yacht flooring - cork glue down tiles

The idea of cork flooring in any yacht and vessel is an amazing idea!  Because we are based out of Richmond BC and Kent WA (with a showroom/warehouse in Richmond BC and office in Kent WA – just outside Seattle), We have had the opportunity to sell cork glue down flooring to a lot of marine vessel owners. 

Silver Birch Forna Cork Tiles Luxury Yacht Waterproof Boat
Silver Birch Forna Cork Tiles Luxury Yacht Waterproof Boat

The glue down cork is the optimal floor, but the floating floor has been used in the larger boats (not quite as big as 54′). The only reason the boat owners went with a floating floor (the click together stuff) is they did not want to remove the floor in the galley as it was a ‘glue in place’ vinyl plank (less then 1 year old but they hated it the minute they stepped on it). They clicked together their cork floor, sealed it with 2 coats of water based polyurethane and they are now proud owners of cork flooring in their 23 sf galley. It all comes down to “where” and “why” for your particular project.

Creme Royal Marble Cork Floor Luxury Yacht Dinette Boat Waterproof Softer Flexible
Creme Royal Marble Cork Floor Luxury Yacht Dinette Boat Waterproof Softer Flexible

A glue down floor requires a perfect subfloor – clean and dry, free of any old flooring and adhesive. A glue down cork floor, when installed properly, is considered water proof; but it allcomes down to the subfloor material. If the subfloor is not water proof, then the floor will be susceptible to damage – especially from subfloor deterioration in the presence of high humidity and moisture coming up from underneath.  We have had one person find an appropriate adhesive to attach cork to fibreglass – he wanted to insulate the hull with glue down tiles!  He couldn’t use the underlayment because it would crumble.  The flooring tiles worked so well that he bought more and did some of the interior of his boat that needed a bit of “pepping up”.  He was amazed at the difference in acoustics he was able to achieve.  In troublesome spots, he simply doubled up the tiles to reduce the noise even further (non-visible areas).

Salami Cork Tiles Forna Luxury Yacht Flooring Boatyard Boat
Salami Cork Tiles Forna Luxury Yacht Flooring Boatyard Boat

We’ve had a boat owner (Vancouver Yacht club) who used cork glue down flooring in the galley.  He liked it so much that he used the little bit of extra to lay down a new surface on the area of the deck where he and his wife board the boat.  That worked out so well that he then bought more and glued it at the helm – even in the outdoor application (after tremendous amounts of water based polyurethane) it has worn very well.  He is more than pleased with how well the product weathers.  And as boat owners, everyone is well aware that they must use “finishes” more often than in a residential application on land.  A cork floor is no different in that respect to any other form of wood.  It will require a “refreshing” coat every few years (4-10 years) to keep the finish and the product looking good and free of rot.

Cork Floor Forna Tasmanian Burl Luxury River Yacht Waterproof Boat
Cork Floor Forna Tasmanian Burl Luxury River Yacht Waterproof Boat

You can order free samples in our website. We have 25 different glue down cork tiles.