We at icorkfloor.com recommend cork flooring in any home. Why? Because we believe this material does more for your home living experience than its contemporaries. Cork flooring is a flooring material that can bring about healthier changes for you and your home. Although cork is a softer wood in comparison to its hardwood cousins it competes and excels in a number of areas that hardwoods fail.

Most hardwoods can do some water or moisture resistance, but the cork oak species developed a pretty powerful ability to protect itself in its natural environment. Suberin, a waxy substance generated within the very tissue of cork material protects the living tree from both liquid and fire. NASA uses cork to insulate and protect space shuttles. Why, because once that shuttle is launched cork helps to keep the fuel tanks from exploding. Cork burns at a slower and more even rate at such a high heat, giving the shuttle time to hit space where it can break away. Suberin also gives it the ability to fend off mildew and mold and keep wood rot from setting in. As a result, a cork floor gives you a cleaner and healthier living environment.

Cork is softer to the touch than its hardwood cousins as well as lighter. This is due to its very cellular makeup. Similar to a honeycomb cork traps more than 50% air within its cells so it obtains some impressive abilities. Step on a hardwood floor. You will feel the hard surface resisting your feet, and prolonged exposure causes strain. Now step on a cork floor and you will notice an immediate difference. Cork has the ability to compress, thus you will feel a ‘give’ or ‘cushiony’ effect. A cork floor will actually provide your body some support.

However, that is not cork’s greatest achievement. We at icorkfloor think what makes cork, especially our cork flooring, the best flooring product on the market is the fact that it is one of the only 100%

and recyclable products. At no time from conception to finished product is any cork oak tree cut down. We do not contribute to clear-cutting.

Forests of these species have lived for centuries in the Mediterranean region. How? Because only the bark of the cork oak tree provides the source product for cork itself. And the bark, which the cork oak sheds naturally anyway, is the only part of the tree that is used in the production of any and all cork products currently on the market. Historically, this bark was used to make bottle stoppers. But within the last century and especially the last few decades cork has undergone a revamp and now can be found in many areas of commerce, from fashion to building and even into scientific applications. This bark can be harvested once every decade or so, so a single tree, which can live upwards of 150 years can produce more than 10 harvests in its lifetime.

With cork oak trees in production, we have a healthier eco-system. Irrigation and erosion loss are kept to a minimum while animals indigenous to these areas retain their homes and food sources. The bio-system functions in a continuous and productive manner. You get forests of trees not scarred areas due to clear-cut.

Now that you’ve got a little information on cork flooring and its advantages over its hardwood cousins. Visit us at www.icorkfloor.com to learn more and peruse our cork flooring lines.