Learn Tips About Wine Cellar Flooring

By Holly Peters


Floor needs to be prepared well first when planning for custom wine cellar flooring. This is important because a well-prepared floor is one of the factors that determine the success in creating a well-sealed climate controlled wine room. For those who have floors that are just above ground, it is important to have vapor barriers and insulation under the final covering just like what you would have on the walls and ceilings. On the other hand, if the floor is on top a cement slab on the ground, it is fine to have the vapor barrier added only to the cement before you apply the floor covering. The rationale for all this is to create a tightly sealed wine room. Storage rooms that are not tightly wrapped will have ineffective climate control.

Experts recommend using Bostik's MVP4. This is a Moisture Vapor Protection that is applied using a trowel and left to dry. When it is dry, the flooring is added on top of it. Bostik's MVP4 is usually available at local hardware stores. Once the moisture barrier is in place, the cellar flooring is then added directly on top of the vapor barrier.

Once you have the floor prepared, start thinking about the flooring materials. There is no strict rule on what material to use. You have all the liberty to choose what you want to use. The only important thing to remember is to never use anything that resembles carpet. Carpet-like materials can mold and mildew when the humidity inside the cellar is high. Good choices of materials include, slate, tiles, and stone. Wood is alright to use if it has previously been aged in a humid environment.

One of the most popular materials used for cellar flooring is reclaimed wine barrels. Real oak wood from wine barrels are made into elegant-looking custom wine cellar room flooring. The woods used usually range from 6-50 years old and have aged in a very humid environment since they used to store wine. The process of makings these barrels into beautiful, old-world style flooring is a very meticulous one. The wine barrel flooring can either be glued or nailed over the area that has been prepared with the Moisture Vapor Protection or Bostik's MVP4.

There are 3 styles of wine barrel flooring: Cooperage flooring, Wine Infusion flooring, and Stave flooring. Cooperage flooring is made from the barrel head including its patina, stamps, and special markings. Wine Infusion flooring is made from the inside of the barrels. The wood inside these barrels have been naturally stained by wine during the fermentation process. The Stave flooring is made using the outside of the wine barrels. The beauty of staves is the markings and textures that are left by the hoops that used to be on them.

Another alternative for wine barrels are wine corks. These can make awesome wine cellar flooring. Many companies today take used wine corks ad create beautiful flooring with them. Cork flooring is very durable and is very affordable. Traditional cork flooring comes in tongue and groove piece so that they snap together and are easily held in place by simple molding. You can choose various styles, patterns, and colors with cork flooring too.




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