Cork flooring question. Is there any consensus on the best adhesive to glue down 4mm cork tiles?
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Dave
There are two types of dedicated cork adhesive ----- one is applied to the floor with a 1/16" notched trowel and the tile set into the wet adhesive, with the other type, the cork tile is pre-coated with adhesive and the adhesive is applied to the sub-base with a roller and allowed to dry. In effect, the tile is laid into contact adhesive.The supplier of the tiles should be able to supply the adhesive.
IDG
Edited 4/12/2002 4:17:47 AM ET by IanG
The best is contact cement.
Any "wet" adhesive will be partially absorbed into the cork and expand it enough to make for a sloppy fit.
Gabe
Any "wet" adhesive will be partially absorbed into the cork and expand it enough to make for a sloppy fit.Oh NO!! we've been doing it the wrong way for these past 50+ years!!IDG.
Edited 4/13/2002 7:22:30 PM ET by IanG
What's this "we" white man?
You have probably been doing it wrong for the past 50 years but "we" knew what we were doing and did it right.
If you would have paid attention to my postings a few years ago you would know that I have a franchise of cork flooring and I think I know a little about it.
Gabe
Ok guys settle down. I ended up buying two types of glue. I started with the wet set until I ran out. Happened to buy some contact cement so I finished the job with that. Pluses and minuses of wet setting: Wet setting is fast to lay and tiles are repositionable; however, you have to be acutely aware of movement if you're stuck working on thenewly set tiles. + & - of contact cement:Once the tiles are down you can walk on them immediately but you have to be creative trying to find things to do while the glue flashes. Either way the jobs a done deal and the finished product looks great.
What's this "we" white man?Well, until the time that the pressure sensitive glues came out, 'WE' included anybody over the previous 40 years who ever laid cork floors.If you would have paid attention to my postings a few years ago you would know that I have a franchise of cork flooring and I think I know a little about it.Yes, I remember it only too well and think is about right because I also remember you saying you'd never laid cork in your life so it behooves you not to argue with someone who's done it for a living.Search the net on cork adhesives and you'll see that trowelled adhesives are still widely recommended and used -- BTW, I didn't say it was the only method.You have probably been doing it wrong for the past 50 years but "we" knew what we were doing and did it right.Can you say "megalomania"?
IDG.
Edited 4/14/2002 3:43:42 AM ET by IanG
Can you say "has been".
Sorry, but I laid cork tiles and floating floors for the first years of the business in order to get the biz started.
You never laid cork for a living, remember, you said you built the prince's palaces. Surely you were too busy to do such a simple task.
You were never the sharpest pencil in the box it's just you never had a sharper pencil to compare to. Welcome to the real world, my british friend.
IanG going on Ignore.
Gabe
Edited 4/14/2002 8:01:31 AM ET by GABE_MARTEL
blah blah blah blah, gtfu. Unless God himself comes down and proclaims teh right and wrong method please STFU about your precious opinion and how right it is and how wrong others are.
If you own a francise, youre probably using and selling the method your franshier sells and has told you why to sell this to make him and you a profit. However funny thing is that there are most likely other cork dealers installers out there that prefer to sell wet adhesives because in the crazy scheme of things they too make a profit from selling the wet vs contact.
funny thing is that there are more then adhesives that make for a sloppy fit...type of cork, method of processing the cork, humidity, type of subflooring what have you.
Someone asked a question, youre probably best to answer it in a calm way and say why you use this method and why it works for you
Bill,
Actually I import from a dozen manufacturers out of Portugal and had to spend a fair amount of time using both their prescribed methods and my own hit and miss to figure out the best and whys of installing cork.
Cork as I have stated on numerous occasions, is a wood product. It breathes and absorbs like any soft wood.
You have to climatize it to the installation. The reason pros don't use wet adhesives is because of corks ability to quickly change dimensions when moisture is introduced.
The best cork tiles are the solid pattern tiles. This means the ones that don't use a veneer layer on top to create a marble effect for one.
Tiles can be stained the same as wood, both at the factory and on site. The initial factory finishes are the best and most durable.
You apply contact on the tile first, doing about 100 square feet at a time and then you apply the contact to the underlayment. When the underlayment is just dry, you start down your center line in complete rows. I prefer the 12 by 24 tiles and stagger them.
The worst tiles are the plasticized ones that only have a thin layer of impregnated cork on the top and plastic on the bottom. No give and no warmth. They are the pergo of the cork industry.
Gabe
PS It's just that I still don't like BS spoken by people who haven't a clue.
Well, where to start to answer this diatribeWet adhesives were used satisfactorily for at least 20-30 years before the pressure-sensitive adhesives were introduced, and are still a perfectly good alternative. The advantage of the pressure-sensitive adhesives is that, being dry, working in the area while laying the tiles becomes a lot easier.On a personal note, in the period 1979-86 alone I supervised work worth over $55 million at today's prices as a Construction ManagerFrom 1986-2000 I owned a Floor laying company in Melbourne and laid parquet, cork and strip floors for 14 years, not just one.Now, unlike you, I provide proof of what I claim and everything I have just mentioned is documented hereSo where's your proof??IDG.
I really tie your shorts in a knot, don't I?
"Well, where to start to answer this diatribe"
Upset are we?
"The advantage of the pressure-sensitive adhesives is that, being dry, working in the area while laying the tiles becomes a lot easier."
Amongst other things, yes it makes it easier but more importantly, it's dry.
"On a personal note, in the period 1979-86 alone I supervised work worth over $55 million at today's prices as a Construction Manager"
Man this is going to set your shorts on fire.....but I do that in a year. This year it's the 75 million dollar (that's today's dollars) Brookstreet Hotel). By the way Terry's other hotel is in Wales.
"From 1986-2000 I owned a Floor laying company in Melbourne and laid parquet, cork and strip floors for 14 years, not just one."
Glad to see you stayed off welfare and I bet the only reason you're so mad at life is that's the only thing that got laid by you in 14 years.
"Now, unlike you, I provide proof of what I claim and everything I have just mentioned is documented here. So where's your proof??"
Come and visit me any time you want and I'll give you a tour, the view is great from an 18th floor swingstage.
Gotta love it when the amateurs are whinning at the moon.
Smell the burning Ian? That's your shorts.
Now are you ready to stop the personal attacks or do you want more?
Gabe
Um Gabe, I guess I am impressed, but how many sq ft of floor have you had your hands on? You remind me of the other cunuckian that Googles all his answers, but I need to hear from the people that do the work and know the ins and outs, and specific product recommendations. If you have facts then debate Ian, but when I am in a jam I don't want to rely on posers.
I really am impressed with the work you do, don't get me wong, but I can't remember the last time I needed to know how to smeg up 20 stories of steel and concrete. The last time I checked this was fine homebuilding,
You want a piece of me now? I hope not, but I am sure if you want to play in my world I can make you feel like a piece of ####.
I have no intentions of debating anything with Ian, at least not since I found out he sold out on gun control.
If you have a question, and I can answer it, I would gladly do so. If you only want to make judgemental comments instead, that's your priviledge.
Don't think your world is that foreign to me that it would intimidate me. My world doesn't intimidate easily......
BTW I don't google anything, don't have to, been there done that and still able to do that.
Gabe
Is it gun control or the fact that he likes Splintie?
And you're probably right, I would have a hard time making you look like an idiot, and I doubt that I would want to.
Think about the first line, and see if you and Ian can't discuss thiss instead of butting heads, I think we would all benefit if you do.
(Ian, I thinx he misplaced a decimal. )
QtrmegThe contact pressure-sensitive adhesives have great advantages for the layer but they have big drawbacks for the DIY.If the adhesive is not totally dry before the cork tiles are laid you can get cupping, twisting and lifting of the tileIf you have a dusty room the dust can stick to the adhesive and affect the bond of the tileThe floor has to be thoroughly rolled with a 100 lb roller to ensure adhesion of the tiles.All of these things are critical whereas the trowelled adhesive is almost idiot-proof and, as I keep saying, has been used successfully for over 50 years
IDG.
Now I see why they fired you.
250,000 sq. ft for 7.2 million works out to about $28.00 per sq. ft. for a 5 star hotel.
Might have been possible in 1902 dollars but highly unlikely in 2002.
CLP is our mechanical consultant and their portion of their responsibility is 7.2 million, my misguided english friend.
Now why don't you do like you said you would do and leave this board, afterall it's beneath you.
Love it when a genius latches onto a lead balloon.
Gabe
---- and you're what? -- in charge of it all?IDG.
Give it up already,
you were tossed out like the weekly trash and you still want to come back into the house, forget it.
You're too much not to put on ignore.
Gabe
Thanks Ian, good to know.
Gabe, why all the putdowns? I don't get it, all you do is pose above everyone, put your facts on the table. Geesh.
And Canadians think Yanks are ####.