How to put cork tiles on the floor: two ways

Cork tiles are a good material for laying on the floor, if the owner wants to get not only a high-quality finish, but also an additional insulating layer. The cork is notable for its environmental friendliness, pleasant appearance, high moisture resistance and, which is especially good, simple laying technology. In the process of installing this product, it is worthwhile to understand more.

How to prepare for tile installation

The cork can even be laid on uneven floors. But in this case, you have to deal with a decorative floor covering, and under it you need to prepare a smooth and reliable foundation.

It is best if the floor is first poured with a cement-sand screed. But this is a time-consuming task, so it is sometimes more rational to lay a dry screed from MDF or OSB boards. Although there are situations when you do not need to prepare a special screed at all. For example, if linoleum was previously laid, and it was preserved in good condition, it is permissible to lay cork tiles immediately on it.

Cork tile mounting methods

There are two methods for laying cork floor tiles. In principle, when installing a laminate or parquet board, exactly the same approaches are used. So, the tile can be laid by floating or glue methods. Both are worth considering:

1. How to lay in a floating way. The essence of the approach is that cork tiles do not attach to the base. It is stacked, fitting each other with the help of a tongue-and-groove system. In this case, one requirement must be observed: the rows must be laid with the dressing of the seams. That is, each next row is shifted to the side relatively already laid earlier;
2. How to lay glue. A more time-consuming option, but it gives more opportunities. With the adhesive method, tiles are laid on mastic. But the main specificity is that with this approach, you can attach the tile from the center of the room. Then you get a more interesting finish. Nevertheless, adjacent elements should be fastened by means of a spike-groove system, if present. Although there are tiles on which there are no castle elements.

There is one general requirement for both methods. In particular, you should not lay cork tiles close to the walls. Around the perimeter of the room you need to retreat from them about a centimeter. Like wood, cork can expand if the humidity in the room or temperature rises. To compensate for this expansion, small gaps are needed.