Cork Flooring

Cork flooring is one of the most beautiful and comfortable floor material options available. Cork flooring is environmentally friendly and cork is considered a renewable and sustainable natural resource. These floors can be a little expensive and their installed cost per square foot can be close to a good quality ceramic tile floor. However they are definitely worth the cost when used in smaller areas such as a Kitchen, Den or Dining Room but can be used in just about any flooring application. What is Cork and Where Does it Come From? Cork is harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree found in the Mediterranean. Cork comes from seven countries including Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Morocco and France. Of these countries, Portugal is by far the largest producer of cork with over 30% of the world's cork trees and 70% of the world's cork production. Cork bark is made up of a tiny sealed honeycomb cellular structure (14-sided polyhedrons) containing gas of 90% air. These cells provide resiliency (cushion) and insulation and there are about 40 million of these cells per cubic centimeter. Cork can be compressed up to 40% and quickly returns to its original shape. This all works to make cork a very special flooring material. The Benefits of Cork Flooring Comfort & Softness The air trapped inside the cellular structure of cork provides a natural shock absorbing feel to the floor. It's great for applications where you are standing a lot such as in a Kitchen providing relief for your feet, back and legs. Beauty Cork has a natural beauty rivaled by few other natural materials. It comes in many colors and different manufacturers provide various tile shapes and patterns as well. Noise Reduction The same cellular structure that makes the floor comfortable also reduces noise and vibration. Unlike hard materials like tile, wood or vinyl, cork is quiet and reduces impact noise such as something dropping on the floor or the sound of walking by people or pets. Healthy and Safe Cork has natural properties that are anti-allergenic and resistant to insects. A naturally occurring waxy substance in cork called suberin repels insects, mites and mold and protects cork from from rotting when wet for a long time. In addition, suberin is naturally fire resistant and cork doesn't release any toxic off-gassing when it burns. These natural properties plus the coatings used to seal cork flooring make it healthy and safe for adults, pets and baby. Durability and Ease of Maintenance Durability is a strong trait of cork and cork floors have been used in public buildings such as churches and libraries since 1898, long before residential applications

AcoustiCORK™ products meet many of the key criteria of the organizations that promote and support green building initiatives. The use of AcoustiCORK™ products in your project can help it qualify for credit points under the LEED™ GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEM in the following areas: MR 4.1 5% Recycled Content of total building materials (post consumer + ½ of post industrial) MR 4.2 10% Recycled Content of total building materials (post consumer + ½ of post industrial) (AcoustiCORK products are approx. 85% post industrial recycled content by weight) MR 6 Specifying rapidly renewable building materials for 5% of total building materials. (Cork bark renews in 9 year cycles) MR 7 The Use of a minimum of 50% of wood-based materials certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council guidelines. (FSC Certified Content AcoustiCORK Available) EQ 4.1 Low Emitting Materials Adhesives & Sealants (Adhesives Specified meet SCAQMD Rule1168) EQ 4.4 Composite wood or agri-fiber products must contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins.