Neat Facts about Cork Flooring

Available Patterns and Textures

 
You can see the rich textures and patterns a cork floor has. The complex designs cork floors create are second to none.

Cork flooring comes in a variety of colors, patterns and textures. But as you can see, the depth and richness that cork flooring can have is very special.

It is also common to mix rubber with cork flooring to create a very special texture. Some companies are known for their very vibrant cork flooring colors. Some patterns resemble plank boards. Whatever your tastes, you’re sure to find patterns and colors that are right for you.
 

Where does cork flooring come from?

 
Cork flooring is sourced and harvested from the bark of cork oak trees which are found in the Mediterranean. Cork flooring mainly comes from 7 countries which include Spain, Portugal, Algeria, France Tunisia, Morocco and Italy. Portugal is the largest producer of cork with over 31% of the world’s cork trees and 70% of the world’s cork flooring production.

The tree shown is the Whistler Tree. It got its name from the birds who would nest in it. This Whistler Tree is the world’s oldest currently producing cork oak tree and was planted in 1783 in the Alentejo region of Portugal. Cork trees have to be harvested by hand every nine years and this specific tree yielded more than one ton of raw cork in 1991, enough for over 100,000 wine bottle corks versus the typical yield of 4,000 corks.

Cork bark is made up of very a tiny sealed honeycomb cellular structure containing gas of 90% air. These cells provide and create the resiliency (cushion) and insulation found in cork flooring. There are about 40 million of these cells per cubic centimeter. You can compress cork flooring up to 40% and it will quickly returns to its original shape. These qualities make cork a very special flooring material.
 

Cork Flooring Maintenance

 
Cork flooring is not only beautiful, unique, and durable, but it is also easy very is to clean and maintain. Cork flooring requires only periodic damp mopping and vacuuming.

Use the following for good maintenance practices of your cork flooring:

1) Sweep, vacuum or “swiffer” your cork flooring weekly.

2) Use damp mopping monthly but do NOT use too much water.

3) When cleaning cork flooring, use a damp mop with a PH-balanced detergent or mild soap. This will keep the surface free of abrasives such as grit or sand.

4) Always avoid using extremely harsh cleaners such as abrasives, oil or ammonia-based products.

Only use cleaning products approved by the manufacturer.
 

Installation of Cork Floors

Glue-Down Cork Flooring

 
The Glue-down installation for cork flooring means lower material cost but usually much higher installation costs. It is more difficult to repair glue-down tiles as opposed to floating floors. Glue-down cork flooring must be applied over smooth and clean substrate surfaces so that precludes renovation applications over vinyl floors for example.

Floating Cork Floor

 
Floating floor installations for cork flooring is the more preferred way to install cork flooring. As the photo shows, cork flooring comes with a specially designed edge that interlocks with adjacent pieces. Some manufacturers’ floating cork flooring products can be installed over most hard surfaces such as wood flooring, vinyl flooring and ceramic tile, but softer sub-floors like carpets must be removed. The sub-floor has to be even, flat, dry and level to within 0.1″ in 6 feet.