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Will
my pets damage my cork floors?
Will cork flooring resist heavy furniture?
Is cork flooring suitable for a kitchen?
Are cork floors suitable for bathrooms?
What is your recommendation for the installation of a cork floor in a
basement?
Are cork floors affected by changes of moisture and temperature?
Is it possible to install a cork floor over a radiant heating system?
Can the old cork floor we found in the house we just bought be
refinished?
Can cork tile be installed over sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles?
Is cork underlayment effective for sound proofing?
Tile vs. Plank: Which product is right for me?
How do I decide whether to use parquet tile or floating floor plank for
my application?
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Will my pets damage my cork
floors? |
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You are the best judge of your pet’s behavior. You know what the
habits, activities, and potentially destructive actions of your pet
better than anyone else. |
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Cork floors are coated with a finish that could be scratched by the
claws of cats and dogs running on the floor. However, because cork is
resilient and will move away from pressure the surface will be less
subject to abrasion than a similarly treated hardwood floor. |
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Keeping your pet’s nails trimmed will help keep your floors looking
beautiful. |
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Will
cork flooring resist heavy furniture? |
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Yes, the cork material used for GreenFloors flooring is very dense
and is designed to withstand even commercial traffic. |
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Parquet tile and floating floor have been treated with a finish to
increase durability and allow for easy maintenance. |
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As for furniture, cork resilient and recovers well from compression.
Just like any other flooring material, cork flooring can be punctured by
sharp objects or damaged feet of furniture. For this reason, we do not
recommend dragging heavy objects over the floor. We also recommend that
furniture with sharp or damaged legs have protective pads underneath. |
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For more information please call us at 703-352-8300. |
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Is cork flooring
suitable for a kitchen? |
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Yes, today the most common application for cork flooring is the
kitchen. It is very comfortable to stand on and is easy to maintain. |
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Cork, as you may know, is sound absorbent and hypoallergenic. No
other flooring material combines these benefits. When maintained
properly, cork flooring can last for generations. |
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For maintenance, we recommend regular sweeping and damp moping as
dirt and grit can act as sandpaper and damage your finish. Once a year
or more frequently if there is a lot of traffic and the floor starts to
show some signs of wear, you will want to refurbish you cork floor
according to the maintenance guidelines supplied. This will reinforce
the protective layer and will restore the original luster. |
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Are cork floors
suitable for bathrooms? |
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Warm and soft, cork floors make a very comfortable flooring surface
for a bathroom. However, we recommend you take certain precautions
because of the high risk of spillage. |
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Floating floor is not recommended for bathrooms. Only the tile
should be used. (See section Tile vs. Plank: Which product is right for
me?) |
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After installation, it is important to caulk the perimeter of the
room, prior to installing molding or baseboard. This will prevent spills
from damaging the sub-floor or walls. |
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For future maintenance, please follow the maintenance guidelines
supplied. |
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What is your recommendation for the installation of a cork floor in a
basement? |
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In basements there is a high probability of occasional moisture
migration from the slab. Moisture can cause glue-down tile to delaminate
and cup. Therefore, tile is not recommended for this type of
application. |
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For basements, we recommend installing our Floating Floor over a
moisture barrier 6 mil film of polyethylene to be used as. A floating
floor is not attached to the sub-floor and will rest on top of the
moisture barrier. |
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Are cork floors affected by changes of moisture and temperature? |
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Just like other wood products, cork is subject to the phenomenon of
expansion and contraction in response to climactic conditions. During
the heating season, moisture levels diminish, causing cork to contract
and making joint lines more visible. When humidity levels are higher,
cork flooring will expand. |
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As a general rule, cork flooring is more stable than wood flooring.
When wood expands, it does so only across the grain, so the expansion is
concentrated in one dimension. However with cork, any expansion or
contraction is dispersed in all directions. With proper acclimation,
installation, and maintenance, expansion and contraction of your cork
floor will be less noticeable. |
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Maintaining a stable environment through temperature and humidity
control will minimize visible signs of expansion and contraction. With
Parquet tile the following precautions during installation must be
taken: In winter, once the tile has been acclimated, they cannot be
installed too tight as the floor may go through a normal expansion
period months later. In summer, again after the tiles have been
acclimated, it is necessary to butt the tiles very tight since dry heat
will cause contraction in winter. |
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Is it possible to install a cork floor over a radiant heating system?
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Cork is a natural insulator and will affect slightly the
transmission of heat. However, many installations of this type have been
performed and without encountering any particular problem. Your floor
may take longer to warm up but the heat will be retained more
efficiently. |
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Only GreenFloors Floating Floor should be installed over radiant
heating systems. Floating floors move as a unit since they are not
attached to the sub-floor. That means visible signs of
expansion/contraction take place at the perimeter only. Furthermore,
adhesive used for installation of the tile could lose strength when
exposed to high temperatures. |
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Flooring installed over Radiant Heat should never have a surface
temperature exceeding 85 degrees. |
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Certain precautions should be taken to minimize the effects of
contraction and expansion: |
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Prior to installation over radiant heat, the slab
needs to be heated and the temperature maintained at 75 degrees
during installation. |
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As with any cork or wood floor installation, material must be
acclimated in the room for 72 hours prior to installation. |
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Can the old cork floor we found in the house we just bought be
refinished? |
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Yes, it is possible to refinish most older cork floors.
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If your old cork floor was installed prior to 1970, most likely it
was coated and maintained with wax. Lack of maintenance or having been
covered by carpet for many years may have resulted in a floor is very
dark and "dirty" in appearance. We recommend you consult and employ a
professional wood floor finisher to refinish this floor. |
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It might be difficult to remove the old wax completely in which case
the only solution is to continue using wax. |
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It is also possible that your cork floor had a vinyl wear layer
applied at the factory. These floors have a limited life and cannot be
refinished. This is one reason GreenFloors does not offer this type of
material. |
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Can
cork tile be installed over sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles? |
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We do not recommend this. Residue built up on the surface of the
vinyl could interfere with proper bonding of the adhesive, causing it to
delaminate over time. |
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If you are set on installing cork Parquet tile you may follow one of
these options: |
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Apply a new sub-floor made of plywood |
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"Flood" with Portland base cement floor leveler |
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Remove the existing vinyl |
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Creating a new sub-floor is often costly and time consuming. We
recommend in this case that you use GreenFloors Floating Floor as it can
be installed directly over the existing floor. While a Floating Floor is
a more costly material, you will save you time and money on the
sub-floor preparation. Just make sure that your existing floor is level. |
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Is cork
underlayment effective for sound proofing? |
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While true “sound proofing” is nearly impossible, 6mm thick cork is
widely used in the construction industry for sound reduction and
curtailing noise transmission. |
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Cork underlayment is the most effective and economical product for
meeting building codes aimed at sound control. |
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Cork underlayment is used under hardwood, ceramic tile, carpet and
laminate flooring. It is available in 4’ x 50’ rolls in thicknesses of
5/64", 1/8", and 1/4". It is also available in 2' x 3' sheets in
thicknesses of 1/4" and 1/2". |
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Tile vs. Plank:
Which product is right for me? |
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A floating floor is one that is not attached to the substrate. Each
plank is secured to those adjoining so that the floor system functions
as a single unit instead of as a series of individual pieces. This means
that visible signs of expansion and contraction, normal to any wood
product, are severely reduced. |
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All GreenFloors floating floor plank feature a center core tongue &
groove layer with the unique mechanical locking CLIC system technology
patented by Unilin. The center core is sandwiched in-between two layers
of cork. On top is a surface wear layer of 100% high-density cork.
Underneath is a flexible low-density cork underlayment providing
excellent acoustic insulation. |
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How do I decide whether to use parquet tile or floating floor plank for
my application?
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FLOATING FLOOR PLANK |
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For installations below grade, over an in-floor radiant heating
system, or when a sub floor would require costly preparation in order to
install tiles, use of GreenFloors Floating Floor plank is recommended. |
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Of the three material layers comprising Floating Floor planks, two
are made of cork. This provides enhanced sound suppression capabilities.
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The up-front cost per square foot of material is higher for Floating
Floor plank. However, this is often offset by a reduction in sub floor
preparation costs and decreased installation time. |
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Floating Floor planks are 1/4” thicker than parquet tile which may
be of consideration when transitioning between different floor surfacing
materials. |
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The maximum run in either direction for planks is thirty feet. If
your space is larger in any one dimension than thirty feet, an expansion
joint will be necessary. Expansion joints (T- strips or thresholds) are
also required between each room. |
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Floating Floor is easy to install. |
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PARQUET TILE |
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Parquet tiles are the preferred material for bathroom installations. |
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The material cost for tiles generally runs 2 – 3 dollars per square
foot less than that of Floating Floor. |
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Sub floor preparation for Parquet tile installation must be
meticulously clean, level, and unblemished. This degree of preparation
can be costly and time consuming. |
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Parquet tile may be mixed-and-matched to create borders or a
checkerboard effect. They are easily cut to size allowing for more
creative and decorative installation options. |
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If you have a large space or are covering several adjoining rooms
and do not want to install expansion joints, Parquet tile will provide
an uninterrupted floor surface. |
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