Cork Flooring Facts

Cork floors have impeccable strength and durability. They can be easily used in areas with high foot traffic. They last for decades and are easily repairable.

Some of the reasons cork flooring is a good choice.

Comfort: Cork has been introduced in the flooring world by highlighting its excellent comfort element. With cork flooring in your home or office you'll have a cushioned feeling under your feet.

Elasticity:Cork floors are very elastic and compressible. Due to their elastic nature, they can maintain their shape even when pressure is applied by resuming to their original shape soon after the pressure is released. Cork's elasticity also results in its very durable nature. It is known to withstand years of foot traffic.

Noise Resistance: Cork flooring has the ability of reducing the transmission of sound and vibration. Its miniature cells composition absorb vibrations and direct impacts. Cork floors are a valued choice for recording studios, libraries and any other place where minimal sound is required.

Allergy and Insect Resistance: Cork is naturally safe from mold and insects due to the presence of a substance called Suberin in the composition of cork.

Thermal Insulation: Cork flooring acts like a natural thermal insulator. It prevents heat loss in rooms and even body heat loss through the feet. It is regarded among the efficient most non-conductors of heat and cold. Cork floors will help maintain a mild and comfortable environment.

Moisture Resistance: Cork is highly resistant to moisture penetration. Suberin, a waxy substance naturally present in the cork oak, helps prevent cork floors from decay and damage due to moisture.

Heat Resistance: Due to the presence of Suberin, cork floors are resistant to extreme heat. It makes cork a natural fire inhibitor. For similar reasons, cork floors do not release any toxic gases on combustion.

Aesthetic Value: Being a natural flooring material, cork floors have a very attractive look, especially if kept clean and maintained. They are not only very practical in their function as a flooring material but have good aesthetics too.

Variety: A wide range of design and color variations is also available to suit every style of décor. They offer unique surface patterns appearing in speckled whorls, and a vast range of colors from golden yellow to nut brown.

Regular Maintenance Steps For Cork Floors

Sweeping or Vacuuming: This is probably the most essential thing that you can do to help maintain the integrity of a cork floor. When small particles of dirt, dust, and debris are allowed to accumulate on its surface, they begin to act like tiny grits in a piece of sandpaper. Then, every time someone walks across that floor, they drag the particles along with their feet, scraping into the protective surface that is over the top of the material.

Water: Never immerse a cork floor in water, and when spills happen wipe them up immediately. You should also refrain from wet mopping. If you do mop it, make sure that you wring it out so that it is only slightly damp, and don’t allow puddles to accumulate on its surface.

Preventative Measures For Cork Flooring

The following precautions will only take a little bit of time to put in place. However they have the potential to save you a tremendous amount of hassle and expense going forward.

Floor Mats: It may seem like a simple thing, but just placing floor mats at the entrances to the room can do a lot to help cut down on damage to the floor. These mats will pick up debris from shoes, that is dragged in from the exterior world. Mats can also be placed in areas where splashing occurs, or where people tend to stand for long periods of time, such as in front of sinks or fountains.

Curtains: Much like hardwood flooring, cork will tend to discolor, and fade, when it comes in direct contact with sunlight for a prolonged period of time. That means that you have to keep your eyes open throughout the day, and note when the sun shines down through your windows and onto the cork with the greatest intensity. This can then be offset through the hanging of curtains or blinds whenever the issue arises.

Pet Nails: While cork is relatively resilient and will bounce back from most weights, it can be punctured. Unfortunately pet nails, especially those on larger dogs, can cause scratches which will gouge and break the surface of the floor. Simply keeping your pets well groomed, and controlling the length of their nails can do a lot to help prevent blemishes in the material.

Furniture Pads: Another potential danger to your cork floors are the pointed legs of heavy furniture pieces. Not only can these scratch the material if dragged across it, but they can also gouge it, leaving permanent impressions in the surface if heavy pieces are left sitting on it unprotected. Luckily there are furniture pads which can be purchased, which will act as a barrier between pointed legs and the vulnerable floor.

High Heels: If you like to wear high heels in the house then make sure you maintain the padding on the tips. Remember the amount of pressure exerted by the pointed tip of an average woman's heal is equal to that of the entire foot of an elephant.

Humidity: Cork flooring is subject to plumping and expanding in extremely humid environments. That is why you need to maintain a relative humidity of 45%-60% in any room where it is installed to prevent the tiles or planks from popping out. This can be done to some extent through the use of dehumidifiers.

Periodic Maintenance Necessities

Sealing: When solid cork is used in an interior space, it needs to be sealed in order to protect it from water penetration, and staining agents. The seal used is most often a UV-treated polyurethane mix that creates an invisible layer over the surface of the floor. However, over time this layer will slowly start to fade. That is why it will need to be reapplied to the flooring material periodically, every year or so, or whenever you start to notice it fading.

Refinishing: If you have solid cork installed, then slowly, over the months and years, tiny dents and scratches will slowly begin to appear in its surface. Luckily this is a natural material, and this can be resolved by simply having the floors refinished. That involves sanding them down slightly, so that the surface is below the level of the scratches, and then applying a fresh coat of varnish so that it looks like a brand new installation. This is a process that can only be done a limited number of times before the material is too thin, so it should only be undertaken every few years.

Buffing: In general, it is not recommended that you apply a wax sealer to the surface of a cork floor, as it requires periodic maintenance with a very large and expensive machine. However in certain commercial applications this is the best way to protect a cork floor from high traffic situations. In these cases a buffing machine will need to be run over the material every 12-18 months by a trained professional in order to restore the quality of the floors surface.