Cork is a fine material for bathroom floors. It is warm on the feet even when wet. It is also soft to step on and it actually compresses as you step on it, thus absorbing some of the impact of your footfall. Cork is harvested from cork oak. When harvesting, the tree is not felled. Instead, only its bark is stripped, leaving the wood to regenerate and continue producing cork for about 200 years. This qualifies cork as an environmentally friendly flooring material.
Cork floors are broadly classified into cork tile and floating cork floors. There is really no fundamental difference between the two except in their sizes and the installation method.
As its name implies, cork tiles come in standard tile sizes, although the most common size available is 12″ x 12″ square. Most floor tiles can be installed on a concrete floor provided it is flat and free from cracks. If your floor is not made of concrete, you will need to read the tiles’ accompanying instructions or inquire with your supplier which type of sub-floor is compatible with the tiles.
Cork tiles require adhesives for installation. Often, they will also need some type of sealant to be applied after gluing them for protection against moisture and scratches. For these reasons, it has been recommended that the installation of cork tile be left to professionals or only to the most accomplished DIYers.
Floating cork floors, on the other hand, are a more end-user friendly flooring material. They come in planks of varying sizes and they can be installed on any floor with a minimum of preparation. You can lay them out over vinyl or ceramic tiles as long they are even and not too badly worn.
The planks have special connections along their edges, such as tongues and grooves, which allow them to be snapped together. With this feature, they do not require the use of glues or adhesives for installation. Owing to this, even beginning DIYers can easily install floating cork floors, allowing them to save on expenses for professional installers.