Simply Cork Flooring

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Its true that many American homeowners are not real familiar with the great benefits cork floors have to offer, including that cork is antimicrobial, resistant to mold and mildew and is a green produce, meaning that it is environmentally friendly.

Because of the advancements in today’s manufacturing technology, cork flooring is available in a wide variety of colors in both planks and tile forms. Cork floors can be attached to the subfloor with glue or float above the subfloor. Floating floors are perfect for installing cork above wood floors, concrete slabs, and other types of existing flooring. Many of the floating floors are available in a glueless interlocking system, which means a faster, no-mess installation.

Old cork floors required finishing them once they were installed, however today most cork floors come prefinished from the manufacturer, coated with a special UV vinyl finish that protects the cork and makes for easier cleaning. However, cork is a natural product that will fade when exposed to direct sunlight. When cork fades, or ages, it generally yellows. In addition, all cork floors will expand and contract with changes in humidity and heat. Because of this fact, never wet mop your cork floorings as it may cause the seams to swell.

The following is a list of cork flooring & tile manufacturers along with their website if one was available. These manufacturers are listed in alphabetical order.

American Cork Products, LLC – AmCork imports over different 30 patterns, colors, and surfaces of cork flooring. amcork.com

Duro-Design – We combine the most advanced cork flooring wood and bamboo flooring wood coating technology with the resilience and beauty of natural cork and bamboo fibers, producing state of the art cork floors, cork walls as well as bamboo flooring and bamboo walls. duro-design.com/

Expanko – manufacturers a wide variety of cork flooring, including cork rubber floors. expanko.com

Globus Cork – manufacturer of vibrantly colored cork tiles. Specialty patterns and custom cuts available for shipping worldwide. corkfloor.com

Jelinek Cork – Jelinek Cork floor tiles have all the advantages of a natural cork product: elastic, anti-static, sound absorbing, insulating, and anti-allergenic. corkandfloor.com

Natural Cork, L.L.C. – a leading supplier of natural cork floors and wall covering products. naturalcork.com

We Cork – offers a complete line of natural cork flooring, acoustical underlayment, under hard surface flooring and floating floors. wecork.com/

Wicanders – is a brand name from the Amorim Group, with a long established line of products for supplying high quality natural floors, including Portuguese cork tiles and planks. Also produces cork floors with Corkloc, Wicanders Glueless Flooring Systems. wicanders.com

You’ve done your research and you’ve made up your mind, you are going to install cork flooring. You know all of the benefits that cork has to offer, including how beautiful it is and that its an environmentally friendly material, which means that you did not contribute to the deforestation of our planet. Now comes the big decision—where to purchase you cork flooring.

If you purchase your cork floor on the Internet, you will save big, but what do you do if you have a problem’ Then, there are the countless options that are available, which only contributes to your confusion. The goal of this article is to help you sort out the facts and help make the purchasing process as enjoyable as the product.

To start with, cork flooring is priced to please, with good quality cork flooring starts at approximately $2.50 a square foot. The price goes up to over $8.00 a square foot for premium quality. Since for most of us, price is often the deciding factor, we base our wants on how much we can afford to spend. It is important to realize that cork floors, are like other hardwood flooring in that they are likely to increase the value of your home. For this reason, you may want to go with a little better quality. However, if you simply cannot afford to, then rest assure that rather you purchase the $2.50 or the $8.00 sq/ft. corking, they will both provide you with a product that is moisture resistant, mold resistant, resilient, durable, and above all beautiful.

For years, cork was only available in tile forms, which were usually difficult and messy to install. However, today consumers have a wide assortment of cork floating flooring available including tiles, planks, and floating floors that install by simply snapping them in place, without the use of any glues. Floating cork floors is the preferred installation type of flooring, as it requires minimal skills as a handyperson to install.

It is also important to realize that the majority of cork flooring comes prefinished from the factory with a tough UV acrylic topcoat, which reduced the chance of the floor fading. Other manufacturers use what is known as a ‘green’ finish, in that it is environmentally safe. This green finish is water based, and may not be as durable as UV acrylic types. If the cork flooring you select is coated with a water-based finished read the manufacturer’s warranty to see what it says about fading.

Your color options for cork flooring spans the spectra. Cork flooring is available in a wide assortment of colors and shade options to match or complement any color scheme that you have in your home.

Lastly, where do you purchase your cork flooring’ The answer to that question is from a reputable manufacture and distributor. You want a distributor who has been in business for a long time, and is experienced in installing cork so they will be able to answer any and all of your questions concerning your cork flooring. In addition, you also want them to supple the cleaning, and maintenance supplies that you will need to maintain and keep your cork floors looking beautiful.

Color cork tiles are unique, natural, and very impressive floor covering, but have you ever thought about them as a wall covering material’ Cork wall coverings offer the same limitless benefits and possibilities as cork flooring. Many progressive architects and interior designers have already been won over by the creative and innovative appeal of cork. Cork flooring tiles and wall applications are one of the most resilient as well as beautiful and natural materials we have that is always replenished naturally, thus also being one of the only environmentally friendly materials as well.

Cork flooring and wall tiles offer a very creative choice for prestigious condominiums as well as single unit residences and commercial buildings that want and need a beautiful as well as superior sound proofing material. No other material has the rich look and feel of cork, for this natural material imparts a sense of sophistication and style as well as excellent acoustic qualities.

When cork is installed, even on an 8′ thick concrete slab, the area becomes naturally quieter, which is why for many years, cork has been the choice for flooring and wall covering in many libraries and public buildings where quiet is a much sought-after quality.

In addition to having acoustic qualities, cork is both anti-allergenic and anti-static. This makes cork the best choice for floors and walls where sensitive computers and software are used, such as offices or other technical work areas. It has been proven that once cork wall and floor coverings have been installed in these areas, the cork drastically reduced the amount problems created by unchecked static, thus decreasing and in some areas eliminating equipment down time.

Many traditional floor covering such as ceramic tiles, linoleum, and vinyl have to have constant upkeep to maintain their appearance. Due to the water-based urethane coating that protects most cork tiles, cork flooring and wall covering tiles require minimal maintenance for them to maintain their appearance for decades. Their low-maintenance also makes cork floor and wall tiles a very cost-effective alternative for many other options. Therefore, if you are considering installing new floor and wall coverings in your home, or office, consider the countless benefits that cork wall and floor coverings have to offer.

Cork is durable, easy to maintain, cushions your feet, available in rich, natural tones, and provides both warmth and elegance to a room. When properly installed and maintained, cork is virtually indestructible.

However, if cork is not properly installed, it can create major problems later. Another problem with cork flooring is that in the United States, many flooring stores don’t have it in stock and many who do, do not install it. Installing cork can be tricky, especially for someone who has never installed any form of flooring.

When installing cork, the surface has to be prepared properly. It is vital that you have a clean, level concrete or plywood sub-floor. All old flooring has to be removed. Do not install cork planking or tiles over any old flooring. In addition, all defects in the surface of the sub-floor surface will show through the cork flooring once it has been laid down for a while. Therefore, all defects must be repaired before installing the cork. When installing cork over concrete, after you have removed the old flooring, removed all high spots by hand-scraped the surface of the slab, you next have to apply a 1/16′ skim coat of a cement-based underlayment to ensure you have a smooth floor. By applying the skim coat, you cover over and seal any old adhesives, which eliminates the process of having to machine sand the floor to remove the old adhesives.

When installing cork flooring, today you have a choice between floating floors, and glue-down floors. A floating floor is significantly thicker than glue down and provides better resistance to radiant-heat transmission. In addition the thicker tiles are also quieter to walk on, which is the reason many homeowners prefer tiles. Another benefit of the floating floor is that if a section becomes damaged it is easier to remove and replace. When installing a floating floor, manufacturers specify that a vapor barrier be placed between the sub-floor and the cork.

Another thing to consider is the many size and style choices that are available. Cork tiles are available in 12-inch square and slightly more expensive 24-inch square tiles. There are some manufacturers who also provide rectangular shaped tiles that can be mixed and matched with square tiles to create a unique design. In addition to shapes and sizes, cork tiles are also available in a variety of shades, from very light to very dark, and even a few color shades such as reds, blues, and greens.

In order to guarantee its longevity, cork flooring has to be protected. Cork tiles are available in unfinished, waxed, or varnished with a polyurethane sealer. It is strongly recommended that you use only the varnished tiles and once they have been installed that you apply at least two additional coats of polyurethane coats to them to seal the seams.

It is true that cork is a resilient material, and that you can walk on cork in a pair of high heel shoes. Still to protect your flooring it is strongly advised to place felt furniture pads under all sharp furniture legs or feet. This will protect the cork flooring from staining if it has not been properly sealed, as well as from being scratched it trying to move a piece of heavy furniture.

Just like hardwood or any other natural materials, cork will fade when exposed to sunlight and is more noticeable in the darker shades than in the lighter shades. If cork is used anywhere near a window, it is strongly suggested that an appropriate window film be applied. For information about window films, please visit the following website: (Place link to window Film Website)

Though cork like any other product does have its drawbacks, the benefits of cork cannot be full appreciated until after it has been installed. When properly applied and protected, cork is a superior floor covering and with proper care and maintenance it will last for decades.