If you are looking for something that offers the look and beauty of timber floors but at the same time that should feel soft and more comfortable on the feet, cork flooring is just what you are looking for. So, here’s everything you need to know about cork flooring.
What Is Cork Flooring?
Cork floorings are natural floors made from cork— the outer bark of the cork oak trees (Quercus suber). Once the trees are fully mature, the outer barks of these trees are harvested, which takes about 25 years. Then throughout their lifespan (around 200 years), the bark is harvested every 9 years as the barks fully regenerate in 9 years.
The harvested barks are then ground up, processed, and compressed into sheets and baked in a kiln to form cork planks. Therefore, cork floorings are an easily replenished, eco-friendly flooring option available today.
Benefits of Cork Flooring
Cork floorings have numerous benefits. Let’s take a quick look at them.
- Aesthetics: Cork floors are beautiful looking floors that are available in tons of colours, sizes, and designs. They are also affordable and easy to maintain.
- Versatility: They are versatile. You can select cork planks for a seamless look or go for cork tiles to create a patterned look.
- Durability: Cork floors are highly durable and resilient. They can handle heavy traffic and wears from pets and kids. They are also naturally resilient, and hence they easily bounce back to their original shape from the marks made by moving furniture.
- Comfortable: Cork floors feel extremely soft and comfy on the feet as they are naturally flexible. They also absorb noise and keep your feet warm.
- Safe: Cork floors are resistant to fire. They melt or ignite only at very high temperatures, making them a safe flooring option. In addition, they emit comparatively far less volatile organic compounds than other floorings, making them safe for everyone.
- Healthy: Cork is anti-microbial and is naturally resistant to insects, mould, and mildew. It helps maintain the air quality inside your home and keeps your family from allergens.
- Eco-friendly: Cork flooring is a renewable material and therefore has a less environmental impact on the ecosystem.
Installation of Cork Floors
Cork floors are among the easy to install timber floors that can be installed in many different ways. They are available as both glue-down (traditional ones) and floating floors that are either pre-finished or unfinished.
Floating floors are the most popular option as they are relatively easy to install and can be installed directly over timber masonite and concrete. Floating cork planks are also a bit thicker and offer more resilience than the glue-down types. Flooring professionals start by preparing the subfloor and placing an underlayment before floating the cork planks over them.
In the case of concrete subfloors, flooring professionals ensure the concrete surface is smooth and dry and ready for the cork floors to be installed. They may also conduct a moisture test to ensure there are no moisture-related issues. Some cork planks also come with a pre-attached underlayment, making the installation quicker.
Cork floors can also be installed over tiles with the help of levelling compound. After installation, flooring professionals finish them with sealants to protect the flooring from wear and tear and other damages.
Need Cork Flooring in Sydney?
When it comes to cork flooring installation and maintenance, you should look no further than us. At Stanton Flooring, we source our cork flooring tiles only from sustainable Portuguese oak trees, ensuring they are environmentally friendly.
We have a wide variety of cork flooring options from Copenhagen, traditional to the latest and modern design, the Cafe collection range. We also have them in various colours to suit your needs and budget. Contact us for more information.