Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 May 16, 2013 9:30 am Can anyone tell what kind flooring this is? It's in a house built from late 1960s...
Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: What kind of flooring is this? 2May 16, 2013 12:37 pm looks like cork flooring. was very popular in the 60's and 70's. "I never learned a thing until I finished school" - Unknown "You can get anything accomplished, If you don't mind who gets the credit" - Ned Hay Re: What kind of flooring is this? 3May 16, 2013 3:33 pm Cork Flooring as said. I must also say extremely poorly laid as well!! Settlement 1/2/12 New Shed 23/3/12 Slab poured 27/3/12 Frame complete 4/5/12 Roof complete 1/6/12 LOCKUP 29/6/12 Our new build blog http://kareenhillsownerbuild.blogspot.com/ Re: What kind of flooring is this? 4May 16, 2013 7:33 pm my mum has cork floors in her house and there aren't any gaps between the squares like in that pic! its not a floor I would recommend but my mum loves it. I find it dents and scratches easily and it really doesn't like hot wood on it which falls from the fireplace occasionally :s its never cold for bare feet in winter though Re: What kind of flooring is this? 5May 17, 2013 12:56 am I agree - looks like cork and looks like a terrible job. Cork tiles should not have any visible gap. Google a bit and you should see plenty of pretty pics of how cork should be laid. HD Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: What kind of flooring is this? 6May 18, 2013 10:47 am Quote: Cork Flooring as said. I must also say extremely poorly laid as well!! If that is the original floor that was laid when the house was built in the '60's then it lasted very well ! I doubt a lot of floor coverings would survive that long. Stewie Re: What kind of flooring is this? 7May 18, 2013 7:44 pm I know of two cork floors that were put down in the 60s and 70s and none of them look like this - they both look close to pristine and fit to last another 4-5 decades. They've been resealed once in each case, after 4 decade of wear took the original finish down enough to warrant it in the highest traffic areas. Now, I could forgive the finish looking worn after so long, but the picture seems to show gaps between the cork tiles, and that is what I mean when I say badly laid. Cork tiles are laid abutting each other; there should be no gap. When sealed over, the whole surface should be smooth, no tactile indicator of a tile edge whatsoever. Of course, the floor might not be cork; we are judging on the basis of only one picture. HD Land settled May '14. Building the PD Hoffman39: 5/11=site start, 13/11=slab pour, 26/11=frame complete, 10/12=roof on, 12/12=bricking started. Blog: http://jyndeira.net/blog/ Re: What kind of flooring is this? 8May 19, 2013 12:38 pm Maybe DC but I find a lot of floor coverings especially cork get adversely affected by moisture over the years ( whether from under the floor or from above through use by the occupants ) and tend to look like this floor in question no matter how good the quality of the original product , the tradesman who laid it or the finish they sealed it with. Like you, I've also seen some floors that have been down for a long time that still look like new. Stewie Re: What kind of flooring is this? 9May 20, 2013 10:04 am Thanks for the reply guys. I will have another inspection of the house in June. Should be able to post a few photos after that. Re: What kind of flooring is this? 10Jun 04, 2013 9:24 pm I have added some more photos. One of them is taken from the section has those carpet look. Re: What kind of flooring is this? 11Jul 30, 2013 8:10 pm I am doing research on flooring and according to my research and experience there is 99% chance that it is cork flooring. There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again. Re: What kind of flooring is this? 12Jul 31, 2013 7:18 am For me the exciting thing about the photo with the floor vent in it is that it looks like your cork tiles are stuck on top of a wood floor! There could be an awesome new look just waiting to be exposed, sanded and varnished. I pulled up shag pile in a previous house and found pine floorboards which i fixed up myself. The house looked about 500 times better when the job was done. Re: What kind of flooring is this? 13Jul 31, 2013 10:54 am motherdub For me the exciting thing about the photo with the floor vent in it is that it looks like your cork tiles are stuck on top of a wood floor! There could be an awesome new look just waiting to be exposed, sanded and varnished. I pulled up shag pile in a previous house and found pine floorboards which i fixed up myself. The house looked about 500 times better when the job was done. Unfortunately the underlay of those carpet tiles are plywood instead of hardwood flooring. This is because that section is an extension done by the previous owner. So I have this room has half hardwood floor and half plywood... Going to lay carpet on them. I actually prefer carpet over wood flooring. Just found it make a home feels more comfy... just a personal thing. Re: What kind of flooring is this? 14Jul 31, 2013 10:58 am To remove the cork tiles requires quite bit effort. So far I found the easiest way is to use an iron. Leave it on the cork for 30 sec and the glue under it just melts a bit. Still, get rid of one single tile takes about 15 mins... Re: What kind of flooring is this? 15Aug 01, 2013 11:46 pm At first I found chipboard under my dining room and it put me off ripping up the carpet but then I discovered wood floor which led me to find that only the dining room was chipboard. It was even tiled under the chip board so I figured it used to be some kind of sheltered entry to the house. So anyway, I went to the local timber yard and fount wood floor exactly the same as what I had and just had to replace the floor of the dining room to have the whole ground floor finished in wood. So perhaps keep looking and establish exactly what is wood and what is not. Re: What kind of flooring is this? 16Aug 22, 2013 9:27 am After tried a month with number of measures (putty knife, Kerosene, Steam, Iron... ) to remove these stubborn cork tiles, the progress was really slow. Fortunately, the plumber who installed hot water system saw my struggle and kindly borrow me a jack-hammer. Then it only took me a day to get rid of these annoying bastards. So this is a look of the floor before the removal: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Here is a finish look... my arm and legs are still sore... but at least got the floor ready for tiling. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: What kind of flooring is this? 18Oct 18, 2013 3:32 pm These tiles are a product called DAYTILE made by Armstrong Nylex and was extremely popular in the late 60's & 70'. Durable is an understatement only issue is that after 20-30 years shrinkage become quite evident. It was generally laid on Masonite Sheets that were nailed to the floor first. It becomes quite brittle and when trying to pull it up breaks easily. The product has a high asbestos content also so wear a mask, disposable overalls and bag all tiles and dust in asbestos bags and dispose of correctly if you intend on pulling this up. 1000000% definitely add insulation. I have in my home and it makes a big difference minimising sound transfer. Insulation is pretty cheap and definitely worth it 2 6173 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15884 |