Renters Solutions: Temporary Cork Floors on a Tiny Budget I love my tiny apartment, but I don't love the floors. While some rooms were done in wood, others were floored with an odd mish-mash of vinyl tile that would never get clean, chipped ceramic tile, and plywood (no flooring). The biggest trouble spots were in the kitchen and entry, since I was able to cover the majority of the non-wood with floating floors from IKEA. Due to the small size of these spots, laying the floating floors would mean lots of cutting and since my friend with the saw moved away, I was looking for something a bit easier to install. After researching various options that wouldn't make my landlord cringe (we're renters), I realized that they were all 1. Out of the budget, 2. Too permanent, or 3. Ideally I wanted flooring that would be under $1 per square foot and could be something I might potentially reuse. Here's what I found and how I made my rental flooring dreams come true under budget. After doing a bit of brainstorming I realised that cork could be just thing considering it's available on a roll for only $.70 a square foot.

Cork that makes for good flooring needs to be thicker than what one would buy for a bulletin board. I got mine thick, but not so thick that I'd need a saw to cut it. After prototyping with a few sheets of cork in various sizes (I use cork for bulletin boards, to line cabinets and shelves, and for coasters and trivets), I discovered that my ideal cork floors would be at least a 1/4 inch thick. Ecco Golf Shoes Outlet UkLuckily this was also the size of the cork on a roll that was available in from Home Depot (who also shipped it to my home for free).Bane Cat T Shirt Once the material was sorted, the next challenge was how to adhere it. Dog For Sale BatangasWhile cork cut to size can be snug, I didn't want it to rise in spots and so needed a little bit of adhesive to keep it flat.

The adhesives that Home Depot suggested I use with the cork were all far more permanent than what I was looking for, so I turned to my mom, the avid scrapbooker, for help. Mom's scrapbooking habit lends itself to numerous adhesives, only some of which are permanent, and all of which are non-destructive, and so on her recommendation I picked up a can of 3M General Purpose 45 Photo Safe adhesive. The project took just under 3 hours, with the longest amount of time spent on measuring and getting the fit right. If you're looking to do this project and don't mind have the cork permanently adhered, I strongly recommend using a more permanent adhesive, as the one that I used for this project came loose once it got a bit humid. Use the measurements to create a template for your floor using the kraft paper. Cut the kraft paper to measure and fit it in the space, making any necessary adjustments. Use the cut kraft paper as a template for cutting the cork. Cut the cork carefully, as thinner cork will break off easily at the edges.

Lay the cork on the floor, making any additional fit adjustments. Adhere the cork to the floor, working a section at a time. Place pots and pans over the glued down cork to help it adhere. Note that it will take longer for it to set if the room is warm. Outdoor flooringStep out onto terraces and balconies in style and comfort, with our easy-to-lay outdoor flooring. The decking is an instant way to upgrade any outdoor space and create an area for lounging and dining. And when seasonal weather sends you indoors, it’s easy to disassemble and store, too. Outdoor flooring for practical and safe use With outdoor flooring, you get a good strong surface on which to set up your barbecue, relax in deck chairs and generally admire the fruits of your gardening labors. Laying decking is a great way to add style to your outdoor area – and it’s fast and easy to do. You’ll want to make the most of your garden in summer and winter, so make it as easy on bare feet as with shoes by putting down some PLATTA outdoor flooring.

Outdoor flooring to let you enjoy the fresh air PLATTA outdoor decking is made from strips of acacia wood in a panelled design. An acrylic glazing paint gives it a smooth surface and a polished gleam. Outdoor flooring like this is easy to maintain; simply wash down regularly with a mild soapy solution to keep the whole surface fresh and clean – and when small cracks appear or the surface is dried out you simply re-glaze it. Have parties, dinner and weekends outside by making your outdoor space a pleasure to be in. You could also add some additional touches with our decorative lights or outdoor furniture to really create a stylish atmosphere in the great outdoors. Who says you can’t mix business with pleasure? It might be work, but it doesn’t have to feel like it. All it takes is a comfy chair, home office furniture that keeps things organized, and the right lighting for the job. And by making it easier to tackle those to-do’s, you’ll have more time to spend on your wanna-do’s.

Desks & computer desks, Table tops & legs, Cable management & accessories Cabinets & display cabinets, Sideboards, buffets & sofa tables Cork is the bark of the Cork Oak tree. Cork forests cover 5.4 million acres around the world, with the primary areas being the Mediterranean region of Europe (Portugal, Spain) and northern Africa. Fifty per cent of the world’s cork production is in Portugal, mostly because of the climate and soil conditions that make Portugal a prime area for the growth of cork oak forests. Cork is meticulously harvested by hand. On average, trees are not harvested until they are mature — about 25 years old. The bark is then stripped on 9-year cycles. No cork trees have ever fell during harvesting, and only 50 per cent of the bark is removed at one time. This enables the cork oak tree to use its own natural defences to protect itself from disease, etc. Cork oak trees live 150 to 200 years. After cork bark is harvested and aged for 3–6 months it’s cleaned and boiled for production.

The rough exterior is cut off and the rest is ground up and mixed in a binder. A paste is added to cork granules, and then the cork is molded into large blocks and baked. Once the cork is baked, the blocks are sliced to make cork planks or tiles. Light, medium and dark cork colours are achieved by baking the cork at varying temperatures. Stains for custom colours are applied just prior to the application of UV Acrylic Varnish. Cork has high visual appeal created by its distinctive random grain. The natural grains of the cork mean no two tiles or planks look alike. Cork is quiet and resilient (it “gives” under normal pressures) because there are 100-million prism-shaped, air-filled cells per cubic inch of cork. Cork has an insulating factor of about R-2.8 per inch. Its natural insulating properties mean cork flooring can help reduce heating and cooling costs.Because of its natural properties cork resists mold, mildew, bacteria. Cork is a natural fire retardant.

It’s used by NASA as an insulator on space shuttles and unmanned rockets. (A ¼” thick layer of cork, for example, is used on the Delta II rocket — the Mars Rover II — to prevent rocket fuel from becoming too hot during engine ignition.) Cork is warm under the feet. As Cork is 50% air, it will absorb the heat of your feet while walking on it and will reflect it back to you. This is why you have a nice warm sensation when walking bare feet on Cork. A comparison heat test has been done with different floors. The following graphics show you how Cork is much warmer under the feet than any other type of floorcovering, like vinyl or hardwood. Although Cork is resilient flooring, certain care must be taken to prevent damage from furniture feet and pet nails, etc. Furniture feet should have pads on them; pet nails must be kept trimmed. Minor scratches in cork floor can be camouflaged. Because cork is a natural product it is affected by humidity. Cork flooring expands and contracts.

Humidity levels need to be between 30% and 60% to prevent cork flooring from either drying out or becoming too moist. Cork is a natural product with shade variations that enhance its look. Also, because Cork is a natural product fading will occur with exposure to sunlight. Cork in Your Home Cork floors work really well in spaces that get used: entrances, hallways, kitchens, family rooms, bedrooms. Cork is available in a range of textures for different décor needs and styles. Cork tiles or planks can be mixed and matched to enhance different décor styles and create customized looks. CASUAL interiors: Cork pulls together mix & match patterns ie. furniture, creating a warm,comfortable look. A “Casual” style, for example, is a “Roots” kind of furniture look, or an “Ikea” kind of casual look. Furniture can be mixed, but the cork floor pulls all the room elements together. MODERN interiors: Modern interiors have sharp lines and minimalist looks in terms of furniture.

The modern look can be stark, but the use of cork textures warm up the room and prevent starkness. Cork also adds a dramatic touch to a modern interior. Cork has been used in flooring for over 100 years. It was first used in the United States in 1890. Some famous examples of buildings where cork flooring was used — the First Congressional Church in Chicago (1890); the Mayo Clinic and Plummer Building (1912); the U.S. National Archives (1930); the U.S. Library of Congress; and Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania (1930). In Canada, a famous example is the old Toronto Stock Exchange (although the cork floors used there were the old massive cork tiles that could be sanded and refinished, like hardwood). Cork was extremely popular in the U.S. for almost the entire first half of the 20th Century, from 1900 to 1945. It was popular and widely used in both residential and commercial applications. From 1900–1945, cork was a common flooring choice for government buildings, banks, universities and houses.