Cork flooring

[Cheeky]

I'm really interested in cork for a half bath floor. Has anybody installed this before? If so, did you choose the snap-together or the glue-down?

Mostly wondering if you feel the snap flooring flex or dip when you walk on it.

I love the way it looks, it's natural imperviousness to water, and the eco-friendly values. Think it will look nice with the concrete console sink I want to pour.

[crokett]

Let me know about your plans for that sink. Somebody saw my countertop and asked if I could pour a sink/vanity. They want a round sink and I can't figure out how to make a mould for that.

[jessrice]

how about 2 stainless steel bowls nested in one another? would that make an acceptable form assuming you used a realease agent or line it with plastic? I have a few really large bowls, like 20" across and a smaller ones like 16" that would nest together and allow for a 2" think concrete "bowl"

Just a thought

Jesse

[Cheeky]

Let me know about your plans for that sink. Somebody saw my countertop and asked if I could pour a sink/vanity. They want a round sink and I can't figure out how to make a mould for that.

will do.

i think i'm going to try the rubber mold technique Cheng does, using polytek, http://www.polytek.com/.

maybe i will try and get an old sink from a salvage yard to make the rubber mold. at least cheng sells faucet forms on his website, so that will be the easy part.

[BigguyZ]

I'm interested in doing a poured sink, but that Polytek stuff is $$$$. Also, a fristrating thing is that Cheng doesn't sell knockouts for the drain. I had a thought that you could build a reinforced rectangular box with rounded over edges as a form. Build it with MDF, seal it, and then use a really good releasing agent. That's what I was thinking about doing at least....

P.S- I haven't seen cork flooring in person, but I saw it on a HGTV show and it looked pretty good.

[crokett]

[quote=Cheeky;235501]will do.

i think i'm going to try the rubber mold technique Cheng does, using polytek, http://www.polytek.com/.

[quote]

Bookmarked, thx.

I also thought of nesting two bowls together but would have to be careful about knockout for drain, overflow, etc. not sure how to handle the overfllow.

[greencat]

I have a cork floor with the snap in tiles. I didn't install it but I should have. The floor has a clear coating that has held up better then our other wood floors.

Mike

[Greg in Maryland]

Let me know about your plans for that sink. Somebody saw my countertop and asked if I could pour a sink/vanity. They want a round sink and I can't figure out how to make a mould for that.

Crockett

Here is what potters do all the time to make what they call “drape molds.”

1) Go to our local crafts store and purchase some Styrofoam sheets – inch or two thick and some plaster. Laminate the Styrofoam using a waterproof glue. Make sure the sheets are larger than the eventual size of your "bowl."

2) Once they are dry, cut the Styrofoam in a circle using your hand saw. The circle should be a bit smaller than the eventual size of your sink bowl. You will now have a cylinder.

3) Out of plexiglass or hardboard (seal the hardboard, it will need it) cut a template that mirrors the shape of the bowl you would like to create. Put the Styrofoam form on a turntable or lazy susan so that you can work all sides at once by turning the blank. Using a rasp, start scraping away. It makes a mess, but it is reasonably easy. Use the template to help form the shape of the mold. Spin the form frequently so you get all sides. It isn’t important to be completely accurate at this point, though you should be close. High spots are worse than low spots. When you are finished with this step, you will have rough bowl shape. It will be nearly finished, but not ready for cement. You will keep working with the mold upside down.

4) Once you have formed the blank to your satisfaction, mix the plaster according to the directions and apply it to the form (still on the turntable and upside down) in small amounts. Use your hands or a small cup to pour the plaster over the Styrofoam. (put plastic down) While slowly spinning the form, use the template to scrape and form the plaster so that it is uniform across the form. Keep in mind that plaster hardens fairly quickly so don’t mix too much. You can always layer the plaster. You can also use a rasp and sandpaper to fine tune the form. Sanding plaster creates quite a bit of fine silica dust, so I would be careful. I would not try this step in your workshop. The rasp will leave rough marks in the plaster, so I would not leave it as the last step.

5) When you are done plastering and forming, you will have a mold of your form that is lightweight, but fairly strong. I would think that it would hold up to the weight and pressure of concrete, but if you drop it you’re ruined. You will have some cleanup where the plaster dripped, but if you do this while the plaster is wet you won’t have a too difficult time. You will need to give it some time to dry before you use it.

6) You will have to add some sort of "blank" for the drain as well as seal the plaster or coat it with a release agent. Perhaps a blank created out of plaster poured into a PCV pipe would do the trick. The overflow is beyond my mind's capabilities at the moment. You will want to be especially careful with the transition between the drain and the bowl. Any imperfections will be apparent when you release the concrete from the mold.

Plaster is used in pottery to absorb water in clay. I would imagine that it will do the same with cement as well, so you might want to take some precautions by sealing the plaster. Perhaps epoxy would do the trick. Murphy's Oil Soap works as a release agent when molding plaster, so it might work for concrete.

Check out some pottery forums or books for more ideas on mold making.

Good luck!

Greg

[jhart]

Cheeky, a couple of years ago, I installed a cork floor for my sister. It was the snap in type and put over a concrete floor. I have done 3 snap in type wood laminate floors in my house and the cork was virtually the same process. Went in quick and easy.

You do want to make sure the floor is pretty level to begin with. A 4 foot level works pretty well for checking for any dips, etc. Generally will use "water Putty" to fill any in.

Anyway, about 6 months later, she had a party, and as I walked on the floor, didn't notice any flex, etc.

Have one spot on one of my floors that I notice some flex on that we missed when leveling it. Irritating, but not a big deal.

Buy one of those installation kits if you do it yourself. comes with a groved block (for tapping plank together), small shims for the wall spacing and a bar to use when putting in the last pieces neat the wall.

Have fun!! They are really pretty easy to do.

[thrytis]

I also thought of nesting two bowls together but would have to be careful about knockout for drain, overflow, etc. not sure how to handle the overfllow.

For the overflow, how about using some sort of pipe that you can leave in there, either a metal pipe that you can bend or a PVC pipe that you can heat and form as needed. You'll need to make a piece for the opening to the sink for the overflow, but that shouldn't be too difficult and would be easy to remove.

[radhak]

Have one spot on one of my floors that I notice some flex on that we missed when leveling it. Irritating, but not a big deal.
.

Joe, i have noticed that in one spot of my floor too (snap on engineered wood on concrete with a Quietwalk underlayment). so slight that nobody else notices it, only me.

but - since its in the middle of the room, i guess the only fix is to take all of it out, level the floor, and reinstall?
and if i don't do anything about it, will it grow worse? (did yours?)

and what was that for leveling - waterputty? what's that? where do i find it? (i have another, much larger bedroom to do next, so might be handy).

[Russianwolf]

not all sinks even have overflows now-a-days. I know that none of the ones in my house have them and the two vanity sinks are both one piece sink/counter models.

Not saying that it's the way to go, but it's true.

I have noticed in the past that overflows can cause problems when trying to clear a clog. any removal technique that uses preasure (plunger, "plumber's friend", etc.) you have to seal the overflow to get any effectiveness out of.

[crokett]

Greg,

Thanks for the idea. I will keep it in mind. It is exactly what I wanted.

[dlminehart]

David, I've seen a lot of comments from short term (1-2 years) owners who liked the cork floors. Most said it was comparable to wood in handling water spills, though one remarked that each time their dishwasher overflowed the floor repairs cost them over $1000; apparently they'd used pre-finished tiles but water seeped between them. They've since put urethane layers over the pre-finished tiles to seal the joints.

They also noted that it's much easier to dent or scrape the cork, compared to wood, a flip side to its softer feel underfoot and its sound absorbing quality. Furniture needs pads under the legs, and heavy objects can't be casually dragged over it.