7 Reasons Why Cork Flooring Is Apt For Your Home

With cork flooring, you add unmatched beauty to your interior space. 

Cork flooring feels like walking on air, and it adds elegance to your home like no other. 

You might be aware of the importance of flooring in interior design. 

The indoor length and breadth of your home are entirely covered with flooring, creating a significant impression of your home. 

You spend a vast amount of money on your home. 

And you want it to look fabulous, don’t you?

Flooring has a significant impact on indoor aesthetics, both in good and bad ways. The reason why choosing the right flooring is of utmost importance.

Eco-friendly flooring has become synonymous with modern-day housing. 

People want to build green homes with minimal environmental costs. And they realize the significance of flooring in that process. 

According to the American Institute of Architects survey, 60 percent of Americans have great interest in sustainable flooring choices. 

You see, traditional flooring materials like vinyl and hardwood are responsible for substantial ecological damages. Vinyl is a petrochemical product, and hardwood gets entire forests chopped down.

You can’t build a sustainable home with these materials.

Thankfully, a wide range of eco-friendly flooring materials is now readily available. 

Cork flooring is one such fantastic option.

Introducing Cork Flooring

Cork has been used for centuries in wine bottles to maintain consistent quality. 

But did you know cork flooring can be a great eco-friendly alternative to conventional flooring?

Cork is sourced from harvesting the bark of cork oak trees. 

And, unlike hardwood, trees aren’t felled. Oaktree bark will re-grow and can be re-harvested every nine years.

Recycled wine bottle corks are also used to make cork flooring. 

As modern as it may sound, you will be amused to know that cork has been used for flooring for more than two centuries. 

The Spanish and the Portuguese used cork flooring in their churches in the 1800s. 

In the US, the library of Congress used cork flooring in 1890. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, prominent architect Frank Lloyd Wright used cork flooring for high-end American homes. 

That’s an interesting bit of history, isn’t it?

Cork flooring lost its relevance as vinyl became readily available as a low-cost flooring option.

However, as demand for eco-friendly flooring increases, cork floors are back in a modern avatar. 

You now get cork flooring with multiple finishes and color options, customizable to your taste. 

Also, they offer a safe, sturdy, and long-lasting flooring alternative. For example, consider Floating Cork Flooring, which can last you easily for up to thirty years without any significant maintenance cost.

Reasons to opt for Cork Flooring:

You’ve seen how cork flooring can provide an eco-friendly alternative to unsustainable flooring. 

As more people transition to ecologically sound housing, demand for cork is sure to increase, among other green building materials.

You might wonder what exactly are the advantages of cork floors?

Cork floors are re-gaining popularity for many reasons. Apart from being sustainable, they’re also durable and stylish. 

Let’s see them in detail.

1. Sustainable and ecologically sound

As you know, cork is harvested from the bark of oak trees. It is a completely sustainable process, as harvesting is done without chopping, felling, or killing the tree. 

The average lifespan of a cork oak tree can be between 150 and 200 years. It can, however, live up to 800 years. 

For all these years, cork can be re-harvested from the same tree.

That’s amazing for sure.

Manufacturing common flooring materials like vinyl causes pollution. 

Also, these materials end up in the dump yards after the end of their lifecycle, causing ecological damage.

Cork, on the other hand, has minimal to zero environmental impact. Almost zero waste is generated in the manufacturing of cork. 

Cork is completely biodegradable, so it won’t have adverse ecological effects after its lifespan. 

Recyclability is another added advantage of cork. For example, your cork floor can be made with recycled wine bottle cork. 

You can even send your scrap cork flooring to a recycling unit where it will be recycled to produce new materials. 

As you can see, opting for cork over other flooring materials can help the ecology in innumerable ways. 

2. Cork Flooring is durable

Your cork floor is sure to last longer than any other flooring material. They are resistant to cracking and corrosion, unlike wood and vinyl floors. 

Cork is impenetrable by water and air, which adds to its longevity. 

Suberin, a natural waxy substance, is present in cork, making it watertight and rot-free.

That means you can install cork flooring in your bathroom without worrying about water penetration and floor damage. 

You can install them in any place of your home. 

They can withstand heavyweight and intense footfalls without breaking or damaging. 

You need not invest much in maintenance since cork floors don’t wear off quickly.

When finished, the colors deeply penetrate cork floor tiles, unlike vinyl. You can keep using it even with wear as the colors will be retained. 

A good quality cork flooring from a trusted manufacturer will easily last 30 years. 

On the other hand, Vinyl flooring lasts between 10 and 20 years. 

The difference is for you to see.

3. A healthy alternative

Cork flooring promotes better health.

How?

Cork materials have a natural resistance to mildew, mold, and termites. So you don’t have to resort to using chemical solutions to prevent these elements. 

Multiple antimicrobial properties in cork significantly reduce allergens in your home. If you, or your family members, are allergic to things like dust, dander, particulate matter, among others, cork flooring should be your go-to solution. 

Vinyl flooring can adversely affect the health of residents as they are made using petrochemicals. They can off-gas or emit toxic gasses, and shed harmful microfibers, thus adversely affecting the indoor air quality of your home.

Children love to play on the floor, and vinyl flooring can be toxic.

You see, cork is a 100 percent natural material. So you don’t have to worry about toxic indoor air.

There you have it, flooring that doesn’t harm your health. 

4. Safety like none other

Conventional flooring materials like vinyl and hardwood are prone to fire. Vinyl materials are made using highly combustible petroleum products. Dry hardwood, too, has similar characteristics.  

That means even a small blaze can set the entire flooring of your home ablaze. 

As such, they can’t be considered a safe flooring option. 

But are there safe alternatives available?

Well yes. 

Cork flooring can be your one-stop safe flooring alternative. 

Unlike the common flooring materials, cork is naturally fire retardant. So you don’t need fire-proofing to make it safer, as it is fire-resistant by itself.

So you can rest assured as your cork flooring will fare much better in terms of fire safety.

5. Cork as a comfortable and convenient flooring option

When walking or standing on a cork floor, you get the feel of a soft cushion. It sinks beneath your feet and is very comfortable to walk on. 

Installing cork flooring where you stand for long periods can be especially advantageous. 

You can, for instance, have them in your kitchen. That soft cushion underneath your feet will surely make your cooking experience much more comfortable. 

You risk minor to severe injuries from falling on hard or wet surfaces. It is especially true for children and older people.  

Cork floors’ cushioning can be a savior when one trips or falls over it. 

Our bathrooms have wet and slippery surfaces where one can fall. Cork can be a safe flooring solution here.

You can install cork floors in children’s and older residents’ rooms.

There it is, a soft and cushiony flooring to enhance your home experience. 

Do you get such comfort and convenience in any other flooring?

No, right?

6. Cork flooring has natural and acoustic insulation properties

Cork has millions of minute air-filled spaces. These natural insulation properties help retain your home’s cool or warm temperatures. 

As a result, you run cooling or heating appliances less and save money on energy bills. 

Also, homes with cork flooring are generally quieter. That is because cork has natural acoustic retention elements. 

It traps noise, and you get a tranquil indoor space as a result.

7. Limitless design options to enhance indoor aesthetics

With cork flooring, you get customization options like no other. 

First, there are traditional cork floors, which are pretty unique. 

You get a warm, cozy, and natural look which best suits casual or informal spaces like your home. Also, you get multiple finishes and custom color choices.

Second, cork floors can now resemble marble, hardwood, and concrete floors with innovations and new manufacturing techniques. 

So you don’t have to lose on the many advantages of cork flooring to have that maple wood or Italian marble look on your floor. 

A professional installer can create multiple custom designs using different color combinations and finishes. 

Interesting, isn’t it?

Cost of Cork Flooring

You’ve seen the many advantages of cork as a flooring material. 

But, like with other building materials, the cost of cork flooring is something you’d surely want to know about. 

Cork floor tiles or planks can cost you between $2 and $12 per square foot of installation. 

The national average cost in the US for a 100 square foot room is $950, or $9.50 for one square foot.

However, the exact amount you spend on cork flooring will depend on the cork tiles’ quality, thickness, and finish. 

You should also factor in professional installation charges of up to $2 per square foot. 

That is similar to what bamboo flooring will cost. Also, cork floors are less expensive than most hardwood floor options. 

That means benefits of cork at prices lower than that of conventional wood.

Cork Flooring DIY

Did you know professional installation charges of cork flooring can amount to up to 20 percent of the total cost?

You can save up this amount by DIY or doing it yourself. 

Thankfully, cork floors are reasonably easy compared to other DIY projects like bamboo or hardwood floors.

You get traditional solid cork tiles which you can apply to the floor using glue-down methods. 

This installation method is similar to that of vinyl tiles. 

Laminated cork planks are relatively new in the market. They consist of a bottom layer of compressed cork, a layer of medium-density or high-density fiberboard in the middle, and a top layer of high-end cork. 

You can install cork planks by assembling them with lock-lock edges in the same way as luxury vinyl planks or laminate floors.

Some cork floor materials may not be pre-finished. However, you can easily coat them with multiple layers of sealer at no additional cost. 

There you have it, an easy DIY flooring alternative. 

Maintaining your Cork Flooring

Cork flooring is easy to maintain. You must, however, ensure sound installation with layers of protective coating on the surface. 

Cork floors require routine vacuuming to get rid of dirt and grit. You should wipe spills right away to avoid staining. 

Your cork floor is finished with a sealing material that prevents water stains and other damages. This sealing will need to be renewed from time to time.

You can refinish cork floors in a whole new look, just as with hardwood. 

Meaning you can have different styles without having to re-do your flooring.

Amazing, right?

Conclusion

Demand for ecologically sound and cost-efficient building materials is rising. People want to build green structures that reflect the eco-consciousness of the 21st century. 

And since flooring occupies such an essential place in your indoor space, ignoring it can keep you from having a green home.

Fortunately, eco-friendly flooring materials are readily available, as we’ve seen in the previous blog. 

Cork flooring is uniquely eco-friendly. Even as it is derived from nature, it causes almost zero environmental damage. 

And the best part is you don’t have to compromise on elegance to have a sustainable solution.