Do you still have stone or hard wood flooring in your home? In times past, almost every home had one of these two types of flooring, nowadays; there is a new type of flooring that is becoming increasingly more popular. What you ask? Cork. More and more people are choosing this option for several reasons. Wondering what it is about cork floors that make it so popular? There are several reasons for this. Cork flooring is affordable, durable, easy to maintain and versatile. In addition to all of this, cork flooring is also environmentally friendly, which is something that most other flooring cannot boast of. Cork is made by stripping the bark off the cork oak tree. This bark is first peeled off in layers and then wine bottle corks are punched out of the sheets of cork. The remaining bark is then pulverized in a machine. The crushed cork nodules are mixed with an adhesive, after which it will be compressed to form a cork tile. These tiles are then used for cork flooring. While stripping off the bark, the tree is left unharmed and it is left alone for nine years, during which time it regrows its bark and is ready to be harvested again. Because, the bark regrows and can be stripped several times, cork is considered environmentally friendly. The structure of cork is such that it is compressed of tightly packed cells, which are filled with air. These air filled cells give cork flooring some pretty unique properties. One of the properties is insulation against noise and temperature changes. If you drop something heavy on a stone floor, you are sure to hear a loud crashing noise and if the object is made of glass it is sure to shatter and break. With cork flooring, you won’t hear any loud shattering noises as the air in the cells absorbs the noise. This can be particularly useful if you happen to be living in an apartment or if you have young kids who enjoy running and jumping. With cork flooring whoever lives in the apartment below yours will not be disturbed. Another unique feature is the additional comfort that these floors offer. The air-filled cells also help to keep the temperature in a home at an ambient level. This can be great in the cold of winter as cork flooring does transfer cold from a subfloor and therefore does not itself get very cold. This means you will not need to have the heating set high just to get the room warm enough. This can help to save a considerable amount on your power bills. With a cork floor, you can even walk around the house without slippers or socks as the surface of the floor tends to hold the warmth of the room. Another beneficial feature of cork is that it is naturally insect resistant so you know it cannot be damaged by termites or any other type of insect. Anyone who has hardwood flooring knows the devastation termites can cause and how quickly the flooring can be destroyed. With cork flooring, you have a longer lasting material without having to worry about termites. And because of the resistant nature of cork, there is also a lesser chance of the flooring become infected by mold and mildew. With so many benefits, it is definitely a good idea to change over to cork flooring. Resource cork floors are durable, easy to maintain, insect resistant and environmentally friendly too. If you are looking for Cork Flooring , the best place to go to is iCork Floor.
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