optimum use for budget cork flooring. In most cases on sale there are tiles in the sizes 30х30 cm, 60х60 cm and 90х60 cm.

Where is it possible to install a cork floor?

Scheme of the cork panel. The cork floor will not be durable in rooms with variable temperature conditions. This is due to the fact that the cork begins to crumble from the temperature drops. In the kitchen, the loggia and in the corridor, you can lay only cork laminate, which has a protective coating. Floor of this type can not be laid in the toilet and in the bathroom. It should be noted that the plug does not have protective properties. There are types of rooms where it is recommended to lay a cork floor:

Kids room.This room can be of any type. If you lay a covering made of solid veneer, then the child will always be warm. In addition, he will not be able to damage himself, since the material is safe.

Bedroom.

Study. The plug will muffle the sounds in this room.

Guest room. In any frequently visited room, it is recommended to use a cork laminate, since other types of coatings, even with proper care, are not durable.

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How to lay cork floor by yourself?

Cork can be laid in several ways: The floor installation plan is made of cork as well as the floor of the laminate and the board.

Cork laminate can be laid in exactly the same way as ordinary laminate, however there are some precautions regarding the tools and the method of laying.

Cork laminate is a floating cork floor, so it can be laid without the use of fasteners.

Any kind of such coating can be stacked using the adhesive mixture.

Variants of laying floating cork cover andglue have significant differences, but the preparatory work will be the same in two cases. Floor cork is best in a warm period of time, so that the temperature in the warehouse and in the premises does not differ by more than 6-7 ° C. The humidity in the room should not exceed 60%. Back to contents</a>

Elements that will be required for laying flooring

In order to lay the cork floor, you will need to purchase the following items:

Rubber hammer.

Electric jig saw with small teeth.

Roller made of metal.

Plinth.

Thresholds.

Adhesive mixture.

Spatula of large width with small teeth.

The order of gluing the cork tiles in the corners. Planks of cork laminate for a floating coating will need to be periodically adjusted and leveled. Spacing blades will have to be made from scraps, as wooden blades can crush the cork. Cutting the cork boards will have to be pinned on the adjustable rail and adjusted using a rubber kyanki. In this case, the clamp-hook is not allowed to be used. An important device is a can of vegetables, which is tightly closed with a lid. It will need to put a rag soaked in solvent. Flows of the adhesive mixture can be wiped off with a rag. The rags outside the closed container dries quickly, and if wetted, the coating can deteriorate. Back to contents</a>

Preparatory work

Cork cover can be stacked exclusivelyon an even, smooth and dry base. Screeds of concrete are not enough, because it is rough. The cork is a soft material, because it will quickly wipe even on the layer of the adhesive mixture. The cork cover can not be installed on a wet underlying substrate. In this case, the adhesive joint will be unstable, and the plug will swell. Therefore, before installing a floor of a similar type, the surface must be leveled and dried. Before laying the coating on the base of concrete, you need to determine the moisture of the latter. For this, the room needs to be covered with plastic film for 24 hours. If the moisture does not appear on the material in a day, you can finish the finish. If the moisture is, then the surface will need to be dried. You should know that sometimes the moisture passes from the next apartment. Therefore, it will be necessary to thoroughly inspect the floor, then fix all the gaps, if necessary. Most often gaps occur in the risers. The base floor is leveled with a liquid leveling compound. A dry leveler should not be used, as the cover may crack from the furniture feet. The base is best covered with Marmoleum. The mechanical properties of cork and marmoleum coincide, therefore, no swelling will occur. In addition, Marmoleum has antiseptic properties. If plywood sheets were laid on the base, it is recommended to put a stopper on top. Back to contents</a>

Floating floor installation method

The floating floor covering can be stacked, fromveneer or large parts thereof, as well as laminate. The first two coating options can only be installed by two people with experience. You should be aware that independent attempts in this case may result in the breakdown of expensive material. as follows:

The room needs to be measured, after which the material must be purchased in the required quantity. The material must be unpacked and kept for 24 hours for acclimatization.

The base floor will need to be covered with a plastic film with an overlap of 25-30 cm and with a wall entry of 12-15 cm. Joints of the film pieces must be glued together with scotch tape.

Board incomplete series will need to fit in size. If the stitching is done with the seam shifted by half, a part of the marginal strips must be cut in half along the length.

Laminate boards need to start laying offof the far angle by transverse rows, there must be a shift of 1/3 or 1/2 of the length of the bar. The crest of the board is inserted into the groove of the previous one, after that part of the board is slightly pressed and lowered. Further, this part needs to be tightened with a rule and taped with a rubber mallet. From the walls should be an indentation of 2-3 cm. The edge in front of the wall is pulled by spacer blades.

Surplus film must be cut.

A special skirting board is fixed to the wall. This can be done by using an adhesive mixture. Skirting should not lie on the surface of the floor, but hang over it a few mm. For this, it is best to apply matches or toothpicks.

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Method for installing the cork floor on the adhesive

In this case it is recommended to usequality adhesive mixture. It is worth noting that the adhesive cork is not allowed to lay the cork floor, since this adhesive mixture is made on the basis of water, which is contraindicated to this material. To water could evaporate, you need to dry PVA to the touch. In this case, each tile will need to be laid exactly in its place. Moving the tile will not work, as it immediately grasps. Correctly lay the cork floor as follows:

The laying starts from the central part of the room, it is best to be laid spirally.

Apply the adhesive mixture to the base with a spatula. Further, tiles are laid, which can be tightened manually or by rule.

The surface is rolled with a roller.

Next, you need to check the horizontal level of the building level. If one of the tiles is raised, then it must be taped with a rubber mallet.

If the adhesive mixture will protrude, then it must be wiped off with a rag. The flap that was used should be discarded.

On the perimeter you need to leave the same gaps, as in the case of a floating floor.

After this, you will need to wait 24 hours.

Clearances are sewed with skirting boards.

You should know that the cost of the plug and methodinstallation of the material will solely depend on the decorative properties of the floor. Such a coating can be both useful and harmful. Everything will depend on whether the floor is in the right room. Laying the cork floor is easy if you know all the nuances.

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