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When choosing the right flooring product for your home or commercial building you need to know both the good and the bad. Sadly, most manufactures, vendors and salesmen will only give you the pros and not the cons. I write many articles on cork based flooring and would like this one to educate consumers on cork flooring pros and cons. I want you to completely understand everything you need to know to make an educated decision if this flooring type is right for you.
Cork Flooring Pros
The first benefit of cork flooring that stands out from the rest is the fact it's a green flooring material. Cork material is eco-friendly, sustainable and a natural renewable resource. Unlike hardwood flooring that requires deforestation cork simply requires the removal of a layer of bark from the cork oak tree; and the removal process leaves the tree itself unharmed. If you're going green in your home you'll need to give cork based floors serious consideration.
The durability and comfort of cork flooring is amazing and can at times be quite puzzling. Many consumers wonder how a wood based floor can be both durable and comfortable at the same time. Well, you can thank cork material's cellular structure. This structure resembles honeycomb shaped cells that have a gaseous material inside of them. This allows it to absorb impacts, shocks and allows cork to compress and decompress while cushioning your feet and joints when you stand on it. This same cellular structure also makes cork a great insulator and is keep your home warm on harsh winter nights.
There is a group of benefits in cork flooring due to Suberin, a waxy substance that occurs natural in cork. This substance allows the bark of the cork oak tree and your home floor to resist moisture, bacteria, mold, mildew and allergens. That's right; we said allergens because cork material is hypoallergenic. These benefits make this flooring solution perfect for rooms such as the kitchen, bathroom and even the basement.
Finally, but not least is the amazing beauty of cork based flooring. It amazes me every time I see a new installation how beautiful this flooring product is. The natural colors and shading is incomparable to any other product in my eyes. I also enjoy the pattern variations and think more flooring manufactures have done a wonderful job of utilizing it in their cork based flooring products.
Cork Flooring Cons
Sadly, no flooring product can be 100% pro and 0% con. As we mentioned earlier this was about Cork flooring pros and cons, so here we go on the negatives of cork based floors. The biggest issue in my eyes is the cost of cork based floors. Sadly this flooring product is generally more expensive then some of its competitor products. However, it's fair to say that you truly get what you pay for and this is an excellent investment for your home. If you're having professional installation you'll want to get a few quotes and see examples of previous installations to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Cork flooring comes in many different shades, but generally you're looking at light, medium and dark. For some reason UV sunlight over time can bleach the darker shades of cork based floors. The obvious reason is that dark colors absorb UV, while lighter reflect it. Now, this doesn't mean you can't install cork floors in a room with sunlight. This just means you need to make sure you have window treatments in that room and use the appropriately when the room isn't in use.
This product claims to be green and safe for the environment. This is 100% true, cork material is completely green and cork flooring is made entirely from cork. However, some of the chemicals used in the installation process aren't green. This includes the primer, adhesive, finish and sealant. Now, granted you can find those mentioned items in a green based formula, it will run up the cost. So, this is one of those issues that even though it's correctable you fall on another negative we mentioned above.
Cork Flooring Pros and Cons Summary
As you can see just like any other product this one has its pros and cons. I hope this article will help you weigh the differences between them and make the right choice if this is right for your home. I personally feel that the cork flooring pros really outweigh the cons. However, it's not my home and not my money so the ultimate decision is up to the homeowner. If you'd like to learn even more about this amazing floor product then I suggest you follow the links below. They also provide you with the ability to get up to 5 free cork based floor installation estimates from carpenters and contracts.
