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Cork has several qualities that makes it excellent for use as flooring, whether in the home or in a commercial space. Cork floors look good, they are comfortable to walk on and they are very easy to maintain, all of which are features that are desirable in any flooring material. In addition, cork tile is also resistant to insects, mold and mildew and it is shock absorbent and durable. Again, these are also favorable properties. But among these attributes, there is one that stands as most significant. The fact that cork is a renewable resource. For most people, this is the incentive that clinches the deal. Everybody is looking for ways to be environmentally friendly these days. With global warming creating havoc all over the world, nobody can afford to be complacent anymore. Every little bit counts and choosing cork tiles can be one step towards saving our earth. So why is cork considered environmentally friendly? Unlike hardwood flooring in which the entire tree is cut down and destroyed, no trees are destroyed in the manufacture of cork tiles. These tiles are in fact just the bark of the cork oak tree. The scientific name of this tree is Quercus Suber and it is found primarily in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Algeria. The bark of this tree is thick and spongy. It is carefully peeled off the tree and used to manufacture corks for wine bottles. The remaining scraps that cannot be used to make the wine bottle corks are then processed and combined together with glue under high pressure to manufacture cork flooring and cork tile. The trees meanwhile are not harmed in any way. After the bark has been peeled off they are left alone to regenerate. The tree regenerates new bark and the next harvest is done only after a 7-9 year wait. The life span of each tree is about 200 years. The long life span of the tree, combined with the fact that it keeps on regenerating and growing new bark make this a renewable, environmentally friendly resource. Cork is made up of a number of cells packed closely together. These cells contain air and this trapped air gives cork flooring its resilient and insulating properties. Consider this – you are walking across a hardwood floor. How does the floor feel? As many will attest to, while walking barefoot the floor can feel cold and hard; whereas walking with heels will cause a loud clicking sound with it strike against the floor. With cork flooring, it’s different. When you walk barefoot across cork floors it feels warm and not so hard and when you walk with shoes on, nobody will hear a sound. This is because the cells not only absorb the sounds but acts as an insulating material so it never gets too cold. It also absorbs the impact as you walk across the floor, which is great news for anyone who suffers from knee and joint pain. Resource Cork floors offer a whole lot of advantages without any of the disadvantages. iCork Flooring is your one stop shop if you are looking for beautiful cork tiles options at very affordable rates.
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