Cork cover for walls: types and features of installation

If you are a fan of environmental materials, then cork for walls will be an excellent solution when repairing an apartment. The cork is a good heat and sound insulator, antistatic, it is durable and easily combined with a variety of materials. This coating is available in the form of brown tiles, rolls or wallpaper.

Types of cork wall coverings

1. Plates. Sheet cork wall covering (slabs) is the most popular kind. This is a cork in several layers, polished with a special tool. Usually the thickness of the sheets is 3-4 mm. Standard sizes are 30 * 60 cm or 30 * 30 cm. The feature of the plates is the presence of a protective varnish or wax layer. They can be used in any room.
2. Rolls. Rolls of cork have a thickness of 2 mm. The basis is pressed cork crumb, it is applied veneer. The surface can be treated with wax for greater practicality and moisture resistance.
3. Wallpaper. Wall cork in the form of wallpaper - a cork veneer on a paper basis with a thickness of 1 mm. Environmentally friendly wallpaper paste on the example of vinyl. It gives a pleasant to the touch surface. The cork surface does not attract dust. Such wallpaper is not recommended only for use in walls in the bathroom and in the kitchen, since they do not have a protective coating. Sound and heat insulation in the cork wallpaper at a low level.

Cork cover for walls: installation

With its own forces it is easy to paste cork wallpaper or tiles, it is better to entrust rolls to a specialist.

For wallpapers, the following recommendations should be observed:

• The cutting of the material and its adjustment are carried out in dry form.
• Adhesive is used special for cork or for heavy wallpaper.
• The glue is applied with a roller for even distribution.
• Wall gluing is done from the top down with a margin of 3 cm.
• Surplus wallpaper at skirting boards and a ceiling are cut off by scissors.
• Bubbles are smoothed out.

A new cork for walls is a self-adhesive wallpaper made of cork. Their thickness is less than a millimeter. They are easily glued to a clean and dry surface, easy to clean.

Finishing the plates is also not difficult. You need to make sure that the wall is flat, dry and clean, not wet. If the surface has flaws, they must be removed:

• The painted surface is sanded.
• Shedding areas are treated with a primer.

Before work, all the tiles are removed from the package and allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 days. This prevents gaps and deformation. The temperature in the room when laying the plates should be at least +18 degrees Celsius. The location of the first tile is determined by the intersection of two perpendicular lines.

The adhesive is selected in accordance with the instructions. It can be acrylic or its analog, or contact. It is applied with a special spatula on the tile and on the wall. After applying glue, wait 15-20 minutes, and only then lay the tile - this will ensure a good grip. When finishing with slabs, remember that the sheet can not be moved after gluing. The tiles applied to the wall must be pressed and rolled with a rubber roller.

Cork cover for walls with proper care is 20 years or more. It should only be wiped from time to time with a damp sponge and vacuumed.