Natural Cork Floors Offer a Myriad of Benefits

The many positive qualities of cork flooring has made it a very popular floor type over the last few centuries. Even though cork floors have been installed for hundreds of years, many people overlook cork as a floor option for their home. This is unfortunate as cork offers a number of environmental and health benefits that make them ideal for most household areas and homeowners.

One positive attribute of cork floors is that they're antimicrobial. In other words, the surface of cork resists the growth of mold and fungi. People who are allergic to bacterial growth can breathe a little easier with cork floors. Cork flooring also contains Suberin, a natural insect repellant that helps to deter termites, mites and cockroaches. Suberin also prevents water from penetrating the deeper cork layers.

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, can cause allergic reactions and are commonly found in floors and flooring materials (e.g. floor adhesive; hardwood finishes; floor cleaners). VOCs are carbon-based chemical compounds that are emitted into the atmosphere. Unlike floor types (such as vinyl) that are made with harmful chemicals, cork floors can be made VOC free. When shopping for cork floors or cork floor materials, make sure that all products meet E1 standards.

Cork floors are made with bark from the cork oak tree, a sustainable resource that's harvested without harming the environment. The cork oak tree grows primarily in Mediterranean areas and can live up to 200 years. During the cork oak tree's lifecycle, the bark can be harvested up to 20 times.

Even though cork is made with a woody material, it is not as easily damaged by changes in humidity as hardwood or bamboo. All in all, the cellular composition of cork is very dense. This allows cork floors to hold up well against most falling objects, moved furniture and high levels of foot traffic. So long as cork flooring is properly sealed, it can withstand most spills and exposure to moisture without damage.

Cork is classified as a "resilient" floor type. This means that the surface of cork bounces back upon impact (similar to vinyl, linoleum and rubber). This quality makes cork floors a great surface for those who suffer from arthritis, stuff joints, and rheumatism, as well as young kids who are just learning to walk.

Cork floors can be used to insulate rooms from temperature changes, in addition to reducing inner sound transmission. Cork can be installed underneath other floor types (e.g. hardwood; bamboo; linoleum) and can also be put in ceilings and walls. The insulation benefits of cork floors make them a popular building material for studios.

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