We’ve fallen in love with cork flooring and plan to use a lot of it in our home. I am currently redoing a bathroom and would like to use glued down cork tiles. The room is over a crawl space, and I want to use cork instead of ceramic so we won’t need to install electric heating elements to keep it warm in the winter (Seattle). I know I will need to seal it well, but will there be problems near the tub/shower or under the toilet? Am I wrong in assuming that a good polyurethane or hardwax oil finish on top with lots of silicone on the exposed edges near the fixtures will keep things dry and well preserved? Any comments????
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
This deconstruction program leader oversees the collection and reuse of a variety of products and materials.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Water on (in) the cork itself is the least of your issues. Think about a cork fishing bobber, or a fishing net float or lobsta pot buoy. They might get nasty and slimy on the outside, but cut one open and the cork is bone dry.
More important would be keeping water out of your sub-floor. I've never done cork in a bathroom, but if I did, I'd consider using a penetrating waterproof sealer on the underlayment. Something that would not prevent the adhesion of your tile cement. After laying the tile, even if it's pre-finished w/ poly, I'd probably add a coat or two of mfgr's recommended poly finish to penetrate the joints as well as thicken the surface coating.
Afterthought ... you might even want to consider true marine plywood for the underlayment. Just another insurance plan against water. If water gets into a particulate underlayment, your good work is history as a result of the swelling you'll get. High quality plywood would help you out there.