Cork Flooring Over Marble

Q: Hi, I’ve just bought a condo with a black (YAK!!) marble floor in the kitchen. I’m thinking of covering it with a cork floor. What are the do’s and don’ts about doing this? If I have it done by a Flooring company, how do I make sure that I don’t get “shafted”?
Thanks in advance,
Lise
A: Cork will work well over your marble. With any installation there are three major things to ensure for your subfloor: clean, dry and flat. Your best bet here would be to do a floating cork floor over the marble. You can look into a glue down cork, but you will likely want to lightly abrade the marble to ensure you get proper adhesion from your adhesive.
I would suggest ensuring the ends of your cork planks are sealed, since the kitchen is an area of higher moisture. Use a product like Glitsa’s Gold Seal to minimize any moisture issues with your new cork floor. You may also want to put down a moisture barrier to be safe.
Beyond that, pretty basic wood flooring care is all you will need to observe.
Don’ts:
– Never leave standing water or moisture.
– Don’t drag heavy furniture/appliances over the top of your cork.
Do’s:
– Clean regularly using a light misting of cleaner and then following up with a microfiber mop.
– Use a couple 1/8″ Masonite board to move furniture. Alternate the boards and slide the furniture/appliance onto the masonite, not your cork.
– Use a high quality underlayment
When working with your flooring company (I’m biased when I say this but, I hope its us at Team iFLOOR!):
– Make sure you get plenty of information about the product you are purchasing and its warranty.
– Where it was manufactured and how it rates on the European Emission Standards.
– Make sure installation is done by licensed professionals with years of experience.
– Ensure they answers all of your questions quickly and honestly.
– If it sounds too good to be true – question it!
– Make sure the price you are paying is competitive.
My final bit of advice here is that you take time and do plenty of research. Patience is a virtue, especially with something you intend to live on for 10 or more years.