As the trend of taking care of our environment keeps growing both locally and internationally it’s not a big surprise that green building ethics keep expanding. More residential homes are being built with being green in mind. Many existing homeowners are also looking for ways to go green in their household. Many so called green building materials have come onto the market with their own advantages and disadvantages. However, we’d like to introduce you to a green building material that’s been around for thousands of years. This is a flooring product and it’s called cork flooring.

Before we go more into this flooring solution we want you to understand why it’s a green building material. First, cork flooring is entirely of cork material, which is obtained from the cork oak tree. Specifically, cork material comes from the bark of this tree. Manufactures harvest the bark every nine years after it matures. The process of harvesting the bark is harmless to the cork oak tree and leaves it intact. This means no deforestation is required to harvest cork material. In fact, many laws are in place in the cork oak tree’s native countries protecting them and the harvesting process. You can safely know that cork as a floor product is a completely eco-friendly, sustainable a natural renewable resource.

Almost all manufactures of cork floors produce both glue-down tiles and floating floor planks. The comparison between both products is usually cost to install vs. cost of the product. Glue-down cork tiles usually cost more to have a professional install since they require a specific type of sub-floor, adhesive, finish and sealant. Cork floating floors come pre-finished and have a click-together type system to install them. This means they don’t require glue or nails and can usually be installed over an existing floor. However, the actually cost for the product is more than cork tiles.

There are quite a few benefits to the green building material cork flooring. First, its beauty matches virtually any other hardwood floor; with hundreds of pattern variations, colors and natural shades. Manufactures can even add custom colors to your cork floor if requested. Second, the durability and comfort of cork based floors is amazing. It’s rare you get comfortable flooring that is also durable at the same time. This is due to the cellular structure of cork. Millions of tiny honeycomb air filled cells in cork material allow it to absorb and cushion impact, shocks, etc. Cork material is also resistant to mold, mildew, moisture, pests and bacteria thanks to Suberin, a naturally occurring waxy substance in cork. The last benefit we need to mention is great for you homeowners with allergies since cork is actually hypoallergenic.

As you can see cork flooring is an excellent green building material and perfect for every household around the globe. If the green trend continues, and it most likely will, expect cork floors to become more and more popular. If you’d like to learn more about this amazing flooring product and find contractors or carpenters in your area who install it please follow the links below. Hopefully you’ll help to protect the environment and go with cork based floors during your next home improvement project.