Cork on the floor?

Posted by Barry on Jan 19, 2012 in Blog, Trends | 0 comments

Cork on the floor?

Of Course, but be aware.

Cork flooring has been around for many years, but it’s seeing  a resurgence due to its unique aesthetics and unparalled green story. Keep these 10 facts in mind if you’re working with cork for the first time.

1) Cork is not a structural product. If you’re installing 3/16- or 5/16-inch cork tiles or planks, the structure needs to come from the substrate. If it’s plywood, you’ll need at least 1 inch of plywood down before installing the cork. Directly adhering to concrete slabs and/or Portland-based level compounds is the most common method for commercial (and some residential) applications.

2) Inconsistencies in the substrate translate to the surface. Installing cork is like installing resilient flooring—the substrate needs to be free of any imperfections or they will show in the floor’s surface. If the subfloor is plywood, it must be underlayment-grade plywood and it cannot have any voids. Lots of people try to use luan, but luan can dent easily, which will transfer to the cork’s surface. OSB and particleboard also are not acceptable. It is important to follow manufacturers’ requirements; if you deviate from recommended substrates, you void the warranty.

3) The subfloor can never be too clean. Those who are used to installing hardwood floors should think about getting the subfloor as clean as they would want to get a wood floor before they put on their last finish coat. A good rule of thumb is, “The substrate can’t be too smooth, too flat or too clean.” Imperfections might not show up immediately, but once the light changes or the floor is exposed to normal traffic, they may appear.

4) You must follow the instructions for the adhesive. Most cork manufacturers only recommend a low- or zero-VOC contact adhesive. This adhesive is applied to both the back of the tile and the substrate. When these two adhesive films make “contact” with each other, they create a very strong bond. When putting the tiles in place, the adhesive will grab, so be careful to put it down exactly where you want it to go—you will not be able to push or slide a tile into place. Once placed, use a soft-faced rubber mallet to hit the entire tile surface to ensure the two films become one.

5) Know if it’s homogeneous or veneer cork. Know what construction you have before you do any abrading or finishing. Homogeneous (where the color/pattern goes through the product) is preferred for medium to heavy commercial installations, as it can be sanded. Veneer cork patterns can be screened but cannot be sanded. It is important to maintain the finish coats on both homogeneous and veneer cork. This is usually done when wear is starting to show. RNB Flooring does not carry unfinished cork flooring.

6) Don’t be too aggressive when sanding. Lots of people use multi-head sanders to resand a cork floor, and they work well. You can also use a big machine, but you need soft drum tension and nothing coarser than a 120 belt. If you’re sanding a newly installed unfinished cork floor, you can just use a buffer and a 120 or 150 screen.

7) Many finishes work, but check with the cork manufacturer. Every cork manufacturer has specific recommendations for approved finishes on their cork. While it is possible that finishes other than their approved finish may work, the manufacturer will not support a warranty with an unapproved finish. Recommended finishes are primarily water-based urethanes; however, wax and natural oil systems are also sometimes used.

Maintenance is the same. You should maintain a cork floor exactly like you would a wood floor. If you wouldn’t do it on wood, don’t do it on cork.

9) Go vertical. These products are also popular for walls. The installation is the same—with contact adhesive rolled on. Many times wall installations use a wax finish.

10) When in doubt, call the manufacturer first. Manufacturers welcome phone calls for clarification of instructions and procedures prior to installations, not after.

Laminate construction

Posted by Barry on Jan 17, 2012 in Blog | 2 comments

Although this is from Shaw’s web site, it applies in general to all types of first quality laminate floors. These start at about $2.29 Sq.Ft. retail.

As an aside, in flooring, price does determine quality. If you pay a small amount the manufacturer cannot afford to supply a quality product. Remember that in flooring there really are no manufacturer’s discounts.

Pay a fair amount and your floors will last longer.

And now, back to construction.

Laminate flooring offers a wide selection of designs that offer the look and feel of beautiful hardwood, ceramic tile, and slate. Laminate is a composite designed to endure more-than-average wear and tear. A direct-pressure manufacturing process fuses four layers into one extremely hard surface.

• The back is reinforced with melamine for structural stability and moisture resistance
• OptiCore – Shaw’s laminate coreboard that’s strong, stable, and moisture-resistant.
• Providing the floor’s beauty, the decorative layer is actually a highly detailed photograph that gives the laminate the appearance of wood or tile . The more you spend, the more varied and random the pattern for a more natural look.
• Melamine wear top layer is a tough, clear finish reinforced with aluminum oxide, one of the hardest mineral compounds known to man, to resist staining, fading, surface moisture, and wear

The resulting floor is a technological breakthrough. There’s no staining, no fading, and no wear through.

Other noteworthy features:

• Shaw Laminate flooring is incredibly durable and stain resistant. Such problem spills as nail polish, grease, and mustard simply wipe off.
• Patented tongue-and-groove locking technology eliminates unsightly gaps at the seams.

Laminate repair

Posted by Barry on Jan 12, 2012 in Blog, Care & Cleaning Tips | 3 comments

Laminate floors are really tough, so are kids and Grand Dads. This is how we repair them

In the event that accidental damage occurs to one of the planks, minor scratches or dents can be repaired using a Flooring Touchup or Color-fill Kit. This special touchup kit is a filler material, color coordinated to the color of your floor so that, when used properly, the repaired area is often invisible. The repaired area will hold up to foot traffic and wear just like the rest of your laminate flooring.

Glueless laminate may be assembled and disassembled several times. Carefully disassembled glueless joints will retain their original locking integrity during re-assembly. New replacement plank(s) should be acclimated in the replacement area for at least 72 hours, to allow them to equalize to the conditions of the flooring in the room where the replacement(s) will take place.

Remove baseboard, wall base, or quarter-round as needed to replace the damaged board(s).

• Take the flooring apart, 1 row at a time, by lifting the rows to detach them; then separating the individual boards. Be sure to stack the individual planks in the proper order for re-installation. This usually eliminates the need to cut planks for start or end of the row lengths.
• Replace the damaged board with a piece from the edge of the original installation.
• Insert the properly acclimated new plank(s) along the outer edge of the original flooring installation during re-assembly. This minimizes the chance that a newer plank might stand out from the wear condition of the original installation.
• Re-install the baseboard, wall base, or quarter round, and the replacement-repair is complete.
• To see more specific information on Laminate Care and Maintenance, click here.

Or call RNB Flooring at (602) 265 1299 and we will scurry over.