Earthscapes and green

[Arlette]

I'm looking to install laminate in the kitchen.
I've been told that Earthscapes is green. Is it? How?
They say I don't have to glue down the earthscapes product. Is it true?
Is it good to use for a wheelchair?
thanks for your answers.

[rgfloor]

First, welcome to The Floor Pro.

Now there are two products called Earthscapes, one is a vinyl floor, the second is a ceramic tile by American Olean.

The vinyl is not glued down, and I believe the warrantee excludes rolling loads, ie. roller chairs, rolling dishwashers etc.

The ceramic would support a wheelchair provided the subfloor met minimum specs.

With more specific info we could give more ideas.

[Arlette]

I'm sorry I'm talking about the vinyl/laminate.
thanks for your prompt reply

[rgfloor]

Never heard of an Earthscape laminate. It is a 12 foot sheet vinyl.

:: IVC Group US - luxury, vinyl, flooring :: - Homepage

Here is their website.

[jay f]

Actually, to be correct, it's 13' 2" wide (4 meters). That may help in some rooms to eliminate seams.

[rusty baker]

I turned a job down a few weeks ago for a lady in a wheelchair. IMHO I didn't think it would last very long.

[Arlette]

Ok, probably no for the earthscapes.
However, right now I can walk but need something soft. I sometimes need a wheelchair. We're going with cork in the rest of the house. I was looking for something in a laminate in the kitchen. Where does that leave me? Any suggestions?
Right now I have old laminate from the late 70's. It's held up very well. However it's time for a change.

[rgfloor]

I can't see that any floating floor would be good to use where there is wheelchair traffic. Most all manufacturers limit wheeled traffic in their warranties. The problem is that floors are not usually FLAT and with a wheelchair that leads to flexing or vertical movement. That breaks the joint in a laminate and can lead to buckling and plank movement.

With a vinyl like Earthscapes the movement of the wheelchair will cause wrinkles and ripples, it is a soft vinyl. A wheelchair when it is turned pivots or slips on one wheel while the opposite wheel rotates. This will twist a floating floor, be it laminate or vinyl.

I would recommend a high quality non cushioned vinyl, with a full-spead installation.

[Arlette]

Good info on the wheelchair and pivoting. Does that include the new power chairs?
It has big wide baloon tires. (Like a snow blower)
Will it be ok for the cork floor?

[rgfloor]

Wheels are wheels, wide or narrow, a wide one just spreads the load out a little.

What type of cork?, is it glued down?

[Arlette]

We were thinking of going with the brand Natural Cork.
It's 1ft by 3ft pieces. not a glue down.
Right now we have carpeting throughout except for the bathroom and the kitchen.
We want to replace the carpeting with the cork.
I don't need to use the chair often. I need more of the softness now.
I'm just thinking of the future.

[rgfloor]

http://www.naturalcork.com/pdfs/Cork%20Installation.pdf

These are the install instructions for Natural Cork, note that the floor must be flat (otherwise it moves and will break the Clic joints). Also recommends wide rollers for chairs and floor protectors for office chairs.

[Jim McClain]

I use a Segway for getting around on (I can walk, just not very far) and it also has "balloon tires" similar to what you refer to. I have some cheap sheet vinyl installed in my kitchen, glued 100%, and it holds up fine under my weight and the Segway. But I get a good idea what might happen if the material were loose (either all over, or loose except for the edges). I have a large commercial carpet on my porch and the slightest turns on my Seg causes the carpet to bubble and wrinkle and I am constantly smoothing it out so others won't trip over it.

I take the Seg everywhere when I shop or go to local restaurants. I have ridden over laminate flooring without problems, but I don't know if the boards were glued together or not. I am sure your local flooring dealers will have small areas of flooring you can test drive your wheelchair over, even if it isn't the same flooring you might want.

Good luck,

Jim

[stullis]

If you want to use cork go with cork tiles not floating planks.