the floor studio inc.

Know These 10 Facts for a Great Cork Job

the floor studio team — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:28:40 +0000

Cork flooring has been around for many years, but it’s seeing a resurgence due to its unique aesthetics and unparalled green story. Keep these 10 facts in mind if you’re working with cork for the first time.
1) Cork is not a structural product. If you’re installing 3/16- or 5/16-inch cork tiles or planks, the structure needs to come from the substrate. If it’s plywood, you’ll need at least 1 inch of plywood down before installing the cork. Directly adhering to concrete slabs and/or Portland-based level compounds is the most common method for commercial (and some residential) applications.
2) Inconsistencies in the substrate translate to the surface. Installing cork is like installing resilient flooring—the substrate needs to be free of any imperfections or they will show in the floor’s surface. If the subfloor is plywood, it must be underlayment-grade plywood and it cannot have any voids. Lots of people try to use luan, but luan can dent easily, which will transfer to the cork’s surface. OSB and particleboard also are not acceptable. It is important to follow manufacturers’ requirements; if you deviate from recommended substrates, you void the warranty.
3) The subfloor can never be too clean. Those who are used to installing hardwood floors should think about getting the subfloor as clean as they would want to get a wood floor before they put on their last finish coat. A good rule of thumb is, “The substrate can’t be too smooth, too flat or too clean.” Imperfections might not show up immediately, but once the light changes or the floor is exposed to normal traffic, they may appear.
4) You must follow the instructions for the adhesive. Most cork manufacturers only recommend a low- or zero-VOC contact adhesive. This adhesive is applied to both the back of the tile and the substrate. When these two adhesive films make “contact” with each other, they create a very strong bond. When putting the tiles in place, the adhesive will grab, so be careful to put it down exactly where you want it to go—you will not be able to push or slide a tile into place. Once placed, use a soft-faced rubber mallet to hit the entire tile surface to ensure the two films become one.
5) Know if it’s homogeneous or veneer cork. Know what construction you have before you do any abrading or finishing. Homogeneous (where the color/pattern goes through the product) is preferred for medium to heavy commercial installations, as it can be sanded. Veneer cork patterns can be screened but cannot be sanded. It is important to maintain the finish coats on both homogeneous and veneer cork.
6) Don’t be too aggressive when sanding. Lots of people use multi-head sanders to resand a cork floor, and they work well. You can also use a big machine, but you need soft drum tension and nothing coarser than a 120 belt. If you’re sanding a newly installed unfinished cork floor, you can just use a buffer and a 120 or 150 screen.
7) Many finishes work, but check with the cork manufacturer. Every cork manufacturer has specific recommendations for approved finishes on their cork. While it is possible that finishes other than their approved finish may work, the manufacturer will not support a warranty with an unapproved finish. Recommended finishes are primarily water-based urethanes; however, wax and natural oil systems are also sometimes used.
Maintenance is the same. You should maintain a cork floor exactly like you would a wood floor. If you wouldn’t do it on wood, don’t do it on cork.
9) Go vertical. These products are also popular for walls. The installation is the same—with contact adhesive rolled on. Many times wall installations use a wax finish.
10) When in doubt, call the manufacturer first. Manufacturers welcome phone calls for clarification of instructions and procedures prior to installations, not after.

Museum Goes Green With Reclaimed Gym Wood Flooring

the floor studio team — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:53:34 +0000

The perfect floor covering for a kids’ museum exhibit focused on salvaged, recycled and repurposed materials? Reclaimed gym flooring, of course, and that’s exactly what directors of the Madison Children’s Museum chose for their Possible-opolis exhibit. Brenda Baker, the museum’s exhibits director, learned of a junior high in Oak Creek, Wis., that was tearing out its old gym floor and looking for a buyer; the school was being demolished. Baker and her team fell in love with the flooring immediately. Back in Madison, Appleton, Wis.-based Baseman Floors re-installed it in a random pattern, highlighting the colorfulness of the gym floor’s court lines. Today, the flooring offers a fanciful complement to the interactive exhibits in Possible-opolis, which includes the Hodgepodge Mahal (a climber and slide made from a Lake Michigan buoy and a three-wheeled car) and the Tinkerers’ Workshop (made from an old airplane and a recycled tabletop). “The whole point of Possible-opolis was to make an exhibit that inspires invention and creativity, and to make everything out of reclaimed parts,” Baker says, and this colorful flooring fits the bill in every way.

Wood Flooring for the Stars

the floor studio team — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:34:49 +0000

For most people, the draw of ABC’s smash reality hit “Dancing With the Stars” is the goofy celebrities, outlandish costumes and, for better or worse, the dancing. Undoubtedly, though, wood flooring professionals are sneaking a peak at that gleaming dance floor. In the midst of the show’s 13th season, Junckers Hardwood Inc. is enjoying having its wood flooring on display yet again for millions on network television twice a week (Monday and Tuesday, 8/7 Central). In the spotlight is the company’s DanceFlex system, which comprises 7/8-inch solid beech flooring floated over ½-inch-thick DanceFlex Dance Foam. In order to achieve adequate flexibility in the floor strips, Junckers stabilizes the press-dried prefinished strips by joining them into 5-inch-by-12-feet planks using a double-dovetail. Then the planks are given a tongue and groove on all four sides and a specially milled clip slot underneath. “The clips are the real magic with this system, as they allow for each plank to flex independently on top of the foam,” says John Safarik, sales manager at Junckers. “At the start of a season, we’ll generally add about 10 to 15 percent of new wood to replace some damaged pieces, but the bulk of the floor from the previous season goes right back in. There are some planks from season one that can still be seen this season,” Safarik adds. So how did Junckers first win this coveted job before the show’s debut in 2005? Turns out the dancers asked for it. “Once the pro dancers were selected, they recommended to ABC that they use our system,” Safarik notes.

Credit: Doug Dalsing, Hardwood Flooring Mag.

American Walnut Blowout Sale $4.99

the floor studio team — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:29:37 +0000

New Partner-Kodan Vinyl

the floor studio inc. — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:27:39 +0000

Kodan Flooring teams up with The Floor Studio

Kodan Flooring, a dynamic and youthful manufacturer of vinyl flooring has annouced their partnership with the Floor Studio. Located in Liberty Village, The Floor Studio provides flooring from select manufacturers and showcases a wide selection of engineered, solid, bamboo and cork flooring. With the addition of their Kodan line, The Floor Studio is proud to announce that their eco-friendly vinyl flooring collection is now available. “We are thrilled to be working with an environmentally friendly company such as Kodan. They have a large selection of floors, and we are happy to provide them to our commercial and residential clients, ” Steve Vasconcelos, owner, the floor studio. For a peek of the new Kodan line, drop into The Floor Studio today.

To view samples today visit the products page.