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Installing Cork Floating Floors in the Kitchen!

It must be noted that enough people have asked enough questions to warrant a sub-section on installing a floating floor in a kitchen.

Please note: A kitchen installation requires two coats of water based polyurethane!

When sealing the floor with polyurethane, you are not “sealing” the cork, you are sealing the seams. This is to protect the HDF or High Density Fibreboard from water damage. You are also protecting your subfloor from water damage.

*For a basic, step by step, floating floor installation please visit our “Installation Guide for Floating Flooring”.

Materials required to complete this project:
1. Cork Floating Flooring (acclimatized x24-48hours)
2. Loba Supra Satin Polyurethane (or other water based polyurethane of similar quality)
3. Kitchen/bath caulking (found at any hardware store worth its salt)
4. Tape measurer and pencil
5. Saw
6. Hammer or mallet
7. Tapping block (can be made out of samples of your cork floor)
8. ¼ inch spacers or shimmies (can be made out of samples or off cuts)
9. Fine napped paint roller (an extension handle can save your back a lot of grief)
10. Medium sized container for mixing the 2 part Loba Supra Satin Polyurethane
11. Paint tray to hold the polyurethane mixture

Once your floor has been laid you will now need to seal or caulk the outside edges of the floor. This is especially important under or around the sink area as well as any area close/under/around a dishwasher. Apply the caulking onto the vertical edge (the edge that is showing the HDF layer) that is closest to the walls/cabinets. To make sure you have the entire surface of the cut edge of flooring covered in caulking you can smear the caulking with your finger over the floor’s edge. Once you are happy with your application, wipe up any extra caulking with a damp cloth.

Allow the caulking time to dry.

Varnish Application:

Mix your 2 part Loba polyurethane in a water tight container (ALWAYS follow the directions on the original container). Make sure you mix only the amount needed to seal your floor in 1 (one) coat. Leave the rest of the unmixed polyurethane in the original containers and seal the containers immediately.

Do NOT premix the polyurethane! Once mixed it has a small window of liquidity before it sets! Do NOT try to recap the container after four hours! A build-up of pressure could cause the container to burst!

Time Count Violation: Once the 2 part epoxy has been mixed you only have 3 hours of working time before the mixture hardens to become plastic. Once mixed, DO NOT RECAP or put a lid on the mixture after the four hour mark! Intense build-up of pressure may result in a very unpleasant event (like the container exploding)!

Measure out the appropriate amount of varnish and hardener into a container (many people use old yogurt containers) and shake vigorously. The varnish will change to a milky white substance. This is the colour you are looking for.

Pour your mixture into the paint tray. Dip the fine-napped paint roller into the polyurethane; making sure you have loaded the roller evenly. Apply the varnish by rolling on in one direction. This will avoid a “directional sheen” once the product has dried.

Allow polyurethane 4-6 hours to dry. The finish may be dry but it has not had time to cure. Any form of footwear that has a tread my leave imprints in the still-soft coat of polyurethane. After 24 hours the floor is available for light use (stocking feet only).

After 4-6 hours has passed the second coat can then be applied. The same rule applies when waiting for the second coat to dry. Once it has dried a curing time of up to 5 days should be observed. That means stocking feet and light traffic only. Do not place mats or rugs over the area until after the floor has been fully cured.

My personal recommendation to home owners who are remodeling their kitchen is this:

Apply the first coat of polyurethane in the evening. Once you have finished with your kitchen for the evening, apply your first coat. Put a chair with a little note on it to remind those “midnight snackers” to stay off the floor. The over-night period should be more than 8 hours in duration before anyone is allowed to use the kitchen the next day. Test your floor you’re your floor before walking on it! Overall temperature and humidity levels can cause a slower or faster dry time than what it says on the label.

The next day, go ahead and use the kitchen floor lightly and only with socks on your feet! Recoat your floor the same way the next evening following the same routine. By applying the varnish at night you will effectively give yourself almost 24 hours of curing time before the next coat is applied. This way you have the use of your kitchen while at the same time letting the floor cure.

You are all done! Congratulations, you have just installed a floating cork floor in an area that 10 years ago experts would have told you, “Never, ever in a kitchen!”!