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There are several types of flooring available on the market today. It can be difficult to choose one for your home. Some homeowners are turning to radiant heating systems to help keep their basements cozier, but have a harder time trying to understand what surface flooring will work best. Traditional or solid hardwood flooring is typically comprisedof hardwood planks 3/4 inch thick. This thick structure means solid hardwood floors are more vulnerable to damage from common humidity fluctuations, as wood naturally expands and contracts with these changes. Solid hardwood flooring requiresproper precautions and maintenance applied diligently over time and can turn into too much effort. Stone and tile work well, but still leaves the floor hard and un-giving. Vinyl works well too, but doesn’t necessarily carry across a stylish look, realistic imitation or feel of wood and stone. Linoleum is also subject to expansion and contraction with humidity fluctuations. Because dry heating systems may cause complications like cracking and gaping in floors that are sensitive to moisture changes, linoleum is not the most compatible option. Carpet can work as long as the padding and pile are relatively thin. We recommend the installation of cork floating floors over radiant heating systems inbasements. Why? Because cork flooring as a rule is more stable than wood flooring for the simple detail that when wood expands, it does so only in the direction of the grain. With cork, the expansion or contraction process is dispersed in all directions. A floating floor snaps or glues together and is not affixed to the actual subflooring allowing it to move as a unit. This works better with radiant floor heating as there is less of a chance that a stray nail or other fastener can puncture the radiant floor heating system during the installation of the cork floor. Cork floors will keep the heat more efficiently as well. It will take longer to warm up a space because cork is a natural insulator. But once the room has reached a desired temperature, the plus is that that selfsame cork floor will work to maintain that temperature for a longer period of time as it is an insulator. Cork's natural insulating properties help a concrete radiant floor feel warm to the touch even when the heating system is off. The chill of the subfloor will not leak through. That’s just one benefit of using cork as your flooring material. There are a number of others that add to its distinction and sets it as a better buy all around. cork floating flooring is easy to install and offers several advantages to any homeowner. iCork Flooring has a fantastic variety of Cork floating flooring to suit any type of décor style. Check them out today.
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