Cork Flooring

[Bob Belter]

Ahoy, BusFolks,
Does anyone have any comments on cork flooring in a bus conversion?  I looked at web sites and samples, and it looks to be successful and just great.
Thanks   /s/   Bob

[JohnEd]

Only down side is that it is fragile to abuse.  High heels will bring tears to your eyes.  Dragging furnature.....lots of stuff.  It is quiet, insulative and attractive....not to mention easily cut and fit.  Given that you closely control the traffic in a bus it should be great.  Pay a lot of attention to the cement you use as a bus will certainly amplify the side affects of almost everything.  What cements do the hi line converters use in the bus?  They most certainly have looked into the various problems.  Cork itself out gasses something.  Even news print does and that is Good Housekeeping Approved for the flooring in a Canary cage.

John

[Iceni John]

I'm also interested in cork, either as an underlayment or a top floor.   I've looked at bamboo flooring as well, and it's also definitely worth considering.   I wonder how cork or bamboo deal with extremes of humidity and temperature?   Do they have to float, like laminate flooring, or can they be secured (glued) down?   My present floor is 1-1/2" marine ply with 1/8" Armstrong rubber on top, and because it's in excellent condition I plan on laying my final floor on top, leaving the rubber as a moisture barrier.   Has anyone here used cork?

another John

[MikeH]

Hi,

I can't speak to a cork floor in a bus, but we have used an engineered cork flooring in 2 bedrooms in our house. It is beautiful and strong. It has a poly finish on it, but we put pads under the furniture to make sure that it won't get scratched. The stuff we have is tongue in groove, and we put it down as a floating floor,very easy to install. Someone else will have to give an opinion on a floating floor in a bus.

Mike

[bryanhes]

I have been looking into this for a while and if I went this way I would probably glue it. Lots of positives to the product. One of the things John mentioned was gassing in a small area. Our buses tend to be closed up more so than a house and I have read that some products will put off a Petroleum type smell. I would check with the manufacturer about what you plan to use it in and get some feedback from them on installation etc..

These guys are supposed to be one of the best in the industry: http://worldwide.wicanders.com/main.php?mercado=9

Here are a couple other links you might find useful:
http://www.duro-design.com/index.cfm/durodesign-bamboo-cork-oak-maple-pine-eucalyptus-flooring/
http://www.corkfloor.com/index.html

Here is another link to questions about motorhome applications: http://www.everything-about-rving.com/i-want-to-put-cork-flooring-in-my-rv-what-is-the-best-way-to-do-it.html


HTH,
Bryan