Flooring Options

[thebitmaster]

Originally Posted by maryb

Thebitmaster....this looks like a pretty old thread, but we are currently researching cork flooring for our yurt that we are putting up in Austin. I would love to know where you purchased your cork flooring & also how it has held up over the years. Thanks.

Hi Mary,

I got mine at Lumber Liquidators. Because my square footage was so small it was easy to get some leftovers on clearance. Overall I've been very happy with it. The one problem is that it does pucker if water stands on it for too long. A quick mop up and there's no problem, but if the water stays for a long time it will cause the floor to pop up a bit. It has a few scuffs here and there, but overall I really like it. It's easy on the feet, looks good, provides a little more

insulation

, and it would be pretty easy to replace bad boards because it's lapped.

I'd love to see your local yurt setup when it's safer to do so. I haven't really networked much with other yurt dwellers in Austin, but I'm sure there are many of us.

Scott

[maryb]

Originally Posted by thebitmaster

I installed my cork flooring after the yurt was up. It simply stops short of the wall lattice, leaving a small gap. Since my 12' yurt is pretty full, I don't see the gap. Overall the cork has been fabulous. It's easy on the feet and tougher than you'd guess. It can pucker from excessive water, but only if it's allowed to sit for long periods of time where it can slip between tiles.

Sheet vinyl, especially the new kind that's more bendable than the old style can be great, especially if the yurt is moved semi-regularly. Just roll it into place and you're done.

To cut the edges for board flooring, I made a curved edge at the right curvature on a piece of thin plywood that was bigger than the boards. I would measure and mark from both corners the distance to the wall for each piece. Then I would lay the curve connecting both points and trace the circular edge. This way you only need two measurements per cut. I can post a diagram if that would be helpful.

It can definitely be easier to *cut* the flooring before you put the yurt up, because you can just let it hang over the edge of the subfloor, draw a big circle, and run around the edge with a jigsaw. That's way faster and easier than trying to cut and fit each edges piece as you go.

Originally Posted by thebitmaster

Hi Mary,

I got mine at Lumber Liquidators. Because my square footage was so small it was easy to get some leftovers on clearance. Overall I've been very happy with it. The one problem is that it does pucker if water stands on it for too long. A quick mop up and there's no problem, but if the water stays for a long time it will cause the floor to pop up a bit. It has a few scuffs here and there, but overall I really like it. It's easy on the feet, looks good, provides a little more

insulation

, and it would be pretty easy to replace bad boards because it's lapped.

I'd love to see your local yurt setup when it's safer to do so. I haven't really networked much with other yurt dwellers in Austin, but I'm sure there are many of us.

Scott

Thanks Scott,
So you just bought a roll of cork - rather than tongue & groove flooring? It sounds like you choose this so that you could move your yurt, yes?
Ours will be in one place so we are trying to figure out the most cost effective, long lasting, nice looking way to do the flooring. We will be using it for a school room. I like that it will add a softness & some sound insulation to the space.
I would also love to see your setup when things are safer. We are in SW austin. How about you?

[thebitmaster]

Originally Posted by maryb

Thanks Scott,
So you just bought a roll of cork - rather than tongue & groove flooring? It sounds like you choose this so that you could move your yurt, yes?
Ours will be in one place so we are trying to figure out the most cost effective, long lasting, nice looking way to do the flooring. We will be using it for a school room. I like that it will add a softness & some sound insulation to the space.
I would also love to see your setup when things are safer. We are in SW austin. How about you?

I did use tongue-and-groove. Any board type flooring makes cutting the edges painful. It helps to cut out a piece of wood or plastic the same curvature as the outer wall. Then you can use a sharpie to draw the arc on the next board for cutting.

The cork I have probably wouldn't wear well with classroom level traffic unless it were poly-sealed or something. I'm no flooring expert, but you might consider some foam underlayment and then some kind of vinyl plank or tile. They come in all kinds of patterns, tile, marble, wood, etc, and many are nano-coated with something harder. They're cheap, durable, and don't pucker with standing water. I used a tile version when selling my house that was actually groutable, and it looked and felt 100% real. They also have the flexible vinyl sheets which are way easier to install. You cut it put to a slightly larger circle than the floor, then put it in and trim down the edges.

I'm out East in Hornsby Bend.

Scott