I am finishing an enclosed and insulated but unheated porch. I am looking at using cork tile flooring for the look, insulation, flexibility and cushiness. The existing floor is 3/4 plywood + 1/2 top layer of another plywood (I think – it is painted). My alternate is a vinyl sheet flooring as I can’t handle too much thickness without trimming doors and having floor level mismatches into the house.
I have been told by two flooring salesman that I may have problems with theadhesives due to the fact that the porch may freeze on very cold days. The cork tiles are laid with a waterbased contact cement. Does anyone have experience in this type of installation? Are the concerns of the glue letting go real?
Thanks
Mike R
Replies
I can't see a problem as long as you don't have any moisture issues.I have some rubber matting glued to my workshop floor (slab,unheated)with solvent based contact and it seems to be stuck permantly.I had a bad day with water based contact a few years ago and havent tried since ,but probably will next time I have to in closed quarters. Also did an office reno this summer with cork floor and was totally impressed with the product, I would use it my own house.
Thanks for the reply. Moisture should not be a problem in this case as I have a 4 foot crawl space open on three sides under the porch. It normally stays dead dry.
Was your experience with the cork parquet type tiles or the floating floor. I am hoping to find tiles which are through and through rather than a laminate pattern as a surface layer. I don't have room for the floating floor.
Mike R.
Hi mike they were prefinished solid cork tiles. 12x12 about a big 3/16 thick.They come in 4 or 5 styles with different particle size and color.It seemed to me that they were a bit cushier than the floating floor variety.
Once the adhesive sets within a week, there will no longer be a probleem with freezing. We have hundreds of houses here where the heat is off all winter and back on in spring.
You will be needing to be sure that the tiles and the subfloor and the adhesive stay at 50°F or more wwhile laying and curing though, so plan a way to let heat in there interim.
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