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August 28, 2009
Kitchen Reno - Subfloor Question
We're redoing a small galley kitchen in our coop and planning to install cork click tiles as a floor over the concrete subfloor we've uncovered. The concrete seems smooth and even - is a subfloor necessary? What about a waterproof membrane? This seems redundant to me, as there's only concrete below it anyway.
Comments
Click tiles meaning engineered flooring??? I'd read what the manufacturer suggests but usually, as long as the concrete is a smooth, flat surface, just some rosin paper.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at August 28, 2009 5:13 PM
I'm inferring these tiles will bond to the subfloor either with an adhesive - or they come with a sticky adhesive on the backside? Regardless, you want to know that the subfloor is very even and completely clean (don't use any solvents to clean it - follow the directions). I use Ardex feather finish to prep my subfloors. It is very smooth and dries hard in about ten minutes.
Hard to tell if your floor is in great condition without a photo.
I'm helping someone with a small kitchen right now and would like to know how your cork install goes. I haven't used it and don't know if I should recommend it to him. I saw one website saying it is not good for wet locations and another saying it is great for kitchens. Obviously if cork can plug a wine bottle, it can hold up to moisture. I can't quite picture its mop-ability though.
Also, where did you buy this stuff?
Thanks,
masterbuildernyc@gmail.com
Posted by: masterbuilder at August 29, 2009 9:05 AM
click together tiles are not acceptable in a kitchen. their substrate is not water friendly and will quickly degrade with the usual water exposure in a kitchen.
the glue down tiles are preferred and are generally what is used in most commercial applications as well.
the sub floor, first and foremost, must be completely flat and free of even small cracks and imperfections as these will quickly telegraph through the tiles.
i know all this because i'm going through the same thing now. my tiles are getting installed on monday. i used globus for the tile. duro also has nice stuff, but globus comes 3/4ths pre finished and requires only one final coat to seal it,
i am using their preferred installer, Tipp Flooring. they are very expensive, but i decided to go with them after hearing/seeing horror stories with inexperienced and self installers.
good tile properly installed will last for 15 years or more. poorly installed tile looks like crap in a year or two.
will post a review once it's done.
Posted by: guywithahouse at August 29, 2009 6:34 PM
We bought our cork floors online - the exact vendor escapes me right now but they did send us samples of each finish we considered beforehand. The finish is smooth - more like the side of a wine cork, not the rough texture you would expect if you broke one in two. It seems quite mopable to me, although I had my doubts at first too.
There are quite a few really nice patterns out there. Bowery Green Depot has some good looking samples if you want to see it in person, but the internet had more patterns and was a few dollars cheaper per foot.
Ours are click tiles with no glue required and more then one manufacturer has recommended them for kitchens, plus there's a few how to install videos online. They look quite straightforward to me - I don't imagine hiring a flooring company for this. They are also prefinished, so sealing isn't the issue.
The rosin paper is recommended under hardwood floors so when they settle against your subfloor, any squeaking is reduced, but I don't see this cork squeaking.....
Anyone else please?
Posted by: Deda at August 31, 2009 3:13 PM
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