cork floor stain

[russo]

i did a walk through today and a break room floor has a cork floor w/ a red stain in it. the stain is unknown. has anyone ever had experience w/ this? i have never dealt w/ a cork floor. thanks.

[Grizzly]

Morning:
I will be honest, I haven't dealt with a lot of cork flooring, however, I understand that most have an ECT layer on them. If this is a floor that has been installed for awhile, it may even have had finish laid on it. Try a small test spot in an inconspicuous area and try stripping a SMALL spot. The stain may have not penetrated the tile. Otherwise , I would try and find the manufacturer and then see what their specs
suggest. My best advice.

Bill

[Kevin]

Good answer, not to much information on cork flooring. One site reccomends cutting out stained cork, grinding up some cork and replacing with with a poly mix... very intresting

corkandfloor.com/decorcare.htm
corkandfloor.com/faq2.htm

[russo]

i think i am going to clean it with a hydrogen peroxide activated cleaner and see if that works. also a fellow contractor said ask my customer if they want the floor stained a darker color after it has been cleaned up. (it has nothing at all on it now and is a light color with a dark stain. it's a very old floor) i may even put a high sloids finish on after, depending on how the stain cleans up. i don't have to do it until next week so i'll do some more research and let you all know how it works out.

[Kevin]

I would use a milder solution to start with, where did you hear to use peroxide?

[russo]

a fellow contractor aid he did it before and it worked great. what would you use kevin? i don't know much about cork flooring.

[Kevin]

Not to familiar with cork, but all the sites I read said nothing hash you might want to contact them 1.888.528.8518 or email us now at :
[e-mail]
www.demesne.info/Improve-Your-Home/Floor-Coverings/Cork-Floors.htm



Cork Flooring Cleanliness
Cork is both anti-allergenic and anti-static. Hence, there is probably no better choice than cork floors and walls for computer or software offices and other technical work areas, where unchecked static can be a major problem.

Cork Flooring Low Maintenance
Traditional floor covering tiles and other materials like linoleum and vinyl need constant upkeep. By contrast, and due to our special water-base urethane coating, our cork floor or wall covering tiles need only minimal maintenance, which makes them a cost-effective alternative for many applications, large and small.

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Cork Flooring Specialists
To speak to one of our cork flooring or bamboo flooring agents and/or to see samples showing our six basic cork flooring patterns in natural & 58 colors and our new over 50-color bamboo floor palette, please call us now at : 1.888.528.8518 or email us now at :
[e-mail]

[Grizzly]

Also found this site w3.gsa.gov/web/p/hptp.nsf/0/1811c02e9ee2a125852565c50054b4a6?OpenDocument
09660-02 Historic guide to the maintenance of cork. Basically treat same as linoleum and sand the area of stain out then either patch or refinish. Hope this helps

Bill

[Grizzly]

Here is another thought, if they have any tile lying around LOL you could try stripping this one tile to remove any wax or hit with mineral spirits to remove poly, then you could try a poultice on the stain, the same as you would a granite counter or porous stone that has been stained. Poultice may be damp clorox cover with saran wrap and allow to sit overnight , look at the next day. If stain has been removed, sand and refinish tile. You would want to have replacement tile though in case didn't respond well. Visited a number of sites and all suggest the sand out and refinish method.

Bill