Cork Flooring Information
Cork flooring is a great alternative to traditional types of flooring. It is durable, cost effective, and water-resistant, yet it is under-used. However, homeowners are starting to look outside of the box when it comes to flooring and are quickly pushing cork flooring into the mainstream. Does this Spark an idea?
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Facts
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Cork flooring is a relatively new type of flooring material that is no more expensive than traditional types of flooring and has a great many benefits over traditional flooring options. Further, no unusual equipment or specially trained installation specialists are required to lay a cork floor. Construction workers use glue to install the material, and the new floor will set in about the same time as any other type of applied flooring material.
Types
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There are two types of cork flooring that are widely used: tile and sheet. Tiles are usually 3/16 of an inch thick and 12 inches square and are laid down over the base material of the floor. The second type of cork flooring is called the "laminate style" and is created by layering cork and sometimes another material to make sheets of cork flooring that attach to each other by grooves cut in the ends of the sheets.
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Uses
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Because the pores in cork are naturally closed, cork can be used in applications that would not be recommended for wood substances. For example, cork is an excellent material to use on bathroom floors because it is warm and nearly waterproof. It is a great alternative for a child's room because of its water resistance as well as its durability. Another application is in kitchens, for the same reasons and because cork is more slip-resistant than wood and therefore is safer to walk across while carrying hot foods and liquids.
Benefits
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Aside from cork's natural water resistant quality and durability, it has a rich look and is also insect and microbe resistant. It dampens noise, feels warm and insulates against temperature change, is resilient and anti-allergenic. Cork is also environmentally friendly because it is renewable--it is created by removing the bark from a cork tree, but the bark grows back within nine years, when it can be harvested again.
Considerations
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Cork flooring is something of an underused material in the home-building marketplace. Because it is not a traditional material and is most often used in business applications, cork is not thought of as often during the home building process. However, the tide is turning, and cork has been getting a lot of attention in the press lately, especially with the increased demand for green and sustainable building materials. If current trends continue, cork will be coming out of the woodwork and will soon be a mainstream flooring material.
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