Each summer, I like to do a different home improvement project. This season was no different. I decided to do a cork flooring bedroom project. I decided to remove the carpet in the smallest room in our house. It's our daughter's room. Visit our other post where we used cork flooring in my son's room.
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Benefits of doing cork flooring in the bedroom (the reasons why we went with cork):
- Softer on the feet than hardwood.
- If you get floating floor interlocking boards, you can easily install them.
- Floating floors can easily be removed if a new buyer wants to carpet.
- Don't have to worry too much if the wall is not straight.
- Hyperallergic - great for helping people minimize their dust allergies.
- Sustainable - Cork is a renewable raw material. This means that it is not only good for you but also for the environment.
Supplies to install cork flooring
The supplies were pretty simple.
Premium Underlayment
Cork flooring is enough for your room and closet, and we added 10% more - we purchased it through Floors USA
White corner round
Cork lookalike threshold
Tools (Affiliate Link):
Table saw (Affiliate Link)
Exacto knife (Affiliate Link)
Molding saw (Affiliate Link)
How much did it cost?
It cost us about $1,200.00, including everything and the corner round.
Here is the picture of the room before.
As you can see, the carpet was getting shabby, as it should have been since it was 20 years old. The padding was going, too. It was also stained from several art projects my daughter loved to do in her room. Trust me; it is there.
How do you install cork flooring in a small bedroom?
Clear out the room and remove the carpet.
My son and I left the room and started removing the carpet. We cut and rolled up the carpet in three-foot strips and taped them with duct tape (Affiliate Link). It worked great and was easy to carry.
Inspect the floor and vacuum it.
Then, we moved on to cleaning the floor and inspecting it. Was it level? Where are the areas of the baseboard we need to repair? Was the plywood loose? Did it need more screws? We added the nails to reduce squeaking. And we made sure that the floor did not have any major unevenness. It looked pretty good to us. Vacuuming the floor a few times to pick up all the backing dust from the carpet was essential.
Add the underlayment and attach the strips to make one large underlayment.
We used this underlayment from Lumber Liquidators (AKA LL flooring). It is supposed to reduce noise. You see, our daughter is a dancer, and she dances in her room. With the carpet, it sounded like an earthquake was happening right above our heads in the kitchen. After we did this project, we asked her to dance around while we were cooking dinner, and we heard very little. Boy, were we pleased?
We also added the underlayment to the closet. We removed the customized closet unit and cut the bottom to make room for the flooring. This helped, but we did need to make more holes in the wall when reattaching the closet shelves (Affiliate Link).
This image shows the underlayment. It was easy to use, and we could open the door quickly.
Wait three days for the flooring to acclimate in the room.
After we picked up the flooring, we had to wait three days for it to acclimate to the room. This task helps reduce the wood's expansion. At this point, we decided to paint the walls gray taupe. It looks nice with the flooring.
Add the quarter round that was installed and painted.
We then installed the corner round with a nail gun and finishing nails. We added caulk (Affiliate Link) around the molding's cracks and touched it up with white glossy paint.
This product is a floating floor that is interlocked and not glued down. It was super light and easy to manage. To cut the boards, we needed to use a table saw (Affiliate Link). The cuts were super easy to do on a table saw (Affiliate Link).
Add the threshold to the door opening to cover the other flooring between the rooms.
We needed to buy a threshold in the same texture as the flooring. It gave it a complete look, instead of getting a metal threshold.
Feel free to check out different ways to use Peel and Stick Wallpaper.
Reveal
Drum roll, please! Here is the finished room. After two weeks of work, we were able to finish the project.
Here is the video of the transformation. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to visit our YouTube Channel and follow us today for new, updated To Do DIY videos!!!!
Feel free to visit these posts for more tips about cork flooring installations.
How to Lay a Cork Floor from This Old House
How to Install Cork Tile Flooring from Family Handyman
We did other things in the room too. First, we painted it and decluttered it to make it easier to manage.
Then, we created a headboard (Affiliate Link) out of the peel-and-stick flowers.
My daughter and I used removable stickers to make a headboard (Affiliate Link) for her bed and to decorate her desk area for now.
Please share if you liked it. Leave a comment below on what you liked about the project. Have you done something similar? Please let me know by commenting below.
Visit our other bedroom organizing posts!
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (Affiliate Link), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Autumn Leopold says
Sabrina this looks great! Her room looks more grown up now too! Was the cork board hard to cut? That's also great it is already sealed.
Jill Robson says
I looks great Sabrina, well done. Friends of mine put cork flooring in their master bedroom and they love it.
Jeri says
I've heard of cork flooring but have never seen it in person. It's safe to say I like it a lot. My living room carpet needs replaced and I've been looking at various flooring possibilties and a floating floor type of installation definitely seems to be the way to go.
Seana Turner says
We have cork flooring in our mudroom and I love it. So quiet and easily washable. I think it would be great in a kitchen!
Sabrina says
I think so. I wanted it in my kitchen but my husband was concern about it getting wet. By back is regretting that decision every day.
Christina Hidek says
Looks great! We have cork flooring in our dining room. I love the look and feel! Two things that have been drawbacks... 1- when my husband was transitioning to working at home instead of going into his office, he used the dining room for an office. Even though we have felt pads on the chairs, they began to slide off and the pad adhesive pulled up some of the finish on the floors. Not a huge issue, but just something I thought I'd mention since there's a desk in your daughter' room (but the chair looks like it's wheeled). Second thing is to make sure to wipe up and liquids that fall on the floor. The cork will open up and the finish will be rougher (we had 2 elderly dogs and one didn't make it through the night once). Pets! :/
Sabrina says
Yes, Thanks for mentioning that, Christina. We put felt under the cabinets and desk.
Margarita Ibbott says
Love the floor very impressed you did it yourself. BTW is the bedspread from West Elm? I love it.
Sabrina says
Hi Margarita, Actually, we got the bedspread at Target.
Sarah Soboleski says
Your daughter must love it! The room looks amazing! The paint color looks nice with the cork and I really like the bedding too. You have a great eye for design, Sabrina.
Sabrina says
Thanks Sarah! She loves it. Hopefully, she will get out of the habit of throwing stuff on the floor now. Only time will tell.
Nancy Collins says
Your room looks fantastic!! Could you tell my the name and where you purchased your cork flooring? And also, in the photo, it appears to have a slight shine to it? Did it come that way or was it something you might have put on it. Thank You so much...just love the floor and the room.
Sabrina says
Yes, it came with a finishing coat. We didn't have to seal it. We contacted the manufacturer to confirm. We purchased it from Floors USA. The brand is not on their website though. They do have it in the store if you are in the area. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Kareema says
Very nice job. I also like the decals by the bed & desk. What is the name , and where did you purchase?
Sabrina says
Thanks. It was dandelions and we found it at Target. Here is the link. http://www.target.com/p/dandelion-wall-decal-medium/-/A-14623196
Janet Barclay says
This is quite nice! I've never seen a cork floor. Am I correct in thinking it might not be a good idea for people with cats?
Sabrina says
Thank you. I'm glad you like it. I think it would be good for anyone that has animals that are hairy. It cleans up nicely with a Swiffer wet pad.
Janet says
I was thinking more about claw damage than cleaning.
Sabrina says
Understood. I have a small dog and she is rarely in the room so I am not sure.