Cork Tile and Cork Floors: An Overview
Cork has several qualities that makes it excellent for use as flooring, whether in
the home or in a commercial space. Cork floors look good, they are comfortable
to walk on and they are very easy to maintain, all of which are features that are
desirable in any flooring material. In addition, cork tile is also resistant to insects,
mold and mildew and it is shock absorbent and durable. Again, these are also
favorable properties. But among these attributes, there is one that stands as most
significant. The fact that cork is a renewable resource. For most people, this is the
incentive that clinches the deal.
Everybody is looking for ways to be environmentally friendly these days. With
global warming creating havoc all over the world, nobody can afford to be
complacent anymore. Every little bit counts and choosing cork tiles can be one step
towards saving our earth.
So why is cork considered environmentally friendly? Unlike hardwood flooring
in which the entire tree is cut down and destroyed, no trees are destroyed in the
manufacture of cork tiles. These tiles are in fact just the bark of the cork oak
tree. The scientific name of this tree is Quercus Suber and it is found primarily in
Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Algeria. The bark of this tree is thick and spongy.
It is carefully peeled off the tree and used to manufacture corks for wine bottles.
The remaining scraps that cannot be used to make the wine bottle corks are then
processed and combined together with glue under high pressure to manufacture
cork flooring and cork tile.
The trees meanwhile are not harmed in any way. After the bark has been peeled
off they are left alone to regenerate. The tree regenerates new bark and the next
harvest is done only after a 7-9 year wait. The life span of each tree is about
200 years. The long life span of the tree, combined with the fact that it keeps
on regenerating and growing new bark make this a renewable, environmentally
friendly resource.
Cork is made up of a number of cells packed closely together. These cells contain
air and this trapped air gives cork flooring its resilient and insulating properties.
Consider this – you are walking across a hardwood floor. How does the floor feel?
As many will attest to, while walking barefoot the floor can feel cold and hard;
whereas walking with heels will cause a loud clicking sound with it strike against
the floor. With cork flooring, it’s different. When you walk barefoot across cork
floors it feels warm and not so hard and when you walk with shoes on, nobody will
hear a sound. This is because the cells not only absorb the sounds but acts as an
insulating material so it never gets too cold. It also absorbs the impact as you walk
across the floor, which is great news for anyone who suffers from knee and joint
pain.
Resource
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 tiles options at very affordable rates.
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