Cork floors: an overview of the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of coating
Cork flooring is used in those homes by those people who understand that this is the embodiment of warmth and comfort. For example, if you compare this flooring with linoleum, laminate, you can notice a number of advantages, since cork is directly related to wood, that is, to naturalness and environmental friendliness. In addition, it is a lightweight, flexible material with a porous structure. Even in spite of the fact that cork floors have diverse reviews, they deserve special attention.
Cork flooring - what is it?
Specialists of woodworking enterprises correctly used the feature of the cork tree, namely, the fact that it "dumps" the bark. The secret is as follows: after the tree reaches 30 years, with a frequency of 9-12 years, you can remove the bark from it without causing any harm.
After that, the crust is crushed, processed, heated in a special furnace. Then - pressing under high pressure: the crushed mass turns into suberin, a kind of mixture of cork and air bubbles. This is the basis for the production of cork flooring.
A very strong layer of resins and wood dust is applied to the suberin layer, then suberin again. The front layer can be decorated with natural veneer, cork, vinyl.
Cork floor in the interior
It should be said that in our country there is a slightly negative attitude to the cork, this applies to well-known expressions, for example, "flew out like a cork from a bottle." But this stereotype is gradually giving way to a completely new idea of the material, as an excellent tool for decorating the room.
Cork is highly valued, above all, for its good noise and heat insulation performance, and it also absorbs odors perfectly. Moreover, it is resistant to household chemicals.
The decorative use of the floor is diverse, for example, cork looks great in the kitchen. The flooring has an original look, having a warm natural shade: yellow, brown, ocher. And also, depending on the color of the furniture, you can choose other shades, lighter or darker.
Plus, the cork floor will look different, depending on the size of the panels, the way of laying and lighting. Moreover, today manufacturers offer not only a traditional texture, but also the most unusual colors with colorful splashes and interesting designs.
If the usual cork floor seems simple and boring to you, you can pay attention to the cork floor or photopark. Of course, modern technology is surprising, since the texture of various wood veneers can be applied to the cork floor. It can be an imitation of oak, pine - well-known species, as well as for lovers of exotic manufacturers offer original options - cork with a pattern of American walnut, zebrano, rosewood.
It is interesting that if the cork floor is laid on the deck, the effect of the floor from the array is obtained, also the cork successfully imitates stone, sand, pebbles.
At repair and construction forums, cork flooring reviews sometimes get negative, although the vast majority are still positive. This means that disappointment is due to poor-quality material or installation errors.
We can say that positive reviews about the cork field basically have the following interpretation: “the main plus is heat, for example, in contrast to the laminate, which cools. It is nice to walk on it with bare feet, and even useful.
Less dust accumulates on the cork, and puddles of children do not leave marks. And if you buy felt nozzles for furniture, there will be no dents. ”
Pros of Cork Coatings
The main advantages of the cork are directly related to the characteristics of the material, namely the porosity of the structure: each pore is sealed, filled with a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen.
A similar structure provides the cork with elasticity, lightness, resilience.
And now about the pros in more detail:
- The cork floor is warm to the touch, as it slowly absorbs the heat coming from the human body. This cannot be said at all about tiles, marble, linoleum;
- excellent soundproofing parameters - cork coating “damps” the noise in the rooms well. For example, if neighbors complain about noise, the clatter in your apartment, the arrangement of a cork floor is the best solution. And if your neighbors are noisy from below, then you should not expect an extreme effect from the cork floor;
- resistance to deformations - it can be said to have a restoring effect: dents from furniture legs after rearrangement quickly acquire their original form;
- environmental friendliness is an indisputable advantage, in addition it has protection against harmful radiation, including radioactive. It has been proven that cork reduces the effect of hepatogenic zones, and this is simply a wonderful advantage;
- slip resistance - the presence of this property indicates that the cork can be used on stairs, in public buildings;
- hygiene - cork coverings do not require specific care: if there are contaminants, they must be wiped with a rag or a vacuum cleaner is used. Ease of care is determined by the anti-condensation properties of the cork: mold is less formed, corrosion is not observed, the material is protected from steam;
- anti-allergenic - dust does not accumulate on the cork floor: this makes life easier for allergy sufferers, therefore this floor covering is widely used, for example, in medical facilities;
- orthopedic effect - excellent depreciation rates reduce the load on the spine, on the legs while walking;
- durability - depending on the characteristics of the coating, manufacturers give a guarantee of operation for 10-20 years.
Cons cork
Of course, there are no ideal materials, therefore, cork coating has some disadvantages:
- high cost - high-quality cork from whole veneer is expensive. For example, if you wonder how much a cork floor costs, it should be noted that the price may be higher than parquet or laminate. And if you add the cost of laying and additional materials to the amount, you get a tidy figure;
- swelling - under the influence of excess moisture, a floating cork floor may swell. The reason for this phenomenon is the MDF swelling, which is the basis of the coating. Therefore, the cork is undesirable to use in the bathroom and similar rooms;
- poor tensile strength - although the cork is characterized by good resistance to deformation, it is afraid of heels, hairpins, cat's claws, sharp metal legs of furniture;
- inconvenience associated with the coating - the cork itself is quite rough, so you have to cover it with a variety of compositions. There is a risk of two extremes. Firstly, the coating with a high coefficient of friction erases the soles of socks, soft slippers. Secondly, if the coefficient of friction is very low, the cork floor is slippery.
It turns out that the advantages and disadvantages of this coating are relative: for some, some qualities are significant, while others do not mean anything.
Therefore, when buying, you should be guided by a personal opinion - the cork floor has pros and cons, but they are individual for each buyer.
"Petrovich" 
Jana 
Yulia
15 comments