ALL FLOORS DESIGN CENTRE

If you are looking for a different kind of flooring among the many choices you have out there today, look into cork flooring, one of the best alternatives you can choose that is also environmentally sustainable. Cork is not only great for the environment, but it also has features that many individuals enjoy for their homes. Before investing in cork flooring, read on to learn more about this great alternative.

What is Cork Flooring?

Cork flooring is created from the bark of trees, which is removed from the trees approximately once per decade, which causes no damage to the tree. This is different from hard wood floors, which destroy the entire tree to make the product. Many people in the green building industry love cork flooring because it utilizes what the tree is producing without damaging the tree whatsoever. To actually create the cork product, the bark is removed from the trees and then chopped into very tiny pieces and molded into cork tiles or boards that come in a variety of colors and thicknesses so the consumer has a variety of choices. The cork is baked in high temperature ovens while it is being created, and manufacturers have learned that the longer they keep the cork slabs in the oven, the darker it becomes.

Pros

When people hear about the way a cork floor is produced, they are fearful that their floors will look like wine corks, boards, or coasters, when actually it looks nothing like those products. Since the manufacturers are able to grind the pieces of the tree bark into very tiny pieces, the boards do not resemble cork at all and look like high quality wood flooring. Some companies have been able to create wonderful looking designs and colors to fit any homeowner. Because cork is able to be easily altered by using stains or paints, people are able to find things that fit in easily with their homes without looking out-of-place.

Another benefit people should know before choosing flooring is that cork is a very sound and damage resistant material. Because of the makeup of bark, it has a lot of bubbles in the boards so that the noise is very insulated. It actually can absorb much of the sound of people walking and can make your home much quieter than it would be if you had hard wood floors. Additionally, cork is very easy to clean and install, and it lasts a long time and is harder to damage than wood floors.

Cons

There are a couple of problems some users have found with cork floors. Because it is a fairly soft material, if you have extremely heavy furniture the cork can actually leave indentations in the floors that do not come out. This is a problem for some individuals, although some creative homeowners have used padded furniture movers to create a barrier between the furniture and the floor to avoid permanent damage. Another con of cork floors is that if there is a water leak, the cork may be permanently damaged. You will want to avoid installing cork as your flooring of choice in areas that are prone to flood or drainage issues.

Whether you are looking for a great alternative for your home, or you are a supporter of the green materials movement, cork flooring can be a great flooring option for you. Besides all of the other benefits, cork is approximately the same in cost as hardwood flooring so to do the right thing for the environment you do not have to make a huge investment. To see if cork flooring is for you, you may want to read customer reviews and testimonials online to see if it would be right for your home.