Laminate on the floor does not surprise anyone. He firmly took his place in the market of finishing materials. However, cork laminate is something new. It has other names: floating floor, cork parquet. It is necessary to install it by analogy with a traditional laminate. Individual elements are held together by means of a locking groove. Mount the coating on the prepared cork substrate or other base.
Types of cork-based laminate
There are two types of cork flooring:
- Castle. It includes the mentioned cork laminate. Durable coating that does not require additional consumables for installation. All that will be needed is to saw off the elements of the desired length, fitting them to the dimensions of the room.
- Glue. Cork is sold in the form of square plates. Installation is carried out with glue. The service life of the coating is much less than cork laminate. This finishing material is more affordable.
Cork flooring in room decoration
Cork based flooring will be a great addition to any design solution. A noticeable advantage of the laminate is an exclusive appearance. The natural pattern of the cork structure is unique, it does not repeat from one element to another. There are no patterns in it, which makes the surface bright and memorable.
A large selection of cork-based coatings is on the market. The difference between them lies in the texture of the surface layer. It may resemble plates or fine grains (like marble). A rich palette of colors of the material, including brown, sand, yellow, ocher shades. There are interesting solutions in colored dots.
To give the design a special style, use different cork floor options at the same time, differing in texture or color. This technique allows you to highlight the functional areas in the room and give uniqueness. A justified solution is cork laminate for the floor of the children's room, because it is soft and warm.
Cork floor
Cork flooring and laminate are different finishing materials. Each of them has characteristic features:
- The cork floor gained popularity due to its unique qualities: it performs the function of additional heat and sound insulation, does not accumulate static electricity, and has a pleasant softness. Its cost reaches 1600 rubles/m2.
- Cork-based laminate is a lightweight version of the previous version. In its composition there is a chipboard that acts as the base. However, keyThe coating demonstrates the qualitative characteristics of the cork. It is distinguished by a more democratic price, which is an average of 400 rubles. below the cork floor.
Cut-off cork laminate construction
Cork laminate has a 5-layer structure. Such a "pie" allows you to reduce the price of the coating compared to solid material, while maintaining high quality indicators. Layers of laminate, starting from the bottom:
- A base made by crushing and pressing cork chips.
- Fibreboard with lock.
- Cork interlayer.
- Cork veneer.
- Covering that performs a protective function.
Strips of laminate form a single coating using a floating method (no adhesives, screws or nails). Separate elements are fastened together, but do not hold on to the base. This technique is easy to apply and can be performed by a non-professional. The undoubted advantage of this solution is the ability to easily repair the flooring. If individual strips are damaged, you can replace them without disassembling all the others. Cork laminate has a good performance that is similar to parquet or conventional wood flooring.
DIY laminate installation
Instructions for those who plan to install cork laminate on their own. Laying it does not cause difficulties and is performed in the following sequence:
- Materialacclimatize to indoor conditions. The packaging with the laminate is brought into the room and left for a couple of days. During this time, the cork adapts to the room temperature and humidity. This will result in minor dimensional changes that will not change during operation.
- Preparing the base for coating. The floating mounting method does not require a completely flat surface. But the fewer rough irregularities, the better the result will be. The existing coating is completely dismantled, and the floor is poured with a solution that levels itself. The resulting base will be even and strong.
- Lay the substrate. The technology does not require the obligatory implementation of this layer. However, you can’t do without it when working in bathrooms and apartments located on the 1st floor (dampness in them can come out from the basement). Strong humidity can ruin the cork coating: gaps will appear or swelling will occur.
- Install cork laminate. Its installation has no fundamental differences from the wooden counterpart. Elements are arranged in rows from the far corner of the room. To ensure the overlap of the joints, the planks of the next row are shifted by half relative to the previous one. Reliability of connection of cork panels is provided with a lock groove. To latch the hitch, a rubber block is brought to the side of the new element and gently tapped on it with a hammer.
- Install skirting boards. They will hide the bumps that have turned out at the junction of the laminate to the wall. To create a complete picture, it is recommendeduse cork products. However, they can be replaced with wooden or plastic ones. Cork plinths are attached to a special glue. Products made of plastic and wood are mounted using self-tapping screws or nails. A millimeter gap is left between the laminate and the plinth.
- The laid coating is already ready for use. Its quality is not inferior to the cork floor.
Cork laminate is also among the prestigious and high-quality floor coverings. The pros and cons of this material will allow you to better evaluate it.
Pros of cork laminate
- Repairability. Cork laminate can withstand many assembly and disassembly cycles. These operations do not affect its appearance in any way. Deformed elements are easily replaced by new ones.
- It's easy to work with. You can lay the laminate yourself. This does not require special skills and numerous tools.
- According to reviews, the floor saves heat well. The structure of the cork does not allow it to be cold even during the winter months.
- Additional sound insulation of the room. The cork prevents sound from the lower floor from entering the room.
- Affordable price. Laminate will cost the owner of the apartment much cheaper than solid cork.
- High strength due to the absence of gaps between the elements.
- Compared to a board, cork is softer, making it more pleasant to step on.
- Material does not burn.
Disadvantages of cork laminate
The coating is afraid of high humidity and especially water - this is the main and main drawback of the laminate, which is noted by the owners. From the action of the liquid, the fibreboard, which is used as a supporting structure, swells first of all. It is allowed to wash the floor only with a well-wrung rag, using household chemicals intended for cork coating.
For insurance, it is recommended to buy a moisture-resistant cork laminate. It has a varnish coating that protects the material from contact with water. Cork laminate is rough to the touch, which indicates its naturalness and specific structure. There is increased friction between the sole and the floor. To prevent socks from wearing out very quickly, it is better to wear slippers.
Docking tiles and laminate
The use of ceramic tiles in certain areas of the floor may be in demand for various reasons. The most important of them is that this material is more durable and resistant to mechanical stress and dampness. With it, you can finish the floor areas at the front door or sink. Upon completion of the laying of tiles and cork laminate, the seam between them will have to be sealed. There are many ways to solve this problem.
Cork compensator between tiles and laminate masks a gap up to 0.5 cm wide. Its use is possible only when the materials have absolutely smooth edges without chips or other defects. The compensator makes it possible to lay the laminate without fixing it onglue.
Choice of cork laminate
Class and other coverage parameters are selected depending on the planned place of its use. For an office, the thickness of the panels should not be less than 3.2 mm. The higher the wear resistance class, the more durable the laminate is. In rooms with high traffic use the 33rd class. Cork laminate for wet areas must be provided with a special underlay, and the locks must be treated with a special compound.
Cork laminate manufacturers
Cork came to us from the western coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Portuguese factories produce 25% of all cork laminate. The products of German enterprises are of good quality. Many factories are engaged in its manufacture in other European countries, as well as in China.
Buying cork laminate
Where to buy cork laminate? Leroy Merlin is one of the largest building materials hypermarkets, which offers a wide selection of this flooring. Before buying, be sure to determine the number of strips that are needed for a particular room. To the calculated area, a margin for irregularities should be added. It doesn’t matter if there are extra canvases left. They need to be put aside and cherished.
No one knows what might happen to the coating and when. If you have a spare tire, you can always replace damaged strips with new ones. There is no guarantee that the store will then still sell laminate of the same make, model and color.
Reviews
On cork laminate, customer reviews are exactly the opposite. But if you carefully study them, you can make an obvious conclusion: you should not expect miracles from cheap material. The main negative is associated with the purchase of products of the lowest price category or the conditions of its operation.
