Cork is not usually used for walls and floors. It’s an excellent option, I assure you.
Cork floors are sustainable, biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
Cork floors are also easy to install and offer a variety of properties you can enjoy for many years.
These include:
Cork insulation can help lower your utility bills. Cork tiles are sound-dampening, super quiet, and hypoallergenic.
Cork flooring has a few drawbacks.
Cork absorbs water very well and is more susceptible to warping than traditional hardwood.
Corkboards can be painted and stained as long as they are at minimum 4mm thick.
If the cork layer is thin, such as in engineered cork flooring, you should not have them refinished.
Step-by-Step Painting Cork
It’s easy to paint cork flooring, walls or tiles, as well as your vintage wine bottle corks.
You only need to seal the surface before applying the paint or stain.
These are the steps that you need to take to complete the task.
Step 1: Protect your work area
For protection, place a drop cloth or plastic tarp on your flooring.
Mask the areas around the cork surface you want to paint with masking paper or painter’s tape if it is fixed or framed (like on a bulletin board).
If you have smaller cork pieces that you wish to paint, you can place them on the dropcloth for painting.
Step 2: Apply a sealer underneathcoat
Spray the latex primer or shellac over the surface lightly with a sprayer machine (or a pump sprayer) in sweeping motions.
Primer is good for providing a base for paint to adhere to. Shellac will fill in the pores of cork material completely, and provide a smoother feeling.
If you like the porous texture of the cork, use a primer to seal it.
Step 3: Let it dry
Next, allow enough time for the sealer to dry on the surface.
It will all depend on what type of cork paint sealer was used.
This refers to the drying time recommended by the manufacturer on the sealant can you have used.
Step 4: Sand the cork surface, then seal it.
Once the cork surface has dried completely, you can sand it with 220-grit sandpaper.
Smoothen any rough spots and then use a dampened cloth to wipe it off.
Apply a second coat, if necessary, of primer-sealer to the cork for even coverage.
Between each coat, sand the cork surface.
Step 5: Spray multiple coats with latex paint
Primed cork flooring or other corkboard surfaces are best for interior acrylic latex paint.
It is quick to dry and easy to apply with a brush, roller or sprayer. If you have a large area to refinish, a sprayer machine will be easier and more efficient.
Apply a coat high-quality latex paint to the cork in the same manner as the primer.
Let the paint dry before applying a second or third coat.
Let the paint dry again after the last coat. Then, you can use your newly painted cork surface.
You can achieve a glossy, smooth finish by applying a second coat of varnish after the stain or paint has dried completely.
This can be matched with other wood furniture in your space to brighten it up.
You can protect your parquet cork flooring with a coat of varnish, such as water-based polyurethane.
