apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I installed a cork floor in my kitchen at a previous residence. I used the click lock type of flooring boards and finished the job in less than one day.
My partner and I loved that floor. It was resilient and had a comfortable warm reddish brown color and a pattern that looked modern yet fit into our traditional little cape cod style house.
We wish we had it in our current kitchen. Alas, the house came with slate tile floors in the kitchen. They are neither comfortable or easy to clean (they always look dirty).
The cork flooring we had used was a German brand; I don't remember the specifics. You can increase the wear and durability by lightly sanding the floor and applying some additional layers of poly.
However, your white painted floor boards are very charming. It looks to me like you could live with those for a while. That would be the greenest choice.

Oh yeah, the source for the floor was EcoFriendly Flooring in Madison, Wisconsin. We happened to live there at the time, but they ship.
Here is their URL
http://www.ecofriendlyflooring.com/index.html

I grew up with cork floors - thru the whole house. They are fabulous. I am planning on eventually installing them in my apartment (after I save some money) and my mom is planning on doing the same as they have relocated and downsized. We both miss them so much. They are warmer than wood and softer. They also absorb more sound than wood which will be appreciated by your neighbors downstairs.
When you buy the tiles, make sure you have a handful of extras to store in a box. Occasionally you will need to replace a tile or two - (flooding of some kind is your biggest culprit) - with a small supply you can easily pop one in (if the color of the laid tile has faded a bit put the new tile in direct sun for a couple of days/week until it matches). You don't need a lot of tiles - my mom used about 24 tiles over a 35 year history with our house.
For brands, personally, I like expanko but there are several good ones out there.
Cork tiles come in two ways - the traditional tile is a simple square cork tile laid directly on the subfloor. You will need a very smooth subfloor for this. It is the more affordable option and is 100% cork.
An alternate is a sandwich tile - which is similar to pergo in that it 'floats' and can be installed on a less than perfect subfloor. The sandwich tile is thicker and also increases sound absorbtion. I am not certain if this product is all cork.
Oh, and you will want the cork to be sealed - there are both gloss and matte finishes.

I have installed cork tiles in 2 kitchens. I used the vinyl finished kind (glue down) It was very easy to install and have held up great. I don't break things by dropping them as often.

My mom had cork flooring installed on her kitchen floor several years ago. She used a cork strip/plank flooring that she ordered from Expo Design Center, the Home Depot division. The flooring came in different colors which look nice in the strip form and is quite durable.

I'm thinking of installing them in my kitchen. Can anyone recommend any sources in NYC? Thanks!

i have cork flooring throughout my condo in miami beach - expresso color, glue down. its great - my ONLY concern is that it fades when hit with direct light. the sunlight here is very strong obviously but consider that when you make you color choice. check www.expanko.com and they will help you find a local supplier/retailer.. good luck.

i've seen cork flooring samples at eco home, in berkeley. we also installed cork in our kitchen, on the advice of our architect. it's good for the kitchen, because it's slightly cushy, so it's comfortable to stand on for longer periods of time. but we've been a little disappointed by its durability. we can see all kinds of scratches on the surface of the tiles from moving chairs (or that time when my husband was playing on the floor with our son and his jeans made a long, ugly scratch). maybe sanding/polyurethane as austinjohn suggests will be our next step.

My apartment has beautiful cork floors throughout. When I bought it, the agent said that they were "original". My building was completed in the late 1920's. I doubt that they are THAT original but if they are, they are in unbelievable condition. Mine have a couple or 20 layers of something over them. Most likely a polyurethane, I guess? The dings and dents just add character but don't ruin the look.

Upon seeing my floors, my dad bought some 4x4 tiles from Globus Cork in the Bronx (www.corkfloor.com). He installed them in his girlfriend's bathroom and said that they were really easy to install and are beautiful.