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floor prep for floating cork

fourquarter | Posted in Construction Techniques on January 28, 2008 01:04am

We are remodeling our house and will soon be at the point of installing the cork tiles. We’re using a product manufactured by “Natural Cork”, floating, click together type.

As I’m reading their literature on installation they require the floors to be within 1/8″ or less over ten feet.

Our house was built in the fifties and we’re bridging the old kitchen floor to a new addition. Now the new addition is close to those tolerances, but there’s no way that the old floor is that good.

ANy advice? Leveling compound, additional subfloor, some other magic?

Any advice would be appreciated.

kh

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  1. semar | Jan 28, 2008 02:40am | #1

    we installed cork in our kitchen.
    Took the old lino out, removed the K-board, exposed the original shiplap floorsheathing, pounded all the nails in again, screwed the shiplap, installed 5/8" firply and screwed it down. Layed corkfloor
    When the subfloor is exposed check for level. Use stringline or laser.

  2. wallyo | Jan 28, 2008 05:10am | #2

    You don't say how out of wack the floor is. The reason for the 1/8 over ten is so that the quick lock system works and the boards don't start popping at the joints. Nothing major is going to happen they will just not honor the warranty if something should go awry with the flooring itself, in other words a problem in manufacturing

    But lets say it does fall off, that the back of the room drops off a 1/4 in ten on the left and right side both. It would still be a flat plane regardless. Now lets say it rises and falls and rises and falls then you may have a problem. I just did a floor that pitched down 3/4 over 15' then rose 3/4 over 15' and had no problem. I was running the boards lengthwise down the 30' side of a 12x30 attic.

    So if you are worried a self leveling compound will work. What you don't what is alot of flex on the planks when you walk on them. in other words a lot of short dips like a bad concrete floor might have.

    Wallyo

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