When Should I Supply Selections?
Cork has become a very popular flooring option in recent years, with homeowners opting for it because it is a sustainable building material with minimal environmental impact, as well as having a number of added benefits, including:
• Durability – Cork flooring holds up very well and maintains a uniform appearance even with wear and tear
• Comfort – Cork flooring has a bit of “give” to it which makes it comfortable to walk on. It is also good a absorbing sound and retaining warmth
• Safety – Cork flooring is fire-resistant, as well as resistant to mold and termites
With all those benefits in mind, you might want to consider cork flooring for your new project in Port Washington. But is cork flooring suitable for every application? Some special preparation needs to be done to use cork in certain rooms, particularly in basements. It’s also important to check with the flooring manufacturer if they recommend their cork flooring product in below-grade (that is, below ground-level) and if their warranty covers moisture damage.
The concrete slab that makes up the subfloor of most basements is water-permeable, and even a dry-looking slab can have enough moisture present to cause issues with cork flooring that’s been installed directly. As a result, a common workaround is to install the cork flooring as a floating floor. In this method, individual boards are locked together over a underlayment which acts as a barrier between the cork boards and the slab. By interlocking the boards as opposed to gluing them down, it also allows the floorboards to flex naturally as they respond to humidity changes in your basement.
Even with this workaround available, the prudent homeowner will cover their bases before they call up their contractor in Huntington to come do the installation. Testing the humidity of the basement over the course of a few days is an important step. If the basement is too humid on a regular basis, it can lead to problems with floorboards swelling and cracking, even if properly installed. You might, at least, need to use a dehumidifier regularly to help keep the basement dry. Thoroughly inspecting the slab in the basement for places where groundwater could potentially seep in is also important.
So if you’re really determined to install cork floors in your basement, do your research and really make sure it’s a suitable choice for your particular home’s environment! Better to be disappointed and choose a different flooring type than to give yourself a headache and a potentially costly repair bill.