Cork is one flooring material we feel strongly about. Known for its resilience and durability, warmth, beauty and hypoallergenic properties, how could you not want cork flooring at home or at work?
Cork flooring has been around and used for over a century now. Since it is sourced from the cork oak trees’ bark, and the industry itself being a highly regulated one, cork flooring is one of the greenest and most sustainable flooring solutions available.
Just like hardwood, linoleum and other flooring materials, cork floors are haunted by certain myths that needs to be clarified. Here are some of them:
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Myth #1: Cork, just like hardwood flooring means dead trees.
Like we mentioned above, cork is one of the most sustainable flooring solutions available. This is because only the bark of cork oak trees, Quercus suber, are harvested to make cork flooring. The removal process is carefully done by hand and the cork oak tree can grow back the bark in five to seven years time. A matured cork oak tree can grow its bark back for the next 170 years.
Oftentimes, the flooring is made from leftover or residual materials from bottle corks. So this great flooring itself, is already an eco-friendly one that moment it was manufactured!
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Myth #2: Cork flooring is soft, dents easily and is not durable.
Yes, indeed cork is soft but the denting part isn’t entirely true. You see, cork flooring is made up of air pockets and another thing you should know about cork is that it has a sort of memory retention. Whenever someone drop something on the cork floor, the dent may be very visible at first but eventually, the material will go back to its original shape and the visible dent would have vanished.
One quick trivia is that some of the very old flooring we have around in really old buildings is cork – most of them remain untouched from the original installation. Its natural composition resists decay and wards off parasites and insects. How’s that for durability?
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Myth #3: The only benefit of cork flooring is warmth and softness.
Untrue! Aside from warmth and softness that is way, way better than hardwood, cork flooring is also a great insulator – keeping you warm during the winter and cool in the summer. Bamboo and other wood -based products are only neutral in this scale.
Speaking of insulation, cork is also a great sound-proofing material making it ideal for studies, offices, libraries and bedrooms. Professional recording studios make use of cork to suppress noise.
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Myth #4: Cork absorbs moisture and is a haven for bacteria and mildew.
Another false belief about cork flooring. Remember we told you earlier, cork’s natural composition resists decay? Cork possesses a naturally occurring substance called suberin that fights off bacteria and decay and repels insects and parasitical materials. Like bamboo, cork flooring is hypoallergenic.
One thing to watch out for is the installation process, ensure that edges and seams are sealed thoroughly. Openings and spaces in between the seams is a good breeding ground for mildew so make sure that all the right measures are observed during installation and repairs are done when accidents and other similar unforeseen incidents happen.
