Cork flooring (was Travertine tile for floor?)

[LD]

Judging by the answers I've received so far, it would appear that travertine tiles would not be the best choice for our bathroom. "Roger" ( [e-mail])suggested that we consider cork. Any one out there familiar with cork? How would cork compare to ceramic tile (or, for that matter, to hardwood), in terms of durability? Maintainance? Would our pet (a husky) damage it? Would a cork floor require an underlayment ? If so, what type? Since cork is a natural insulator, should we forget about radiant heating and revert back to forced air (which is what we currently have)?

TIA

LD

[TKM]

Cork is O.K. for floors. It is warm, comfortable to walk on, helps the room acoustics, dry mops easily and is not hard to install over a plywood underlay. Cork expands and contracts more than other materials (moisture and temperature), so tiles have to be "acclimated" and they are a bit harder to lay. I had a whole house with floors of cork tile, including bathrooms, for several years.

It is, however, a bit harder to maintain and the surface layer (some kind of plastic finish over the cork wood itself) can be scratched. We had to be careful with it in the bathrooms and kitchen because the installer said that water could work its way into the cracks and possibly damage or raise the tile. That never happened, but it was always a concern and maybe that's changed anyway with the newer finishes. You should ask. Color choices with cork are very limited.

For bathrooms or where floors are often splashed or wet, nothing can beat ceramic in my view because "water happens" and I don't like to spend time in crisis cleaning situations when the sink or toilet overflows. My present house is all ceramic tile with area rugs for softness and accents and non-skid vinyl in the laundry room. It's been a great low-maintenance flooring approach with no water or pet worries.

I looked at travertine tiles, but they seemed a bit soft and dirt can accumulate in the surface. Porcelain tile is rugged, but it scratches and is very slippery when wet. Ceramic tile can be obtained in numerous textures, colors and styles. If you use any kind of ceramic, I would suggest not using white grout. It gets dirty unevenly and is a constant maintenance problem. Instead, use a fairly dark color that contrasts with the tile. Some installers recommend sealing the grout (not the tile). I didn't do that and now, more than a year after installation, the grout looks fine.

TKM

[William Brown]

We had ceramic tile in our bathroom, but for some reason what appeared to be adequate subflooring was not and we were always having cracked tiles. When we had the bathroom redone six months ago we put in cork and we are really happy with it. No more cracks. No more cold floor. And it looks good.

Ours came with some polyurethane, and I put on three or four coats after the tiles were laid, and we have had no problems with water leakage attendant to normal bathroom use. There was a small bottle of coloring, so I think they are acknowledging that the floor could be cut or scratched with abuse. I anticipate the flooring will last quite a while. Our cat hasn't hurt it; we don't have a dog. I don't have underfloor heating, but I recall reading that there was some type of limit involved when using cork flooring and underfloor heating: I think the heating could be no higher than x degrees (I've forgotten the number but it seemed to be higher than what would be comfortable).

Based > Judging by the answers I've received so far, it would appear that

[David Smith]