If you are a fan of ecological materials, then cork wall covering will be a great solution when renovating an apartment. Cork is a good heat and sound insulator, antistatic, it is durable and can be easily combined with a variety of materials. This flooring is available in brown tiles, rolls or wallpaper.
Types of cork wall covering
- Slabs. Sheet cork wall covering (slabs) is the most popular type. This is a cork in several layers, polished with a special tool. Usually the thickness of the sheets is 3-4 mm. Standard sizes - 3060 cm or 3030 cm. The peculiarity of the plates is the presence of a protective varnish or wax layer. They can be used in any room.
- Rolls. Cork rolls are 2 mm thick. The basis is pressed cork chips, veneer is applied to it. The surface can be waxed for greater practicality and moisture resistance.
- Wallpaper. Cork wall coverings in the form of wallpaper are cork veneer on a paper base 1 mm thick. Eco friendly wallpaperstick on the example of vinyl. It turns out a pleasant to the touch surface. The cork surface does not attract dust. Such wallpapers are not recommended only for walls in the bathroom and in the kitchen, as they do not have a protective coating. Sound and heat insulation in cork wallpaper is low.
Cork wall covering: installation
It is easy to stick cork wallpaper or tiles on your own, it is better to entrust the installation of rolls to a specialist.
For wallpaper, follow these guidelines:
- The material is cut and trimmed dry.
- Glue is used special for cork or heavy wallpaper.
- Glue is applied with a roller for even distribution.
- Wall pasting is done from top to bottom with a margin of 3 cm.
- Excess wallpaper from the baseboards and the ceiling is cut with scissors.
- Bubbles flatten.
The new cork wall covering is self-adhesive cork wallpaper. Their thickness is less than a millimeter. They are easy to stick on a clean and dry surface, easy to clean.
Finishing with slabs is also not difficult. You need to make sure that the wall is even, dry and clean, not wet. If the surface has imperfections, they must be removed:
- The painted surface is cleaned with sandpaper.
- Shedding areas are treated with a primer.
Before work, all tiles are removed from the package and kept at room temperature for 2 days. This isprevents cracks and deformation. The temperature in the room when laying the plates must be at least +18 degrees Celsius. The location of the first tile is determined by the intersection of two perpendicular lines.
Glue is selected in accordance with the instructions. It can be acrylic or its analogue, or contact. It is applied with a special spatula on the tile and on the wall. After applying the adhesive, you must wait 15-20 minutes, and only then lay the tiles - this will ensure good adhesion. When finishing with plates, remember that the sheet cannot be moved after gluing. The tile attached to the wall must be pressed and rolled with a rubber roller.
Cork wallcovering, with proper care, lasts 20 years or more. It only needs to be wiped from time to time with a damp sponge and cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.
