wine cork backsplash

I want to make a wine cork backsplash and was wondering if anyone has done this or could give me tips. I am thinking of slicing them lengthwise-how? And I need to figure out what glue to use and what to seal it with. Any advice?

sheesh, no one has any advice?????

Sorry!
Not a whole lot of advice, but the safest way would probably taking a good ole knife and cutting 3 of the 4 sides off. Then you have a flat back to glue to the back of the board and flat side to glue to one another.

I would use wood glue if you're gluing on the back...

I've seen it done before but only on tv. I think they used a sort of saw to cut them in half. But a sharp knife would probably work.
And maybe try grout to give it a stronger hold? Might want to just google it. I'm sure somewhere out there someone has some instructions!

I'm sorry, I'm completely lost. I thought you got splashed with wine after pulling the cork out! Well, you know, with valentines day and all....ok, I'll shut up now.

I'm guessing you are talking about a back splash behind your sink in the kitchen?

sorry can't think of anything.

I think a bandsaw would work best for cutting them, but you will have to set something up to hold thm in pace (safely) while you cut them.
A wood glue would probablywork fine, just let them dry for several days before you seal them.
A sealer appropriate for a cork floor should work for the backsplash.

Good luck, this will be a lot of work!

I have to ask - who is going to drink all that wine so that you get all those corks?!?!?

I think its a cool idea, but would you be afraid that your cats would want to use them as a scratching place? Anything cork is open season in my house.

For cutting them: I agree with the bandsaw idea, but if you don't have one, that's not a type of saw that a lot of people have (if you tried to borrow one). I saw people in a fabric store cutting thick foam with a hand held saw - maybe ask them what they use and where they bought it from. Of just go to a Home Depot or Lowes and tell them what you are trying to do and get some suggestions from them. I would suspect that cutting them with a knife would take forever.

I'll contribute a couple of corks, LOL. I can see using a hacksaw or is it a bandsaw - with a really thin blade & a vise.

Yeah - we could make it a TCS project - send all wine corks to Renovia!

Anyway, I would imagine there are commercial sealants out there for cork, since it's becoming a rather popular (renewable) flooring. I would also just ask at The Home Depot or Lowes, they would probably know more about the actual products available.

I did a little researching, and all of the projects I find using wine corks only require one cut - lengthwise - of each cork.

Originally Posted by valanhb

Yeah - we could make it a TCS project - send all wine corks to Renovia!

Anyway, I would imagine there are commercial sealants out there for cork, since it's becoming a rather popular (renewable) flooring. I would also just ask at The Home Depot or Lowes, they would probably know more about the actual products available.

I did a little researching, and all of the projects I find using wine corks only require one cut - lengthwise - of each cork.

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I'd be up for sending some!

That'd be kinda cool too cos you could get them from all over the world and all different kinds of wines!

Why would you want to put flammable cork on your walls?

I don't have any advice on how to make one, but I do have some things for you to consider before going ahead with the project:

1. If you do make it, glue the corks onto a piece of wood and then attach the wood to the wall. If you don't, nothing short of a bomb will be able to remove them from the wall, and that is not a great selling feature for a house.

2. How do you plan on keeping them clean, or cleaning them when they are dirty? Cork is porous and if it's over a sink or near a humid heat source such as a stove (ie: steam from cooking), will become damp, swell up, turn mouldy and become a breeding ground for bacteria. I would suggest three coats of polyurethane on the finished project.

I'm in the process of doing something similar right now.  Using a band saw.  I just happened to buy one and it was still in the box when I decided to start the project.  One advantage of cutting them is that you end up with twice as many.  I made a really easy jig.  Used a short piece of 2 x 6 and cut a "v" down the middle of it (using a circular saw adjusting the angle to 45).  Then pushed the 'v' into the band so it would make a cut about the length of one cork.  Pushing several corks through the v with a piece of pvc means your fingers don't come close.  Easy to do a couple hundred corks in an  hour or so....