[Pez]

Ok I have put a lot of time and money into acoustic treatment in my living room/listening space. The Mrs. wants us to put cork flooring in the room now. She was told that cork is 'as good' as carpet when it comes to acoustics meaning it isn't as lively and echoy as hardwood floors. I told her I have no interest in putting the stuff in. Does anyone have any experience with it? I would be pissed if I put this stuff in and it screwed up the acoustics in my listening space.

[thunderbrick]

Put it in.  Then cover it with carpet.   

My step daughter has it in her home, and it looks ugly as sin to me.  I'd guess its slightly more reflective than carpet, but that's just a guess.   

[Diamond Dog]

 Pez: From an acoustics point of view it should be less reflective than hardwood. From a livability point of view, it is also a lot less resilient than hardwood so it will wear faster in high-traffic areas. Because of it's porous nature, it will also absorb spills and can be a pain to clean. On the plus side, it's considered eco-friendly. Hope that helps...

D.D. 

[mjosef]

Not from an acoustic angle...

The acoustical properties of cork are derived from its unique cellular structure. Cork is composed of over 2.4 million cells per cubic inch of material. These closed cells, filled with air, provide excellent resistance to sound transmission and echo much like fiberglass or any other insulation material. This insulation level is further enhanced by the structure of the cells, since there are no gaps between them and the cells are closed. Unlike most synthetic insulating materials, cork does not break down quickly over time; therefore, it retains its acoustical properties even 90 years after installation.

Cork has a higher level of acoustical deadening than other resilient flooring materials. Its level of acoustical deadening is far greater than synthetic and wood products because of its closed cell structure. A simple drop test on a cork tile with a golf ball illustrates the acoustical superiority over other resilient flooring. When compared to carpet, acoustically cork will not perform as well, however; maintenance, performance and durability of carpeting is inferior to cork

http://www.quietcork.com/testing_results.html

[Pez]

Wow very useful info there! I think that tells me what I need to know. I think my wife will not like to hear about how cork wears worse than hardwood. Time to look at berber.

[srb]

Time to look at berber.

Berber.  The absolute worst home decision I've ever made.  I thought I was buying commercial wear and longevity that would outlast regular carpet and look better longer, but instead got a very uncomfortable surface that leaves imprint marks on hands and arms if lounging on the floor, a surface that mattes and can't be easily fluffed and renewed by a vacuum cleaner and a construction that is so easily snagged by pet claws resulting in a loose accordianed length of fiber that is unrepairable.
 
God I hate it.  I really do.
 
Steve

[jkelly]

We put it in our kitchen last year.
We just replaced our cork floor last month.
Bad decision.

Jeff

[TomS]

Typically you put poly coats on cork to keep it nice, so it is going to be very reflective. I decided to put in solid bamboo on top of Dri-Core underlayment. On top of that are natural area rugs (chenille jute) with pads that are recycled 40 oz thick jute felt. We love them, they're great underfoot, and I still get the acoustic benefit of the rug/thick pad.

[Diamond Dog]

Typically you put poly coats on cork to keep it nice, so it is going to be very reflective.

The poly coats ( likely acrylic polymer floor finish ) wear under traffic and will get soil impregnated into them. Have fun stripping that off a cork floor to refinish it. The alternative is to just recoat over the beat-up, soiled existing finish. Do that and see what that floor looks like...Cork and berber carpet are the two flooring types I would be least likely to ever install in my home. Pez : what kind of flooring do you have in that part of your home now?

D.D.

[Pez]

We have standard carpet. It is looking pretty terrible. Lots of stains and discoloration in high traffic areas.

Ugh on a side note, I am sitting on the side of the road in my brand new Toyota highlander, that I just picked up yesterday, waiting for the sheriff to fill out paper work after I was rear ended. 

[TomS]

The poly coats ( likely acrylic polymer floor finish ) wear under traffic and will get soil impregnated into them. Have fun stripping that off a cork floor to refinish it. The alternative is to just recoat over the beat-up, soiled existing finish. Do that and see what that floor looks like...Cork and berber carpet are the two flooring types I would be least likely to ever install in my home. Pez : what kind of flooring do you have in that part of your home now?

D.D.

Which is why I have neither cork or carpet

Our basement is 2/3 bamboo now. The old Berber is gone thankfully. We just took out another 700 sq ft of carpet on the main floor last month and put in hardwood. Now I'm working my way up to the bedrooms, though my wife isn't quite on board with that just yet.

[Don_S]

Ouch,

Sorry to hear that.  I hope it is minor.  I really like my 04 Highlander and have managed to keep it safe (mostly by not driving it) except for a minor rear ender by a cell phone-talking ditz.
 

Ugh on a side note, I am sitting on the side of the road in my brand new Toyota highlander, that I just picked up yesterday, waiting for the sheriff to fill out paper work after I was rear ended. 

[JLM]

We did a soft vinyl in the kitchen years ago.  Spiky heals left permanent dents right away.

We did bamboo 6 years ago.  Come to find out there is soft and hard bamboo, and of course we got the cheaper/soft bamboo so it dents too (but not as bad as the vinyl).

http://www.flooringprofessor.com/cork_flooring_reviews.html

[jackman]

We just tore out four rooms of carpet- one large room in berber, and the hardwood guys are coming to start installation on Wednesday.  We also ripped out the nasty looking g carpet on the stairs. I could not believe the dust and dog hair under the carpets. My wife picked out née carpet for my office and lower level stairs that are not being replaced with wood.  Don't know what it's called but it is a very low pyle style carpet and is supposed to be very durable.  Not the most comfy looking carpet but it should work well in the office/stairs.  I like the way it looks.

[Quiet Earth]

Berber.  The absolute worst home decision I've ever made.  I thought I was buying commercial wear and longevity that would outlast regular carpet and look better longer, but instead got a very uncomfortable surface that leaves imprint marks on hands and arms if lounging on the floor, a surface that mattes and can't be easily fluffed and renewed by a vacuum cleaner and a construction that is so easily snagged by pet claws resulting in a loose accordianed length of fiber that is unrepairable.
 
God I hate it.  I really do.
 
Steve

Wow, Steve, I'm sorry to hear about that....yet at the same time I'm very glad to read this as a heads-up. I have always admired the look of berber and I was considering it for our next re-carpeting when our original carpet wears out. I will think twice about it now, or at least do some more research.

On a side note,,,, as far as carpeting goes.... I was told that it is better to purchase the highest quality pad available before you spend anything on the actual carpet. The reason being is that it is the pad that wears out long before the carpet begins to show its age. In other words, once the pad goes, the carpet on top of the pad is doomed no matter how well it was made. I don't know if this advice is true or not, but I have noticed that we are getting more wear out of our most recent carpet with highly upgraded pad than we did with the last carpet with lesser quality pad.

[Photon46]

Steve's experience with is the diametric opposite of my experience with Berber. My wife &  I have used it in two homes, always purchasing the best quality underlayment pad and a good quality carpet. For us, it never wears out (it just gets worn looking after many years.) Now admittedly, we have no kids and no pets with claws. We're anal retentive housekeepers that vacuum every week and use a carpet steamcleaner every time dirt starts showing in the high traffic areas. (We've always liked the very light colored varieties.) If you were one to lay around on the carpet frequently, I could see how you'd find the texture unpleasant. All said, just realize there is a reason that Berber's been a popular choice for many years, and there's no one product that is right for everyone.

[pslate]

Cork is great  We have had it in the lobby of the architectural firm that I work at for about 10 years. We are looking at sprucing up the finishes (which I am working on now), but may keep the cork another 10 years. We are located in Chicago on Michigan Ave., so lot's of traffic too. Our standard specification is Expanko http://www.expanko.com/ . High heels can leave marks, but that will happen to hardwood too. Amorim sells stuff adhered to vinyl with a factory finish that I really don't like. The product does have very good acoustical properties. If you are putting it below grade, and may encounter water, that would be something to think about. Installation is very important, you want to have guys with cork experience. From my experience cork floors provide acoustical comfort, and comfort under foot. The company Haworth put it in the rooms of the hotel they built for clients, which was a LEED silver or gold building. Which leads me to the other great attribute, it is a highly sustainable material harvested from the tree without causing it damage. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions.

[Glenn Kuras]

Not from an acoustic angle...http://www.quietcork.com/testing_results.html

This really does not speak to the absorption value of the product. I would think it may be a "bit" better then a hardwood floor and no where near carpet. If you do use it I would still plan on throw rugs if nothing else.

Glenn Kuras
GIK Acoustics

[pslate]

The IIC (floors) and STC (walls) values deal with sound transmission through wall and floor assemblies. Glen, who is the true professional here, brings up a great point this does not translate to room acoustics.

[rw@cn]

We installed an expensive laminate throughout the house. It is beautiful and doesn't require a lot of maintenance (cleans up with a vinegar solution). HOWEVER it is an acoustical nightmare in my listening room. A few orientals here and there have helped. A set of GIK 244's on the rear wall also helped. I am now waiting for more GIK products.

Thinking about it (as I write this) the laminate probably exacerbated a room problem that already existed.