Corked

Packard

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Joined
Nov 6, 2020
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Hudson Valley, NY
I just came across a DIY article that up-cycles used wine corks to make bath mats. It involves slicing the corks lengthwise and hot gluing the corks to a substrate. I’ve seen similar projects using the same sliced corks to make bulletin boards that accept thumb tacks.

In terms of comfort, I think I would slice the corks into “coins” and glue them up. In my mind, if tightly spaced, that would be more comfortable to stand on than the rounded corks


If you are ever tempted to try this or a similar project using wine corks, consider this tip:

Place small batches of the corks in a vegetable steamer (about $6.00 in the local supermarket if you don’t already have one). Steam the corks for about 5 - 10 minutes. Remove a few at a time and allow them to cool enough that they can easily be handled.

The steamed corks will have returned to their original shape and lose the taper from being inserted in the bottle. It will slice as easily as a par-boiled carrot, but should be sliced as soon as possible after removing from the steamer.

A simple jig that holds the cork in position while slicing will make the process far safer. The original article does not mention that, an oversight in my opinion.
 
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