Cork Flooring

A lot of people don’t know that cork trees belong to the variety of the oak tree family. While some of the hardwood materials used for flooring are usually manufactured by using the very stalk of the plant, in the case of cork, the outer layer of the bark is utilized, which is highly environmentally friendly since harvesting cork does not entail cutting of the tree. What is more comforting is the fact that these trees actually grow back new barks after several years.

But aside from being the top choice for environmental advocates, cork is highly preferred for its resilience and durability as an effective floor covering. Unlike other floor treatments such as ceramics, with cork flooring you need not worry about feet sores and calluses. As you might have noticed on the nature of corks in most corkboards, it is actually soft and has an elastic quality to it, which can be easily compressed in order to create sturdier and more resilient flooring. To prove this point, you may be surprised to find out that a great number of European estates that are built centuries ago have made used of cork flooring rather than the traditional hardwood materials.

The ideal areas to use cork flooring would be the kitchen and the bathroom since it is known to be extremely resistant to moisture penetration and provides home dwellers a non-slip surface. This is highly of significant importance if you have energetic kids as well as old family member where a minor slip can prove to be fatal. Another important attribute that you should know about cork is the fact that it is actually hypoallergenic and antistatic - carpets and rugs can’t certainly take similar claims. So if you are an allergy prone family member in the house, cork flooring would be the most viable option to consider. Another great thing about using corks is the fact that it also significantly reduces the noise in the room as much as 50 decibels of noise reduction, especially if you use a floor underlay. On top of this long list of features, cork floors takes outstanding credits when it comes to providing insulation in comparison to all other floor treatments available in the market today. This is all due to the low thermal conductivity that effectively provides a barrier to the exposure to excessive heat and cold. This makes it an excellent floor option in other cold areas in the house such as the basement and family room.

Since cork floors are greatly known in cushioning falls, you might want to consider installing it in the children’s bedroom. This will eliminate constantly fretting about occasional scrapes and bruises during rough and tumble playtime sessions. So you can confidently watch your toddler run across the room without having to worry about his banging his head on the floor or breaking a bone. Playtime will definitely be more fun for them without the restrictions!

A kitchen cork floor is also so convenient to maintain - water and a mop will do the trick in keeping it clean! For quarterly maintenance care, a liquid solvent wax can be sparsely applied in the surface to preserve the charming glossy finish and you can finish it off with an electric buffer, if you have one in the house.

While cork may not be in your initial list of top flooring option, it might prove to be the ‘dark horse’ of the race after all, in view of its wonderful attributes. If you are interested to install this kind on your floor, the sturdier version should definitely be on top of your list.