Hootie hooo! The cork floor in both the kitchen and the laundry room is complete!
Well, except if you count the fact that we still have to add shoe molding, thresholds, and seal it all. Details, details. The point is, we finally get to see the whole picture. Huzzah!
The annoying part is that we still haven’t figured out how to photograph it as true to life as we can (it’s a rich mocha color, and actually looks more like brown leather in person, so the pattern is more like soft movement and less like any sort of obvious shapes or anything) – but the two videos from the last post really are the most accurate depictions of it, although we hope today’s photos are closer to real life than last week’s were. The one above is getting there. We’ll learn the trick someday I’m sure!
When it came to finishing things off in the corner of the kitchen and our tiny laundry room, it was pretty much exactly the same method that we outlined in our kitchen corking post, although we were getting worried that we were running low on cork, so we actually used some remnant planks all along the left wall (leftover cuts from the kitchen) to ensure that we wouldn’t run out.
Thankfully we finished up with about four planks to spare. Not kidding. It was crazy close. So we’re at least thankful to have those as extras, and plan to seal the heck out of these to protect them. Cork can even be sanded, restained, and resealed down the line if it gets worse for wear, so 40+ year old cork floors exist (which is nice to know since cork sounds like such a new-age material). Heck, we’ve even heard from folks who have 100+ year old cork floors that still look great, so here’s hoping!
It’s kind of amazing how much of a difference the new floors make in the laundry room. I mean, we really liked it before since we did so much work on it already (more on the rest of the room’s transformation here), but here’s that room before it got the ol’ cork treatment:
And after:
We enter the house through the door in the laundry room and it’s so nice to walk in and see the rich cork floors whispering “welcome home.” Oh and for those wondering where the laundry basket is, it’s just in the bedroom full of a pile of “flu clothes” that have been washed and have yet to be put away.
Since we already blogged all about where/why we purchased our floor here, and how we installed it (video included) here, this post is more of a big sigh of relief that the last big kitchen undertaking is winding down.
Other than polishing off those last few floor tasks on the list, all that’s left are smaller things like adding some decorative wood molding to the back of the peninsula, deciding if we’ll be adding a window treatment over the sink or painting our stools, potentially doing something fun to the side of the pantry, bringing in a chair and a rug in the fireplace side of the room, etc. And of course we’ll share a ton of before and after pics along with a budget and time breakdown when we finally get to stick a fork in this kitchen (which we’ve been working on in stages since October 5th!).
And remember when we moved in and it looked like this in here?
This shot is a little further back, and a slightly different angle, but it’s semi-comparable. Is there anything better than making a room that feels nothing like you, finally feel like home?
As for our plan with the variety of mismatched wood floors that surround our freshly corked kitchen and laundry room, we’re huge fans of flooring that looks seamless (we upgraded our first house to have the same dark mocha wood throughout the layout for a nice open flow). And sure enough, we plan to eventually refinish the rest of the wood floors in this house in the same rich mocha color as the cork for a much more easy and open look. Although it’ll still be cork in some rooms and hardwoods in others, the same rich tone should really tie things together and not make any of the spaces feel as choppy or broken up.
When it comes to a usability/function update, we have been really happy with it so far. The rich deep color adds so much to the formerly white-washed space, there are no scratches/dings where Burger runs around from his nails, no dents where we drop things, it’s very soft and easy on the back/knees, it should be even more durable once we seal it, it’s eco-friendly, and it’s quiet. We’ll definitely keep you posted as we live with it (and add shoe molding, thresholds, and a few coats of protective sealer). What did you guys do this weekend? We were pretty much laid up on the sofa fighting our little flu battle after finally squeezing in those last few cork boards, but we’re getting a lot closer to feeling like ourselves again! And the finished cork floors definitely have our spirits up. Onward!
More Flooring Projects
If you would like to read about other flooring projects we’ve done, please check out the posts below:
It looks amazing! You two really know how to see a vision through and make it look lovely! There are so many things in here that makeup my dream kitchen and I’ll definitely be looking to you for inspiration if the day comes that I get to design my own!
those before shots actually look kind of prison like, as my new house also did until i changed it up. people don’t understand how gross it is to live in an ugly house!
love and congrats from albuquerque, i hope you will take time off to celebrate.
I am another cork convert! They are beautiful!
So sorry to hear y’all aren’t feeling well; the flu is the pits! Just FYI, vitamin c and vitamin d have been proven to reduce the length and severity of the flu. Maybe it could help y’all get back on your feet(and feeling human again. Man, I hate the flu, have I already said that?)
They look fantastic–way to go! I noticed that the stools have not yet returned to the kitchen. Now that the floors are down, have you given any thought to if you’re going to paint the stools another color after all? I’m curious.
I didn’t love the cork floors last week (but really, what does it matter whether or not I love them, as long as you guys do!), but they do look a lot different in the photos above, and I can see how they might translate differently in real life.
Our floors tend to photograph differently than they look in real life too, and even white balancing doesn’t help much. I usually just try to fudge it in Photoshop to make it look normal since I haven’t found a good fix!
How do you guys like the wall color with the floors?
Aw thanks Meredith! It’s nice to hear that other floors can play camera tricks too! We’re loving the wall color with the floors since it’s a nice pop of color, although that’s another hard-to-capture-the-true-color item in the room. Since so many things in the kitchen are so neutral (white counters, soft white-gray cabinets, gray tile, brown floors) a pop of light avocado wakes things up and keeps it happy!
As I write this, my husband and his dad are remodeling our master bath. Woo hoo! The tub and the toilet stay, as do the floors (they are fairly new), but new vanity, mirror, light fixture and paint. Can’t wait!!
Your kitchen looks awesome and airy. Much improvement over the cavernous old kitchen. Congrats on your hard work.
I really love the floors, it just makes everything look so classy and sophisticated. I wasn’t completely sold on the cork at first because the pattern looked super bold, but the pictures from today look much more subtle and low key. Great job!
Updating our kitchen too – new white subway backsplash went in this week. Grouting today. Keeping our dark green granite and painting our cabinets white. We did not plan on changing our ceramic tile (looks very similar to the style in your kitchen/mudroom).. but now the color looks awful with all the white backsplash and will look even worse when the cabinets are painted. Have you posted any info on how you transitioned from your existing floor to cork floors?
Not sure how I would transition (if even possible) a new floating wood floor that would stop at the marble saddle my powder room & laundry room? Attached are 2 pictures if you want to take a look (poor quality – taken with phone!)
Our weekend was pretty laid back Saturday, and then lots of yard work on Sunday & blogging (I’m more of a weekend blogger). I sowed our winter seeds, made some homemade pancake jam topping & then practiced on the lathe and finally, after doing some yard work found springtime. Turns out I had it the entire time. My bad.
WAY TO GO GUYS! Homestretch now and looking FANTASTIC! This has been so fun following along and can only imagine how much you are loving the new kitchen. And how proud you must be of all your hard work and planning! YAY!
It looks amazing! Congratulations on the completed beautiful floors!If you are anything like me, you feel like these moments have been such a long time in the making.
My most favorite favorite thing about you guys is your stick-to-it-tiveness. Seriously, it’s inspiring. First, I know myself better than to ever attempt this type of kitchen makeover. Second, if I did attempt it, it would take 10 years and never really be done. I am always so impressed with how you guys buckle down and get it done. And you’re so gosh-darn Thorough (capitalization intended). Sometimes I think to myself “WWYHLD?” during my meager projects and it helps me prioritize, execute, and finish! (Most of the time.) So thank you J & S! You’re the best!
On a side note, our first Home Goods store just opened up here in Dayton…I am so excited to go! I saw it and told my husband, “I think John and Sherry shop there a lot!” haha :) A ceramic animal may make it home this week…
That’s just another towel we rotate in. It actually ends up on Clara’s play kitchen too. Haha.
xo,
s
Pattisays
This is such a monumental makeover YHLovers! I love it! I also have this same exact cork in my bathroom and I’m so happy with it. I still lovingly gaze at my floors and it’s been 3 years!
the floor look great! but does it bother you guys that there is such a large spot that appears not to have as much of the dark color in the cork? It is quite a few planks to the side of the penisula? It shows up in the first post about when you guys started and in every picture showing that same spot. Maybe it’s just me, but I am one on the readers that could clearly see the difference in that “blue light” that John was trying to get rid of that was showing up in one of the post. It just seems like you would have noticed those pieces and put them in a less obvious place. Loving the look, but man that area just sticks out!
I think it’s just a lighting trick (the part to the right of that is just in shadow from the peninsula overhang, and the part to the left of that is a shadow from the fireplace mantel). There didn’t appear to be any really obvious variations in color but we alternated pieces from many different boxes just in case.
Never thought about cork before, but I’m a believer now! Many more pros than cons, especially when you factor in a dog and kids. Thanks for opening my eyes to sustainable wood floor alternatives! And the floors look AMAZING! That mocha flooring warms up both the kitchen and laundry rooms. Looking at the before of the kitchen made me gasp to see the difference. Night and day! Enjoy your gorgeous new kitchen.
I bet it feels good that the flooring project is pretty much done! I LOVE the floors in the laundry room. I’m not sure why, but I’m not as big a fan of them in the kitchen… I don’t know if its the lighting or what considering both rooms have the same white/grellow pallet going on. Maybe I’m just weird… that’s got to be it – I’m just weird! :)
I’m being totally lazy and not checking out the other comments, but a polarizing lens will help you remove the shine and get to the actual color of your tile.
I cannot believe you came home from Hawaii with the flu…I’m so glad you didn’t get sick during the trip though. From the photos it looks like you really enjoyed the vacation (ok so manybe the fire freaked Clara out at the restaurant).
Hope everyone is getting the rest they need so you’re feeling 100% again soon!
Count me in as another doubter – I thought the floors looked too orange/red and clashy with the gorgeous cool backsplash in the last post. But in this light, wow. Well done!
Aw thanks Alyssa! It was just hard to adjust to shooting them but we hope we’re getting the hang of it! It’s funny that the videos got it right immediately but the camera was playing tricks!
xo,
s
Jan Thompsonsays
They look awesome!!!! The whole kitchen turned out so well! Thanks for sharing the process!
I’m a newcomer here. Want to say I’m in love with cork flooring. We installed it in our bathroom and are now ready to do so in the bedroom. It’s just the most beautiful flooring ever!
A word of caution tho…our kids installed a dark cork flooring like yours in their kitchen area. They have a lot of light on the floor by their patio doors and the cork has faded there. Apparently it will do that. So, make sure you put curtains on that beautiful bright doorway I see in your photo.
Enjoy~
Aw thanks for the tip Sara! That leads to the covered carport (which will eventually be a garage) so it actually doesn’t get much direct light!
xo,
s
Kristensays
Your floors look awesome!! The whole kitchen is beautiful! I haven’t ever commented but recently subscribed and just want to let you both know, what a wonderful site this is. I’m very “type A” and love love love decorating, but have become disabled from a neurogic disease……so I’m a young retired RN. I want to thank you for allowing me to get back into “decorating mode” even if it’s just getting ideas to tell my husband etc….. It has made a huge difference as I get through each day! I’m not trying to be a sad story..lol, I just want to commend you both for giving me back something to look forward to!! Thank you for letting us in to enjoy all your ideas etc….. I LOVE THE CORK!! :) Thanks again, Kristen :)
Aw thanks Kristen! That’s so good to hear! So glad you found our blog. And happy decorating!
xo,
s
Andreasays
Just wondering on how you will link the cork with the hardwoods of your dining room?? My kitchen has two big openings into rooms with hardwood and I’m looking into doing cork floors but am having a hard time envisioning how they will mesh with where they meet with the hardwoods. If you could take a pic to help a girl out, I would really appreciate it!!!
We’ll share the photos when we install our thresholds for sure!
xo,
s
emmasays
I spent Sunday painting our bedroom trim white. Is there an ‘I hate painting trim’ support group??
Luckily it was beautiful out so having the windows open and hearing kids play was nice background noise! Which made me think of a fun give away question – what’s your diy background noise of choice? Music? Movies? Outside noise?….
Ooh that’s a good question! It’s nice to hear outside noises on a nice day, and we usually have the radio on or even a TV show playing on Hulu in the background, just to keep our brains from repeating “how long is this going to take?” as we go! Haha.
xo,
s
Liz Fsays
We toured a house yesterday that had the same cork floors as what you guys installed–WOW!!
The floors look great. Intersted in opinions on this… we have a galley kitch that is open at both ends. The original part of the downstairs which leads into the kitchen has hard wood floors sort of the same color as your old cabinets here. Then we have a great room that was added on and has the laminate flooring (i think that is what it is called) which is a different color, but close enough to clash. We are redoing the kitchen and I love the dark floor look but dontw ant to have three differnt floors in a not so big house! We could theoretically refinish the old part of hte house and the kitchen to all have dark wood – and have just one rooom with the lighter color (biggest room that they all lead into) – ok that is a long question – but interested in thoughts!
Hmm, generally I love refinishing things to match so they look seamless. Maybe try posting a pic or two to our Facebook page to get advice from readers?
xo,
s
Melissasays
It looks amazing! I cannot believe how much your kitchen has transformed in just a few months. I imagine you’re relieved to be in the final stretch of ticking it off the “to do” list.
I was wondering (and sorry if you addressed this somewhere, but I can’t find it!) how you clean cork floors? Do you think you could use a steam mop? I’m in the middle of deciding on a material for my kitchen floor, and that’s a deciding factor for me.
I don’t believe you’re supposed to use a steam mop since it can be too damp, so just a moist cloth and some mild cleanser (they’re very similar to hardwoods in that you don’t want them to be sopping wet).
xo,
s
Lillysays
Maybe you’ve answered this and I missed it, but I’d love to know the care and maintenance of cork and the factors that led to choosing cork. It is so beautiful and something I never even considered before seeing it in your kitchen. Would it work in a bathroom? How does it compare in price to wood or tile? (This could be a whole post, I’m asking for.)
BTW, I love checking in each day to see the progress on your kitchen. Maybe when life slows down a little (ie all your projects are done) will you be taking design consults again? :)
If you click the link in this post about buying it that info is in there! We just shopped around and learned the pros and cons of all materials and picked the one we liked best! It’s very comparable to wood (we got ours through Lumber Liquidators on clearance). The price and stuff is in that post too! As for design consults, we will definitely make a big announcement if we ever start taking them on!
It looks fantastic! I am beyond jealous, we moved this summer – and while we love the new place – we left some fabulous cork floors behind in our kitchen. Everyday I miss those floors. Everyday. (sigh)
Congrats to you guys, you will LOVE the floors forever, I promise :)
Wow, that floor is fabulous! I sooooooo wish I had been able to convince my husband and general contractor that cork was the way to go in our kitchen. Just about everyone we talked to discouraged using cork — even the flooring sales people! I’m so disappointed…
Love the cork floors! We have the same washer / dryer combo and the guy that sold it to us told us we couldn’t stack them… Did you have to do anything special to stack yours? Thanks! – Lindsay
WOW! It looks so amazing, it’s actually making me question my lifelong dream of one day having a kitchen with a black and white floor. Nicely done! Does it feel good to stand on?
Looks awesome!! It really changes the feel of the space. I have a similar problem photographing my floors. They are not cork (they’re actually paper), but they have a dark walnut stain and look like leather. It’s hard when every single light situation or angle makes them look completely different. Let me know if you figure out how to capture them :) I love how yours look in all the shots though, so no worries!
Im wondering why you chose to go so dark on the floors when the kitchen is so light and airy? It lmost looks like you renovated the whole kitchen and ran out of money and left the old floors… They look almost 70s style to me. I dont mean disrespect, if you like em thats all that matters. They just dont seem to fit what I imagine as your style… but maybe that is why you chose? Mixing it up.. which I always admire. Cant say I am a fan of the flooring but everything else in the kitchen is amazing!
We just looked at all the fancy kitchens that we pinned on Pinterest and they all had white cabinets/counters with dark wood or cork floors! We also had white cabinets and light counters with dark floors in our first house’s kitchen and loved the look. Just a personal preference thing I think!
xo,
s
Darcysays
WOW! It looks A-MMMMAAA–ZZIIINNGG!! I can’t believe that you were down to 4 planks — that is CRAZY close! You guys must have been a-sweatin!!!
I knew I would love it all completed, but it really is even more beautful than I envisioned! I think I love, love, love it now!! LOL! What?!? Is it wrong to love someones kitchen that I’ve never met and I’ve never seen in person……Well, if its wrong….Than I don’t want to be right!!!! LOL! :-)
Amy @ Lovely Nest says
It looks amazing! You two really know how to see a vision through and make it look lovely! There are so many things in here that makeup my dream kitchen and I’ll definitely be looking to you for inspiration if the day comes that I get to design my own!
Gaby C. says
The light fixture in the laundry room is such a great idea! Might do something along these lines.
Gaby C.
http://www.themodejournal.com
jeannette says
those before shots actually look kind of prison like, as my new house also did until i changed it up. people don’t understand how gross it is to live in an ugly house!
love and congrats from albuquerque, i hope you will take time off to celebrate.
http://www.wiredforwine.com/featured-wine/gruet-blanc-de-noirs-nv
Meg@ Green Motherhood says
I am another cork convert! They are beautiful!
So sorry to hear y’all aren’t feeling well; the flu is the pits! Just FYI, vitamin c and vitamin d have been proven to reduce the length and severity of the flu. Maybe it could help y’all get back on your feet(and feeling human again. Man, I hate the flu, have I already said that?)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Meg!
xo,
s
Kate says
They look fantastic–way to go! I noticed that the stools have not yet returned to the kitchen. Now that the floors are down, have you given any thought to if you’re going to paint the stools another color after all? I’m curious.
YoungHouseLove says
Still not sure since they’re not back in there yet! Waiting to see what we think once we bring them back in (have to seal things first though!).
xo,
s
Elizabeth @ Southern Color says
The before and after of your kitchen is amazing!! Good job on the cork flooring.
Lauren says
WOW! Looks FANTASTIC! I picture you guys tenderly whispering “Good Night Floor” before bed every evening.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I wouldn’t put it past us. Haha.
xo,
s
Meredith @ La Buena Vida says
I didn’t love the cork floors last week (but really, what does it matter whether or not I love them, as long as you guys do!), but they do look a lot different in the photos above, and I can see how they might translate differently in real life.
Our floors tend to photograph differently than they look in real life too, and even white balancing doesn’t help much. I usually just try to fudge it in Photoshop to make it look normal since I haven’t found a good fix!
How do you guys like the wall color with the floors?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Meredith! It’s nice to hear that other floors can play camera tricks too! We’re loving the wall color with the floors since it’s a nice pop of color, although that’s another hard-to-capture-the-true-color item in the room. Since so many things in the kitchen are so neutral (white counters, soft white-gray cabinets, gray tile, brown floors) a pop of light avocado wakes things up and keeps it happy!
xo,
s
Christie says
Oooh, I love this kitchen post! It looks fab!
Cheryl says
As I write this, my husband and his dad are remodeling our master bath. Woo hoo! The tub and the toilet stay, as do the floors (they are fairly new), but new vanity, mirror, light fixture and paint. Can’t wait!!
Your kitchen looks awesome and airy. Much improvement over the cavernous old kitchen. Congrats on your hard work.
YoungHouseLove says
So exciting! Good luck with everything!
xo,
s
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
YAY! They’re done and they look FAAAAAAAB!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Lindsay!
xo,
s
Reenie says
WOW!! What a diff. Looks great.
tracy says
I really love the floors, it just makes everything look so classy and sophisticated. I wasn’t completely sold on the cork at first because the pattern looked super bold, but the pictures from today look much more subtle and low key. Great job!
Dana says
Updating our kitchen too – new white subway backsplash went in this week. Grouting today. Keeping our dark green granite and painting our cabinets white. We did not plan on changing our ceramic tile (looks very similar to the style in your kitchen/mudroom).. but now the color looks awful with all the white backsplash and will look even worse when the cabinets are painted. Have you posted any info on how you transitioned from your existing floor to cork floors?
Not sure how I would transition (if even possible) a new floating wood floor that would stop at the marble saddle my powder room & laundry room? Attached are 2 pictures if you want to take a look (poor quality – taken with phone!)
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=1158fa45630b46c19a16dcf07a6807f9&sid=0SZNGTdy1Zulg
YoungHouseLove says
So exciting! You’ve been busy!
xo,
s
heather says
Our weekend was pretty laid back Saturday, and then lots of yard work on Sunday & blogging (I’m more of a weekend blogger). I sowed our winter seeds, made some homemade pancake jam topping & then practiced on the lathe and finally, after doing some yard work found springtime. Turns out I had it the entire time. My bad.
heather says
Woops, here’s the pancake jam.
http://www.likeacupoftea.com/blueberry-lemon-pancake-jam/
YoungHouseLove says
Yum!
xo,
s
Elaine says
WAY TO GO GUYS! Homestretch now and looking FANTASTIC! This has been so fun following along and can only imagine how much you are loving the new kitchen. And how proud you must be of all your hard work and planning! YAY!
Nicole says
It looks amazing! Congratulations on the completed beautiful floors!If you are anything like me, you feel like these moments have been such a long time in the making.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Nicole!
xo,
s
Larissa says
The transformation is amazing!
My most favorite favorite thing about you guys is your stick-to-it-tiveness. Seriously, it’s inspiring. First, I know myself better than to ever attempt this type of kitchen makeover. Second, if I did attempt it, it would take 10 years and never really be done. I am always so impressed with how you guys buckle down and get it done. And you’re so gosh-darn Thorough (capitalization intended). Sometimes I think to myself “WWYHLD?” during my meager projects and it helps me prioritize, execute, and finish! (Most of the time.) So thank you J & S! You’re the best!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Larissa! You’re so sweet!
xo,
s
Caity says
Looks awesome! Do I spy a new kitchen towel?
On a side note, our first Home Goods store just opened up here in Dayton…I am so excited to go! I saw it and told my husband, “I think John and Sherry shop there a lot!” haha :) A ceramic animal may make it home this week…
YoungHouseLove says
That’s just another towel we rotate in. It actually ends up on Clara’s play kitchen too. Haha.
xo,
s
Patti says
This is such a monumental makeover YHLovers! I love it! I also have this same exact cork in my bathroom and I’m so happy with it. I still lovingly gaze at my floors and it’s been 3 years!
Deb says
the floor look great! but does it bother you guys that there is such a large spot that appears not to have as much of the dark color in the cork? It is quite a few planks to the side of the penisula? It shows up in the first post about when you guys started and in every picture showing that same spot. Maybe it’s just me, but I am one on the readers that could clearly see the difference in that “blue light” that John was trying to get rid of that was showing up in one of the post. It just seems like you would have noticed those pieces and put them in a less obvious place. Loving the look, but man that area just sticks out!
YoungHouseLove says
I think it’s just a lighting trick (the part to the right of that is just in shadow from the peninsula overhang, and the part to the left of that is a shadow from the fireplace mantel). There didn’t appear to be any really obvious variations in color but we alternated pieces from many different boxes just in case.
xo,
s
Deb says
looks*
Asha says
Never thought about cork before, but I’m a believer now! Many more pros than cons, especially when you factor in a dog and kids. Thanks for opening my eyes to sustainable wood floor alternatives! And the floors look AMAZING! That mocha flooring warms up both the kitchen and laundry rooms. Looking at the before of the kitchen made me gasp to see the difference. Night and day! Enjoy your gorgeous new kitchen.
McKayla says
It looks beautiful! I was skeptical when I saw the plan earlier- but really, so pretty!
Suzanne @The Wine{a}be says
It is beautiful! What a great feeling to be done. Congrats!
Hannah says
I bet it feels good that the flooring project is pretty much done! I LOVE the floors in the laundry room. I’m not sure why, but I’m not as big a fan of them in the kitchen… I don’t know if its the lighting or what considering both rooms have the same white/grellow pallet going on. Maybe I’m just weird… that’s got to be it – I’m just weird! :)
Deanna says
Congratulations!! It looks wonderful!
cheryl says
I’m being totally lazy and not checking out the other comments, but a polarizing lens will help you remove the shine and get to the actual color of your tile.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Cheryl!
xo,
s
Gigi Hicks says
Love that you did the laundry room as well! It’s my favorite made-over room of your house so far:)
Kasey M. says
I cannot believe you came home from Hawaii with the flu…I’m so glad you didn’t get sick during the trip though. From the photos it looks like you really enjoyed the vacation (ok so manybe the fire freaked Clara out at the restaurant).
Hope everyone is getting the rest they need so you’re feeling 100% again soon!
Alyssa says
Count me in as another doubter – I thought the floors looked too orange/red and clashy with the gorgeous cool backsplash in the last post. But in this light, wow. Well done!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Alyssa! It was just hard to adjust to shooting them but we hope we’re getting the hang of it! It’s funny that the videos got it right immediately but the camera was playing tricks!
xo,
s
Jan Thompson says
They look awesome!!!! The whole kitchen turned out so well! Thanks for sharing the process!
Rebecca says
I love how you had to explain where your laundry basket is. Haha.
Love the floors!
Kristin says
These look just fabulous. Great choice!
Reva says
Congratulations, it looks amazing! The floor has worked wonders.
Sara says
I’m a newcomer here. Want to say I’m in love with cork flooring. We installed it in our bathroom and are now ready to do so in the bedroom. It’s just the most beautiful flooring ever!
A word of caution tho…our kids installed a dark cork flooring like yours in their kitchen area. They have a lot of light on the floor by their patio doors and the cork has faded there. Apparently it will do that. So, make sure you put curtains on that beautiful bright doorway I see in your photo.
Enjoy~
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks for the tip Sara! That leads to the covered carport (which will eventually be a garage) so it actually doesn’t get much direct light!
xo,
s
Kristen says
Your floors look awesome!! The whole kitchen is beautiful! I haven’t ever commented but recently subscribed and just want to let you both know, what a wonderful site this is. I’m very “type A” and love love love decorating, but have become disabled from a neurogic disease……so I’m a young retired RN. I want to thank you for allowing me to get back into “decorating mode” even if it’s just getting ideas to tell my husband etc….. It has made a huge difference as I get through each day! I’m not trying to be a sad story..lol, I just want to commend you both for giving me back something to look forward to!! Thank you for letting us in to enjoy all your ideas etc….. I LOVE THE CORK!! :) Thanks again, Kristen :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kristen! That’s so good to hear! So glad you found our blog. And happy decorating!
xo,
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Andrea says
Just wondering on how you will link the cork with the hardwoods of your dining room?? My kitchen has two big openings into rooms with hardwood and I’m looking into doing cork floors but am having a hard time envisioning how they will mesh with where they meet with the hardwoods. If you could take a pic to help a girl out, I would really appreciate it!!!
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll share the photos when we install our thresholds for sure!
xo,
s
emma says
I spent Sunday painting our bedroom trim white. Is there an ‘I hate painting trim’ support group??
Luckily it was beautiful out so having the windows open and hearing kids play was nice background noise! Which made me think of a fun give away question – what’s your diy background noise of choice? Music? Movies? Outside noise?….
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s a good question! It’s nice to hear outside noises on a nice day, and we usually have the radio on or even a TV show playing on Hulu in the background, just to keep our brains from repeating “how long is this going to take?” as we go! Haha.
xo,
s
Liz F says
We toured a house yesterday that had the same cork floors as what you guys installed–WOW!!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Too funny!
xo,
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Lee says
The floors look great. Intersted in opinions on this… we have a galley kitch that is open at both ends. The original part of the downstairs which leads into the kitchen has hard wood floors sort of the same color as your old cabinets here. Then we have a great room that was added on and has the laminate flooring (i think that is what it is called) which is a different color, but close enough to clash. We are redoing the kitchen and I love the dark floor look but dontw ant to have three differnt floors in a not so big house! We could theoretically refinish the old part of hte house and the kitchen to all have dark wood – and have just one rooom with the lighter color (biggest room that they all lead into) – ok that is a long question – but interested in thoughts!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, generally I love refinishing things to match so they look seamless. Maybe try posting a pic or two to our Facebook page to get advice from readers?
xo,
s
Melissa says
It looks amazing! I cannot believe how much your kitchen has transformed in just a few months. I imagine you’re relieved to be in the final stretch of ticking it off the “to do” list.
I was wondering (and sorry if you addressed this somewhere, but I can’t find it!) how you clean cork floors? Do you think you could use a steam mop? I’m in the middle of deciding on a material for my kitchen floor, and that’s a deciding factor for me.
YoungHouseLove says
I don’t believe you’re supposed to use a steam mop since it can be too damp, so just a moist cloth and some mild cleanser (they’re very similar to hardwoods in that you don’t want them to be sopping wet).
xo,
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Lilly says
Maybe you’ve answered this and I missed it, but I’d love to know the care and maintenance of cork and the factors that led to choosing cork. It is so beautiful and something I never even considered before seeing it in your kitchen. Would it work in a bathroom? How does it compare in price to wood or tile? (This could be a whole post, I’m asking for.)
BTW, I love checking in each day to see the progress on your kitchen. Maybe when life slows down a little (ie all your projects are done) will you be taking design consults again? :)
YoungHouseLove says
If you click the link in this post about buying it that info is in there! We just shopped around and learned the pros and cons of all materials and picked the one we liked best! It’s very comparable to wood (we got ours through Lumber Liquidators on clearance). The price and stuff is in that post too! As for design consults, we will definitely make a big announcement if we ever start taking them on!
xo,
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Anne says
It looks fantastic! I am beyond jealous, we moved this summer – and while we love the new place – we left some fabulous cork floors behind in our kitchen. Everyday I miss those floors. Everyday. (sigh)
Congrats to you guys, you will LOVE the floors forever, I promise :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Anne! So glad to hear it!
xo,
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Kelly says
Wow, that floor is fabulous! I sooooooo wish I had been able to convince my husband and general contractor that cork was the way to go in our kitchen. Just about everyone we talked to discouraged using cork — even the flooring sales people! I’m so disappointed…
Lindsay says
Love the cork floors! We have the same washer / dryer combo and the guy that sold it to us told us we couldn’t stack them… Did you have to do anything special to stack yours? Thanks! – Lindsay
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we had to buy a stacking kit. Ours were approved to be stacked though (might want to check yours are too since it can hurt the warranty, etc).
xo,
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C.A. @ How To Be A Heroine says
WOW! It looks so amazing, it’s actually making me question my lifelong dream of one day having a kitchen with a black and white floor. Nicely done! Does it feel good to stand on?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s nice. Soft and not too cold!
xo,
s
Rachael@LovelyCraftyHome says
Looks awesome!! It really changes the feel of the space. I have a similar problem photographing my floors. They are not cork (they’re actually paper), but they have a dark walnut stain and look like leather. It’s hard when every single light situation or angle makes them look completely different. Let me know if you figure out how to capture them :) I love how yours look in all the shots though, so no worries!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Rachael! Paper sounds so cool!
xo,
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Sara says
Im wondering why you chose to go so dark on the floors when the kitchen is so light and airy? It lmost looks like you renovated the whole kitchen and ran out of money and left the old floors… They look almost 70s style to me. I dont mean disrespect, if you like em thats all that matters. They just dont seem to fit what I imagine as your style… but maybe that is why you chose? Mixing it up.. which I always admire. Cant say I am a fan of the flooring but everything else in the kitchen is amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
We just looked at all the fancy kitchens that we pinned on Pinterest and they all had white cabinets/counters with dark wood or cork floors! We also had white cabinets and light counters with dark floors in our first house’s kitchen and loved the look. Just a personal preference thing I think!
xo,
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Darcy says
WOW! It looks A-MMMMAAA–ZZIIINNGG!! I can’t believe that you were down to 4 planks — that is CRAZY close! You guys must have been a-sweatin!!!
I knew I would love it all completed, but it really is even more beautful than I envisioned! I think I love, love, love it now!! LOL! What?!? Is it wrong to love someones kitchen that I’ve never met and I’ve never seen in person……Well, if its wrong….Than I don’t want to be right!!!! LOL! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Darcy! You’re so sweet!
xo,
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