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Cork, an environmentally good flooring choice.

In my search for a flooring that had the least impact on the environment, I think cork is my best choice. What an amazing product! Cork is harvested from the Cork Oak trees mostly grown in the Mediterranean. The bark of the tree is peeled off every 9 years or so and the tree grows a new layer. These trees are so cherished in Portugal, where 50% of the worlds cork supply comes from that they are managed closely by the government.

Cork floors are actually made from the waste of the cork bottle stopper industry, so it is a recycled product. In producing the flooring there is almost zero waste. Cork has an antimicrobial in it that deters pests, molds and mildews. It is comfortable on the feet and joints to walk on, a great sound barrier and elegant to the touch. If cared for properly, cork will last as long as hardwood flooring. Many large businesses are turning to cork as the environmental, long lasting choice for flooring.

Don't you wish all the building material available were so environmentally sound?

Here are some online sources for cork flooring: http://www.sustainableflooring.com/ http://www.igreenbuild.com/_coreModules/common/categoryDetail.aspx?categoryID=503 http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/wicanders_lush.php

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Posted by Karen Willliamson Wailea Hawaii real estate on 01/04/2008 02:32 PM

Comments (31)

green building maui, eco real estate agent maui

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31 Comments on Cork, an environmentally good flooring choice.

JAN

2008

Karen, Learn something new everyday on AR. I had no idea cork trees could be "harvested" more than once. This might be better than those bamboo floors.

I feel the same way Gary, I know some trees actually die if you cut the bark all around the tree. I can see why Portugual takes such good care of this resource. I like bamboo too, but I think this is a better environmental choice. Also, some of the manufacturers use eco friendly glues to bind the cork peices.

aloha!

JAN

2008

A friend of mine installed a cork floor in her kitchen and is thrilled with it. It is soft under foot, doesn't show dirt, and is easy to clean/maintain. I wish I had considered it as an option when renovating my kitchen!

Me too, I tiled my kitchen floor a couple years back. My feet hurt when I'm in there for very long. That is probably the perfect place for it.

JAN

2008

Interesting post. I didn't even know they used cork for flooring. Thanks for sharing.

Karen, the educational concept of cork! Yeah! I spotlighted this blog on my Week-in-Review. Click on Week-in-Review: The Six Undiscovered Gems or Blogs That Should Have Been Featured but Weren't!

I know they say that stuff doesn't grow in it, but I'd like to hear from someone who has had it for a longer period of time. I like the idea and the look, but it seem slike anything that abosrbs could ba a problem in the future.

Here's to a GREAT '08!

Be of service! The rewards will come!

www.mattcrow.com

Karen...

We recently bought a home where the garbage disposal had been leaking for quite some time.

The foundation it was leaking on was made of corkwood. It absorbed the water so well that you couldn't even see the leak.

What gave away the leak was of course the rancid ordor coming from under the sink.

We had to have the corkwood torn out and replaced. I had the gentleman that fixed this use regular wood.

So...There you it have the other side of the cork.

I say...Keep the cork in the wine bottles :)

P.S. I don't think green people are going to like my comment :)

TLW...ROAR!

Cork is not popular here in NJ yet, we are slowly going green. Great, informational post.

Intereresting, but trendy and hard to live with. This impacts the resale of a home, even here in Pdx where we are on the forefront of the green buiding materials movement. But you did an excellent job with this post!

Hmmm... great to hear all the different experiences and opinions... No, us green people won't hate you for the facts that you have to give Lovely wife :)

Andrew, thanks for spotlighting this blog, that means a lot to me as I'm not much of a writer and new to blogging :)

aloha

Karen, I know that cork flooring is popular again. My parents put it in their dream house in 1953 and we had it for at least 20 years. The floor wasn't worn out but stained because it wasn't sealed well (this was before polyesters). We loved it - it was always warm, and quite quiet. I would do it again.

Karen:

Great Article! Thanks for the information very interesting reading. Have a great weekend.

pop a cork again, was that not a song...oh no that was pop a top again, my bad lol

Karen, I'm not familiar with cork flooring but it sounds great! Gee maybe we should be recycling our wine corks? A very informative post!

Who would have thought it....Cork...not me. I'll need to keep that in mind!

Karen- Great informative post. I did not know that. Thank You

Karen- Great post cork flooring sounds great! Thank You always looking for the green

Hi Karen - I just leaned about the qualities of bamboo flooring not all that long ago, and now this cork flooring sounds like it might be better than that, from what you wrote. I like that it's easy on the body and quiet - I'll have to keep this in mind for future flooring. I have hardwood throughout my house now, and love it. I bet I would love cork, too. Do you have any pictures of cork flooring? I'd love to see what it looks like.

Thanks for a new lesson!
Ann

I just thought you should know that my "cutting edge" architect daughter who lives in LA put cork flooring in a bungalow she rehabbed. Never again. It was way too soft and did not look good after a couple of years of wear.

JAN

2008

Great article. I am amazed at how many people have not heard of cork flooring, but it is not that big of surprise, since so many environmentally friendly options are not marketed strongly enough. My wife has a bad back and cork flooring is what she wants more than anything. We tiled way back when we upgraded the kitchen, and now wish we had done cork.

Karen - Whether it becomes fasionable or not. I now know more than every before about cork flooring. It may become the only use for cork (well, dart boards use it too) in the future. It seems many of the major wine makers have determined that they can keep their wine fresher using a different type of screw top.

All floors stain or have problems. I am glad I got to see your smiling face and learn something new.

You see, I am now smarter because of you.

I really like cork flooring, Karen. It does have to be in the proper area and properly sealed. There are many new looks and color treatments coming out. It helps with sound dampening as well. I think the manufacturers have been working hard on improving the quality and wearability of the product. Thanks for the photos. I always wondered how they cut the cork.

You do just fine Karen! Hope you're having an awesome New Year!

JAN

2008

Excellent information. Soft - Hardwood!

I'm glad to give an opinion of cork for my first post in this forum. I developed a green building product rating system called Degree of Green, specifically to lend assistance in these types of discussions.

Cork flooring has been used in the US for about 100 years, predominantly in municipal buildings, banks and upscale homes. Cork is softer and warmer than wood, but just as durable. The fact that it comes from a renewable resource make it somewhat eco-friendly. The down sides are, it all has to be shipped from Portugal and Spain, plus, it is typically finished with a high-toxin content polyurethane.

I hope to provide you all with unbiased opinions about green building products, so you'll always get the pros and cons. Contrary to popular belief, there is no perfect green product or perfect green project...just varying Degrees of Green.

MAR

2008

Karen, great post, both interesting and informative. I learned something new today. Thanks.

APR

2008

Very informative. I especially liked the pictures showing the cork production and waste product - I always wondered about that. I would like to try cork flooring one day. It would be great when you drop a dish or (wine)glass on the floor, very forgiving

My husband's best friend's father built his house in Brentwood, CA. A famous physics professor in UCLA< he was very forward in his thinking. He designed and built this Eichler inspired home and used cork flooring and floor heating. 40 years later, it still shows great; after that wear and tear, the floor has a natural shine to it. Beautiful and durable product.

Sylvia

JUL

2008

Informative post. I wrote a post on Bamboo Flooring that you may want to check out.

Have a great day!

Christina

OCT

You've got to love the use of <a href="Http://www.corkflooringpros.com">cork flooring</a>, it's eco-friendly, durable and lasts a life time. Why else would they use it in the library of congress :)

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