The Skinning Device Under Cork Floor Covering

On the sunny shores of the Mediterranean Sea, their evergreen crowns spread out cork oaks, from the bark of which they make soles for shoes, bottle caps and clothes for the floor. If you cover the floors with this natural material, then in one fell swoop you can solve a large number of problems. Already the fact that this is a natural material, that is, without chemical impurities, speaks in his favor. But besides this, the cork cover protects against cold and noise, it does not absorb smells and does not show mold. It does not accumulate static electricity and has anti-allergic properties. And at the same time, it is durable, beautiful, and is not afraid of heavy objects, or female heels. Easy to operate and lay.

Cork covers are produced in the form of multi-layer pressed panels with a decorative top layer. It can be both square tiles, and rectangular slats, with a thickness of 4 to 12 mm, of various sizes. The main condition for the storage of packages will be a dry and well ventilated room. Before packing, the package is opened and the tiles are allowed to rest for 24 hours at room temperature.

In order for the cork to serve you for a long time and not lose its qualities, you must carefully prepare the base for it. Naturally, the base must be strong, even and firm. If you have a freshly laid concrete or cement base, then it must be carefully aligned with such mixtures as "Vetonit", "Alfix" or any other similar type of action. The only condition for choosing an equalizing mixture, in its composition there should be no casein.

If the base is already in use, treat it with a fixer like Primer TS, which penetrates into the thickness of the screed and strengthens it, increasing strength. Do not forget about the moisture content of the substrate, which should be no more than 2.5%. If the humidity is more than permissible, then additional drying will be required, or the use of special compounds such as Ceresite CN-72.

It is better to check the percentage of humidity with special instruments, but, in extreme cases, you can use a square (1x1 m) of polyethylene film for this purpose. The square of the film is spread on the surface of the floor and densely pasted with adhesive tape around the perimeter. If the wet dark spot does not appear on the floor after three days, and the film itself is not covered with droplets of water from inside, everything is in order. Otherwise, the substrate moisture exceeds the permissible values and it is necessary to take measures to reduce it.

If the base is a wooden floor, it is better to cover it with sheets of moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of at least 8 mm. Plywood should be fixed to the base with screws, then carefully zashpatlevat and clean the joints of the sheets. Of course, you can use other materials: hardboard, chipboard or DSP. But it should be remembered that the hardboard material is not hard and to hide with its help the unevenness of the floor will not work.

Tile tiles do base under the cork coating is not recommended, like linoleum, except when it is tightly adhered to the base and to the strength of the connection there are no complaints.

When the base fully meets all the above requirements, you can proceed to the installation of the cork floor. You will need: a cushion and a glue tray, a notched trowel, a tape measure and a square, a knife and a pencil, a rubber mallet and a cotton rag. Before laying, all tiles of the lot should be sorted by the most pleasant combination of color and structure. Then, find the center of the room and start from this point to lay out the dry tiles. You can stack the plates one by one or offset from each other, as someone likes. The plates are not brought to the walls by 3-4 mm. Cut the tiles with a knife or a single-sided razor blade, applying a masking tape along the cutting line to avoid breaking the cork. After laying all the tiles and making sure that all the plates have properly laid down in both directions, you can proceed to their labeling.

The glue must be applied both to the tile itself and to the base with a notched trowel or roller. Wait after applying glue for 15-20 minutes and force the tiles to press the entire surface. For better grip, you can tap the tile with a rubber mallet. The next tile is glued without gaps back to back with the previous one. And you can immediately walk on the laid tiles. In this work, the paraphrased proverb "Seven times measure, one - glue" is very actual. The material is not cheap, but glue grasps instantly.

If you lay not a tile, but cork parquet, then remember that you can walk on it only in a day, and start cleaning - two. An important factor here is a good ventilation of the premises, both during the laying of the parquet, and after. The same technology of laying parquet boards is similar to the technology of laying an ordinary board parquet.