I installed cork plank flooring in a basement bedroom in March. I did not notice any odor but I am not chemically sensitive. The planks are nice because they are a floating floor so no adhesive is needed. While cork is a renewable, sustainable material, you still must do your research to see what materials & adhesives are used in the various layers of the flooring. I am not chemically sensitive, so I did not go to that level of research and instead just looked for a good price. I purchased my flooring from Black River Floors and had very good service (which surprised me considering it's a discount retailer). They also sell samples.

http://www.blackriverfloors.com/cork-flooring-categories.htm

My floor is beautiful and I installed by myself without any help from my husband. So I have bragging rights in addition to a green floor! Here is a link to the exact floor I chose (which I didn't have to finish or wax at all):

http://www.blackriverfloors.com/cork-detail/l-fc-07.htm

Good luck!

We have had cork flooring in our kitchen and utility room for over a year. Ours was a new, site-built home. We have glue-down flooring as opposed to floating (the cork-floor rooms connect to tile-floor rooms, and the floating floor would not have been level with the tile). Ours are tiles, not planks.

We are not chemically sensitive, so I can't comment on that aspect. We chose cork because I have a bad back and can't stand on hard surfaces like tile for very long. We also wanted products that were as natural as possible without occurring a large expense. We live far from major cities and distribution areas, and cork was the only natural floor available at local stores. We didn't investigate bamboo, natural-fiber carpets and other natural flooring, because we could not see them locally.

We are not happy with the hardness and durability of our cork. The manufacturer claims that it is comparable to wood laminate, but we already have a gouge in our cork from our little girl spinning on the heel of her boot. Some of the utility-room tiles are starting to curl up at the edges although the room is open to the rest of the house and the temperature and humidity is similar to the kitchen. The kitchen tiles are not curling up, so the difference may be in the use of adhesive or finish. We live in the dry Southwest, and there is little humidity in the house. Cork floors are not common here, and our floor was installed by our builder's crew, who had never installed cork before. They did seem to follow the manufacturer's instructions, including adhesive and finishing products.

We have not had to wax. The cork floor is comfortable to stand on, and is noticeably warmer-feeling than tile in the winter.

http://www.blackriverfloors.com/cork-glueless-floating-planks.htm

Wow! I can't even believe how inexpensive this flooring is! It is less than 1/2 the price of everything I have been looking at and I have been searching for the last 3 days! They have all the chemical testing listed here

http://www.blackriverfloors.com/docs/TestReport12666-39.pdf

Debra, this looks really good to me, but is they any way you could interpret this? I am a little chemically sensitive, but I am expecially concerned about this because it is going to be in our bedrooms. Wood is not an option for us based on our uneven floor surfaces and damp crawl space which we are still trying to remedy. I will definitely be getting samples of anything we put in our rooms. Thank you!

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: I asked certified Bau-Biologist Mary Cordaro (owner of The Mary Cordaro Collection) to take a look at the test results given on the website. Here's what she had to say:

The German lab has a good reputation according to one of the labs I work with in Germany that tests for NaturePlus, the certifying organization in Germany with the most comprehensive standards for health.  

However, it's important to keep in mind that the test results from this lab do not certify that any particular standards are met. Rather, it simply says that the product was tested for certain items: formaldehyde, phenol and VOC's.  

According to Bau-Biologie standards (which are almost the same as those under the NaturePlus certification in Germany), formaldehyde and phenol are very low, if fact, they are not detected.  However, VOC's are are medium/low levels, so it may take some time for this product to be completely safe, particularly for the chemically sensitive person. SVOC's, or semi-volatile organic compounds were not tested.  SVOC’s may also be present, and for cork in particular, it's also important to test for both biocides and odor giving compounds, such as one called 2,4,6-trichloroanisol (TCA).

We just put down the tiles ourselves in the kitchen, bedroom, family room, and computer "cove" this past summer. We purchased the tiles from Healthy Home in St. Pete - a great resource, and the glue and finishes from Bioshield.

The process went beautifully and I'm pleased with the results. Would everyone be - maybe not - as we're not pros, so not every seam is perfect. We like the "cottage"y look of it, though. We're in humid Clearwater Florida and so far no problems - with people, grandkid, and grand-dog traffic.

Lumber Liquidators sells glue-down cork tiles for 99 cents a square foot. These tiles are prefinished with 6 layers of baked-on aluminum oxide. Is this a safe finish?

Also, can anyone recommend a self-leveling compound to prepare the floor for the tiles, an adhesive for the cork tiles, and a final finish to apply over the tiles to seal the seams?

Thanks!