If you’re a homeowner you may or may not know the satisfaction of handling a home improvement project on your own. It’s strange, but as a homeowner myself I take great pride when I’m able to tackle any repairs or improvements to my home; and you might too if you haven’t tried it yet. This article is designed to help educate you on a simple do it yourself flooring project for your home using floating cork flooring. Not only is cork an eco-friendly material, but the concept of a floating floor means you can easily handle this project with little to no experience. Let’s dive into the wonderful world of cork floating floors!
Before we get into all the mumbo jumbo of home improvement let’s take a moment to review cork and learn why it’s an eco-friendly choice as a flooring solution. Cork is actually the bark from the cork oak tree; cork is commercially harvested by removing a small layer of the bark of the cork oak tree. This process is 100% safe and doesn’t harm the cork oak tree in any way, shape or form. In fact, a cork oak tree can produce cork material for over 200 years. So, if you do choose the route of a floating cork floor you can rest assure that you can brag about its eco-friendly properties along side its beauty.
Now, I know what you must be thinking “Sounds like a great product, and sounds expensive!” I’ll agree that cork flooring isn’t the cheapest wood flooring product on the market, but it’s one of the most beautiful and durable. The big cost in any type of home improvement or home repair project is the labor. Look at a past bill or maybe a neighbor’s past bill and you’ll see that a minimum of 60% of the bill was labor. You can save a lot of money if you simply try to tackle the project yourself.
Yes, regardless what thought ran through your mind after reading the above last sentence you CAN tackle a project like this yourself. One of the primary benefits of a floating cork floor system is the fact it’s simple to install. You can even install a floating cork floor right over an existing floor as long as it’s not too badly beat-up and level. There is inter-locking system that snaps the floating cork planks together, so you don’t even need any glue! The manufacturer will provide easy to follow instructions on how to install it yourself.