Re: Common House - cork?
From: R.P. Aditya (adityagrot.org)
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2011 05:19:50 -0800 (PST)
Hi,

On Thu, Mar 03, 2011 at 07:21:09PM -0800, Naomi Anderegg wrote:
> Does anyone have cork flooring--like this: 
> http://www.bamboofloorings.org/2010/11/09/cork-flooring-3/ ? I've
> heard/read good things--that it's eco-friendly, hygienic, has more
> give and cushioniness than wood, absorbs sound well, etc. It seems
> like it would be a good compromise when you need to get your flooring
> redone. But I don't have any personal experience with it, myself. I
> don't think it lasts as long as well-finished wood flooring, but I
> think that it probably holds up longer than carpet... I'm really just
> speculating on that, though.

We don't have cork flooring in our Common House (Marmoleum) but I do
have it in my home's finished basement and it is wonderful -- warm,
comfortable to stand/walk on for long periods and attractive. It was
also relatively inexpensive and easy to self-install as cork tiles.

That said, I would be wary of putting it in our Common House dining room
as there is always a possiblity of water/liquids dropping on it and
keeping the seams of the cork tiles sealed would be
challenging. Additionally, given all the moving of chairs and tables we
do, the chance of scuffing and tearing up the cork noticebly is fairly
high and having to refinish it (smooth it and reapply acrylic finish)
annually or more often seems like too high an effort (though we polish
the marmoleum that often).

For areas that are unlikely to see liquid spills and don't have
sharp-ish objects moved around on them (like furniture) cork is a great
alternative to carpet.

Adi
Great Oak Cohousing
Ann Arbor, MI
USA
http://gocoho.org

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