Departing
from my usual fare here in an unexpected direction. I recently got hooked on,
well, like it says in the title to this post: making cork bathmats. As is my wont,
I researched all the instructionals I could find online and proceeded. What
differs in my instructional is that I’m going to tell you all the stuff that no
others do. I will put these tips in purple.
Note:
I live in an area where the water supply is the Earth’s hardest (1,300 ppm
calcium), so instead of tap water, I collect air conditioner condensate in
1.5-liter bottles all summer and my supply lasts me ‘til spring. Air
conditioner condensate is mineral free and therefore the softest water available; it’s essentially
distilled water at zero cost. So whenever I mention water, I’m talking soft.
Worth keeping in mind depending upon your water supply.
I’m
too lazy to insert photos, but I’ll explain it all in detail:
Collecting enough corks
You’ll
need 150 for a mat measuring 60 x 40 cm, but collect some more, as not every
cork makes the cut, literally. Save those that don’t,
however, and keep them on hand when gluing, as they can be used to fill in
irregularly-shaped spaces.
I’ve
been able to keep up a steady cork supply by 1) telling everyone I know to save
their corks for me and 2) scavenging in glass recycling receptacles. If you’re
in proxmity to a bar(s), restaurant(s), or hotel(s), you can ask them to save
them for you and pick them up reliably.
Soaking
None
of the other instructionals tell you this: Soak
your corks first* overnight. Then dry
them thoroughly. I live in the desert, so this means spreading them onto a
cookie sheet and setting them outside the southern side of my house, where they
dry quickly. But they must be thoroughly dry, or else you’ll rust your knife.
Slicing
The
other instructionals say to use a pen knife (?!) or don’t specify. Use a heavy-duty utility knife / box cutter, not
just any old knife or Xacto knife. I bought a Workforce on the recommendation of
the Home Depot sales associate, and it’s much better than the snap-off blade
box cutter I started with, but I suspect there’s still something better out
there. Reader recommendations are welcome!
Cover
your work surface with a piece of cardboard or some other protection, unless
you like knife scratches and glue residue on your table. Your knife will
slip. Wear work gloves for protection.
Have
a sheet of rough (I use grade 4) sandpaper handy. With
few exceptions, the cut won’t be clean, and you’ll need to sand.
UPDATE: I've found that simply rubbing the two flat half-cork surfaces together is usually enough to smooth things out. If not, then I sand.
The
other instructionals say to stand the cork on end and slice it in half. Like
that’s going to happen – not. Here’s how to slice:
Lay the cork on its side lengthwise. Hold one end between your thumb and
forefinger. With your knife extended fully, make a cut a centimeter from the
other end. Press your knife downward as far as you can. Now turn the cork on
its end (the end you were holding) and continue slicing, turning, slicing, and
turning ‘til you’ve split the cork in two.
I’ve
found that I have to do this standing up. A lot of pressing is involved, and
even wearing gloves, blisters formed. Forget regular Band-Aids; slap on the
larger adhesive bandages used in burn clinics. You’re in the major leagues now.
For
the sanding, I rub the cork halves back and forth and in a circular motion on
the sandpaper, which is lying on my work surface adjacent to where I’m cutting.
There will be crumbs. Even sanding doesn’t render a smooth, flat
surface. That’s OK; sand regardless. Now you’re ready to glue.
Backings
I began
with an old rubber / vinyl bathmat I wanted to recycle. I sliced all the
suction cups off the bottom, put it in the bathtub, poured a few cups of bleach
on it, covered it with water, and soaked it for a few hours. Then I rinsed it
and dried it thoroughly. It’s not ideal, as it doesn’t lie flat, so I’m conducting
an ongoing experiment:
I glued
two thirds of its area using hot glue; then a line of corks using Gorilla glue;
and the remaining third using e6000. Each cork in the Gorilla line got a big ‘ol
black dot applied with a Sharpie laundry marker, so it’s easy to keep track of
which corks were glued with which glue.
I let
it dry overnight, then used it. Every few days, one or more corks comes loose, and
I reglue it / them using Gorilla and mark those corks with a dot. The mat is slowly
becoming populated with black dots / Gorilla. With one exception, every cork
that has come loose was glued with hot glue; one e6000 has come loose. Draw your
own conclusions. Here are my impressions of the various glues:
Hot glue
I thought
using hot glue was hard core, i.e., it’s the ultimate adhesive. Yet my data
proves otherwise. It appears that its advantage over e6000 is its lower cost. I’m
lousy at arithmetic and haven’t performed a cost analysis, but roughly, a large
stick of hot glue is enough to glue three or four mats; I estimate that a
bottle of original Gorilla will go about as far, and a small tube of e6000 won’t
go as far. My empirical data, for what it’s worth.
I began
using hot glue wearing latex gloves, but it became annoying, so I took my
chances gloveless. Being very careful, I’ve burned myself on the gun’s tip a
few times, immediately applied ice, and there was no injury. There is something
fun about hot gluing, so there is that.
Gorilla glue
Many
Gorilla users complain that it dries out soon after opening. I live in the
desert and have opened and closed my bottle multiple times with no drying, so I
don’t know what their problem is. You only need to apply a small amount, as it
spreads as it dries. Seems well worth its cost (not high) to me.
E6000
Everyone
I talked to or read about warns of the odor and cautions to ventilate. I couldn’t
detect any odor, used it indoors, and lived to tell the tale. Again, it grips
like no other; it just costs more.
Back to backings
After
starting with my old bathmat (see above), I moved on to some old vinyl
placemats my dad had lying around. These were far easier to work with, as they
lie flat. Gave the first one to friends; have not gotten any reports of how
well / poorly it’s holding up.
Mesh shelf liner
Bought
some at a dollar store. The glue seems to grip this material superbly. The only
downside is the glue leaking through the mesh. I solved this by working on top
of a sheet of contact paper peel-off (i.e., not the (sticky) contact paper
itself, rather the layer you peel off). Every two rows, I gently lift the mesh
off the sheet so it doesn’t dry onto the sheet. Works like a charm. We’ll call
the sheet the inter-layer.
Another
inter-layer idea I haven’t tried yet: the poop-catchers that come with your
annual occult blood stool test kit, which I don’t use, as I have my own method.
Stay tuned on these. If your HMO doesn’t send a home kit, next time you visit
your clinic, ask for a few poop catchers (don’t know the clinical name).
I also
found some foam shelf liner and plan to use it next. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Gave friends a mat glued with hot glue onto a plastic placemat backing. They said the corks started popping off after a week of use. Made a test mat the same way for my household. It's still intact weeks later, so I suspect her huge, active setter puppy of terror activity.
Wrapup
So
there you are. You now have exhaustive instructions for making your cork
bathmat. Please comment and tell me your experiences. I’m dying to correspond
with other recyclers!
* Shout-out to my master crafter SIL, Lana Reiz, for
this invaluable tip and for informing me of e6000’s existence!
