Cork Flooring Is The Best Option Around For Durability And Aesthetic
Value
By Kevin
Brown
Editor' Summary: If you have ever considered cork flooring
as a decorating option, you should know a little bit more about
the product. This article provides some good pertinent information.
You'll learn about its durability and maintainability.
It is inevitable, almost everyone no matter how long they have
lived in their house, wants to replace their flooring at some point.
Do you have carpet that is covered in pet stains, juice, coffee
or wine stains? Carpet gets matted down and shows wear patterns
quickly. Alternatively, maybe you have hardwood floors that are
full of scratches and dents. Linoleum that is peeling up at the
edges and seams and has rips and tears in it.
No matter what type of flooring you currently have. If you are
not happy with what you are walking on, it can reduce the value
and appearance of your home dramatically. If you are considering
a new floor, you owe it to yourself to look into cork flooring as
an option.
What Is Cork Flooring?
Cork has been used in a variety of capacities for thousands of
years including flooring. Because of all of the wonderful properties
found naturally in cork, it is a perfect choice for flooring, sound
proofing, and of course in wine bottles.
Cork is taken from the bark of the cork oak tree. The cork can
be harvested after the tree is 25 years of age. And after that,
the tree can be harvested every nine years for the rest of the lifetime.
In addition, since each cork oak tree can live to be over two hundred
years old, cork is a renewable resource, making it an excellent
option for environmentally conscious consumers.
How Durable Is Cork?
When you think of cork, you may think immediately of wine corks
or small cork plugs that are used to plug bottles of all shapes
and sizes. You may have had the experience of a cork used in a wine
bottle breaking off into your wine. If this has happened to you,
you might be wondering if cork really is strong enough for a flooring
option.
The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, cork is probably one of
the strongest flooring options available on the market today! Cork
is much less affected by impact and friction than hardwood, laminate
or tile flooring. Therefore, cork can stand up to much more use
and abuse than any other flooring type.
In fact, cork has an amazing resistant and is extremely resilient
to pressure. If you stand on a cork floor with high heels, the floor
will make an impression or a dent. However, when you remove the
pressure, the floor will spring back to its original shape almost
immediately, and leave no lasting mark or impression! This is handy
if you plan to place any heavy furniture on your floor. With other
types of flooring such as carpet, heavy furniture will leave a permanent
mark when it is moved. However with cork, when you remove the furniture,
the floor with look as good as new.
When you drop heavy items on tile floors, they are prone to cracking
and breaking. However, with a cork floor, the item will not leave
a mark. This is an excellent property if you have small children
or are just clumsy!
What About Water?
Cork contains a natural substance called suberin. Suberin is a
waxy type of substance that makes the cork impervious to liquids
and the cork will not rot if it is exposed to water or liquid like
a hardwood or laminate. This makes cork flooring a perfect choice
for kitchens or bathroom areas. Cork is the best seal around which
is evidenced by the use of cork to stop up wine bottles for centuries.
If you spill anything on a cork floor, you do not have to worry
about staining or any other damage, you simply wipe it up, and the
mess is gone. Unlike carpet or hardwood where you would have to
worry about a permanent stain or discoloration of the floor.
What Other Properties Does Cork Have?
Cork is the perfect choice if you suffer from allergies or if you
have an illness that requires your living environment to be very
clean. Because cork is a natural barrier to insects, common problem
insects such as termites and ants cannot get into the flooring and
infest the house.
In addition, cork is naturally germ resistant which means that
no allergens can hid in the floor such as with carpet. The floor
will not absorb dust or allow any molds or funguses to grow. It
is easy to clean and is not produced with any harsh chemicals, which
makes it the perfect choice for people suffering with allergies
or any major illness.
Can I Install It Myself?
If you are a do it yourselfer and you like home projects, than
cork is definitely something that you can install over a weekend.
Many manufactures are now producing cork-flooring tiles with a glue-less
technology. You simply snap the tiles in place like a floating floor.
This makes the installation easy and it does not require any special
tools.
The Final Decision
Cork is the perfect choice for flooring if you need something that
will stand up to use and abuse, be long lasting, is resistant to
water and stains and be safe for the environment. An excellent value
for your money, cork will last forever and is only half the price
of many other popular flooring options.
© 2005 http://www.laminate-flooring-now.com
Kevin Brown is successful author and publisher of many informative
websites including http://www.laminate-flooring-now.com
. His websites offer tips and advice on a wide array of topics including
laminate
flooring, hardwood floors, cork flooring and more.
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