If you are looking for an eco-friendly alternative to wood flooring, an alternative that is durable and resilient, a flooring product that is hypoallergenic and can withstand everyday family life then you are in need of cork floors. Cork floors have been around for a long time, but only recently have it become popular as residential flooring choice. Due to the overwhelming demand, flooring manufacturers are now offering cork flooring in a variety of colors, shapes, and installation choices.
A renewable resource from Portugal, cork is bark that is hand-harvested every nine years from cork trees, leaving a protective inner layer of bark that allows the trees to regenerate new bark. A by-product of the manufacture of wine corks, cork flooring, underlayment is soft, easy to clean and does not trap mildew or rot, making it the ideal flooring for wet areas in your home.
The patterns you can find in cork floors range from the basic bulletin board style, which is the least expensive, to the better quality, more pricey cork that has more elaborate patterns. The size of plank you choose will also determine the price, with widths ranging from the standard six inches by 54 inches long but can be as wide as 12 inches. The better quality cork flooring will have multiple coats of polyurethane or acrylic finish for longevity and durability of the flooring. Another factor that affects the quality is its density, or how much cork there is per volume with the better quality product having a density rating of 30 pounds per three feet or higher.
If you’re not ready to go with cork floors, you can opt for cork underlayment, just to try it out. Cork underlayment can be used under carpets, hardwood flooring, bamboo flooring, tiles and coconut flooring. It is also suitable for floating installations and nail down installations.
The purpose of underlayment is to correct any minor imperfections in a subfloor, to protect the flooring from moisture and mildew and to deaden the sound of footsteps. Cork underlayment meets these criteria perfectly. Cork is made up of millions of small cells that trap air. It is this structure that makes cork 'elastic', allowing it to compress and expand. This give and take of cork underlayment is perfect for correcting any flaws in the subfloor. Also cork is water resistant and mildew resistant thus providing excellent protection for the flooring above it. And the honeycomb structure of cork makes it great insulating material. Cork underlayment will not only absorb the sound of footsteps but it will also absorb and keep heat. This property of cork underlayment helps insulate a room and cut down on heating bills in the winter.
The alternative to cork underlayment is most of the times foam. Foam is a synthetic material made from chemicals extracted during petroleum refinement. This makes foam carbon intensive and fossil fuel dependent. Also foam does not biodegrade and it is very difficult to recycle. In contrast cork does biodegrade and is easy to grind up and recycle. In short cork is environmentally friendly and amazing!
If you are looking for a nice company for your cork floors http://www.corkfloor.us/ project, all you need to do is to do a quick search on the Internet for cork flooring and Cork underlayment http://www.corkfloor.us/ . Because they are professionals they will explain how everything works, how much does it cost and what needs to be done to be installed.
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