Cork flooring is very popular due to the fact that it is relatively inexpensive and very comfortable to walk on. It has a natural cushioning effect and it insulates your house really well, keeping it warm in the winter months. Cork flooring provides a certain amount of sound-proofing, compared to other floors that make loud noises when walked on. Most of the cork today is produced in Spain, where massive amounts of cork oaks are grown. Cork is environmentally friendly and a good choice for more modern flooring. Cork is used in a variety of different things, not just floors. In fact, you are probably familiar with some of the objects made of cork; you might even have some of them in your home, such as wine corks or bulletin boards.

Cork Flooring Materials

Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak, which is grown in places like Spain and Portugal. The bark is removed from the cork oak approximately every nineteen years. But, it is only removed when the tree reaches the age of twenty-five or older. It is removed by hand and then boiled. After that it is baked and made into a variety of things including cork flooring. Well, cork flooring is sealed, and then it is ready to be sold. It comes in many colors, and designers often use different colors in one floor to add depth, by placing many squares together to form the floor. A lot of people consider cork flooring to be the next big thing in floors. It is environmentally friendly, soft on the feet, stylish, and cheaper than most other wood floors.

Cork flooring is durable and long lasting, and much less likely to crack or scratch like classic wood floors. It is good because of its spring like texture that makes it less likely to break fragile things when dropped onto the floor. Cork can be recycled and used for other items, or even to make cork floors out of the recycled cork. Cork floors can last many years, which makes it great for businesses and places where a lot of people visit. Cork will look new for many years without repair. Another positive aspect of cork flooring is that it is chic ‘n’ stylish, and adds the perfect flair to your home or office. It comes in simple tongue and groove installation, which makes it easy to just snap into place.

Cork Flooring Price Range

Cork floors can range in price from two dollars a S/F to seven dollars a S/F and up, the price is relatively low for such a high quality floor. Like most floors, it can be bought online or at many major flooring companies. Most online floor companies provide you with a wide range to browse through and sometimes they can give you free shipping. Though, if you want to get a hands-on look at the floor, it is best to go to your local flooring center and pick out the exact floor you want by hand. You can even custom order to pick the perfect floor to match your needs. Cork floors are a good choice because of their durability and all their many other positive qualities that make cork the perfect choice for your home or business.

Durability Of Cork

When you think of cork, you may think immediately of wine corks or small cork plugs that are used to plug bottles of all shapes and sizes. You may have had the experience of a cork used in a wine bottle breaking off into your wine. If this has happened to you, you might be wondering if cork really is strong enough for a flooring option.

The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, cork is probably one of the strongest flooring options available on the market today! Cork is much less affected by impact and friction than hardwood, laminate or tile flooring. Therefore, cork can stand up to much more use and abuse than any other flooring type.

In fact, cork has an amazing resistant and is extremely resilient to pressure. If you stand on a cork floor with high heels, the floor will make an impression or a dent. However, when you remove the pressure, the floor will spring back to its original shape almost immediately, and leave no lasting mark or impression! This is handy if you plan to place any heavy furniture on your floor. With other types of flooring such as carpet, heavy furniture will leave a permanent mark when it is moved. However with cork, when you remove the furniture, the floor with look as good as new.

When you drop heavy items on tile floors, they are prone to cracking and breaking. However, with a cork floor, the item will not leave a mark. This is an excellent property if you have small children or are just clumsy!

Do Cork Floors Stain?

Cork contains a natural substance called suberin. Suberin is a waxy type of substance that makes the cork impervious to liquids and the cork will not rot if it is exposed to water or liquid like a hardwood or laminate. This makes cork flooring a perfect choice for kitchens or bathroom areas. Cork is the best seal around which is evidenced by the use of cork to stop up wine bottles for centuries.

If you spill anything on a cork floor, you do not have to worry about staining or any other damage, you simply wipe it up, and the mess is gone. Unlike carpet or hardwood where you would have to worry about a permanent stain or discoloration of the floor.

Other Properties Of Cork Floors

Cork is the perfect choice if you suffer from allergies or if you have an illness that requires your living environment to be very clean. Because cork is a natural barrier to insects, common problem insects such as termites and ants cannot get into the flooring and infest the house.

In addition, cork is naturally germ resistant which means that no allergens can hid in the floor such as with carpet. The floor will not absorb dust or allow any molds or funguses to grow. It is easy to clean and is not produced with any harsh chemicals, which makes it the perfect choice for people suffering with allergies or any major illness.

Cork Flooring Installation

If you are a do it yourselfer and you like home projects, than cork is definitely something that you can install over a weekend. Many manufactures are now producing cork-flooring tiles with a glue-less technology. You simply snap the tiles in place like a floating floor. This makes the installation easy and it does not require any special tools.

Conclusion

Cork is the perfect choice for flooring if you need something that will stand up to use and abuse, be long lasting, is resistant to water and stains and be safe for the environment. An excellent value for your money, cork will last forever and is only half the price of many other popular flooring options.

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