Cork Floors
Now that there's peeling 25-year old linoleum (flat sheet not linoleum tiles) around the perimeter of the fridge, I've been looking into new floors. Since the kitchen is about 3 feet wide by 5 feet long, it seems like putting down new floors should be really cheap. If tiles cost even $10/sq foot and it only took 5 sq.feet to cover the kitchen (should I bother putting tiles under the fridge this time?), that's $50 in floors. Of course, this assumes a DIY skillset that I'm sure Jenny and I both lack. I also discovered that cork seems like a really environmentally good alternative to wood (and much more durable for kitchens) and that linoleum tiles can be really, really cheap, like 99 cents/ square foot (so, maybe it would cost $10 to redo the floors). There's this click-lock cork floor that goes right over your current floor and doesn't require glue, but it looks like you need a hand-saw to cut the tiles! I'm relatively sure that I don't want anything to do with a handsaw given that lighting candles makes me worry about buring down the apartment.
Yesterday this inspirational speaker (Steve Santagati) spoke to staff at the library about goal setting and living in the moment. So, I'm thinking of just ripping up the floors and trying it myself! But maybe I'll wait until Jenny gets back from DC.
Comments
If the current floor is peeling, then probably best to take it up before putting the cork tiles down. They tend to be pretty good, if sometimes a tad springy, but depends on how often you spill boiling water etc all over the floor! (Not saying you're a klutz, I'm projecting here ;-) )
Lino tiles are the easiest and arguably the hardiest though -- you can replace them individually if something horrendous (like if that pan of boiling water is full of beetroot) happens and the glueing is pretty damn easy. Just gotta make sure you leave them to dry for long enough before breakdancing in the kitchen.
As for the handsaw thing, isn't that just like a small handheld saw? Like a manual one? Unless the idiom is very different, they're nothing to be worried about using...
Posted by: Meri | June 22, 2005 11:47 AM