What You Should Know About Cork Tile and Cork Floors
In many ways cork proves itself as the ideal material for residential and commercial flooring. It is beautiful to look at, comfortable to walk on, durable and easy to look after. Add to that impressive list the fact that cork is also a sustainable and renewable resource, and you have the makings of a favorite amongst homeowners who prefer to use only green products.
The structure of cork is such that it is made up of a number of small chambers or cells. These cells are filled with air and these air-filled cells give cork its insulating and shock-absorbing properties. When you walk on such flooring, you get extra comfort, almost as though you were walking on a springy carpet. This can be such relief for tired legs with its much-needed cushioning. No other flooring offers this degree of comfort. Hardwood, marble or granite are cold and hard. You would need to lay on a wall to wall carpeting to get the same amount of comfort.
The air-filled cell also absorbs sound and reduces vibration so there are no thumping sounds or creaks when you walk. Because of this noiselessness, cork flooring is very often the preferred choice for upstairslevels in most homes.
The cellular structure, which gives it its insulating properties, in the cold season, helps keep your feet warm unlike the cold surface of hardwood and stone floors. This quirky but highly beneficial trait will help keep heating bills down in the winter, thus helping you save even more money.
It’s interesting to learn how cork tile is manufactured. It is in fact made from the bark of the QuercusSuber, or the cork oak tree. This tree is found mainly in Portugal, Spain, Algeria and Morocco. The bark is thick and spongy and primarily used for making corks for wine bottles. The scraps that are leftover after the wine corks are made are then processed to manufacture cork tile and cork flooring. Notrees are killed in the process. In fact, the bark is stripped off in sheets and the tree is then left to renew itself and grow a new layer of bark. These trees can live up to about 200 years. Considering that one tree can go on recreating its bark layers every few years, this makes for an environmentally friendly, renewable resource. Today with so many efforts being made around the world to encourage people to use only green products, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Wondering how and where to start your search for these products?Take your search online. Check out the different manufacturers and see what choices they provide. Make sure to cross-reference, compare prices and all applicable charges. Make the Internet your easiest search engine for best quality and prices.
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cork floors offer a whole lot of advantages without any of the disadvantages. iCork Flooring is your one stop shop if you are looking for beautiful Cork Tile options at very affordable rates.
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