Do you know cork floors?

May 2021 – Cork floors are environmentally friendly and warm under our feet, and they are nothing like the funny orange cork tiles from the 70s, which have been peeling off the corners. Their glue sometimes failed, and the tiles peeled off, giving the cork a bad reputation. For a long time now, cork has been something completely different. With innovations in technology, cork has become more versatile. Modern versions of cork floors are extremely versatile and sustainable, cork floors give a beautiful floor look throughout the house and are available in many colours and designs.

Cork is the bark of the cork tree, a special species of oak, commonly from the cork forests in Portugal, as well as Spain, southern France, Sicily, and North Africa. It is a warm material that is pleasant to the touch and we all know it well. Cork floors give the room a natural feel that is not cold to the touch.

The cork also has an innate softness. It is very easy to work with and install. It can be used outdoors and indoors; as a primary wall covering / surface, as floor covering, or as a message board (pinboard), and even as a sound absorber.

Cork flooring is an environmentally and user-friendly choice

Cork flooring is one of the ‘greenest’ floors available. It is biodegradable and recyclable, but also very durable. Due to its natural honeycomb cell structure, it is easy to clean and is excellent for sound insulation. The cork is soft and warm and is, therefore, a very good choice if you do not have underfloor heating.

There are many cork floor coverings on the market in a variety of colours and finishes. Therefore, of course, it is not necessary to choose the orange-beige colour of untreated cork; nowadays there are many options for darker or lighter shades.

Neostik PLUTOSTIK is a one-component dispersive cork adhesive based on a special dispersion and additives. It is used for gluing natural and plastic cork coverings to absorbent horizontal substrates and treated wall surfaces in dry rooms.

How to install cork floors

All surfaces must be dry, flat, and clean. The moisture content in concrete substrates should not exceed 3 % and in wooden ones 8-12 %. The cork should be stored in the room where it will be laid for at least 24 hours before installing and where the temperature is not lower than +15 ° C. Stir the temperature-adjusted adhesive (+15 to +25 ° C) well before use. Apply the adhesive to the substrate with a notched trowel in an even thin layer and wait 5-10 minutes. Press the cork boards well into the layer of glue, place them side by side, and then roll them well with a metal roller.

When gluing cork on vertical wall surfaces, apply the glue from the bottom up. In that case, the levelling compound must be firmly attached to the substrate and it must not peel off. The surfaces must be dry and flat.

The adhesive cures after one day, and the final bond is obtained after a few days.