Cork flooring: pros and cons

Cork flooring is a natural material that is distinguished in the first place by its exceptional environmental friendliness. Cork is a relatively rare and exotic material that is made from the bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber). The tree forms a thick bark. Over time this bark can develop considerable thickness and this is harvested every 10 to 12 years as cork. The harvesting of cork does not harm the tree and a new layer of cork regrows, making it a renewable resource. Cork is used in many different areas, probably the most famous of which is winemaking, where it is used to seal bottles. For some time now, it has been making its way into the construction industry, mainly as flooring or wall cladding. Cork is durable and resilient, pleasant to touch, very soft and warm, and really attractive due to the natural feeling that it brings. It provides excellent thermal and sound insulation. 

Cork flooring is not inferior to the popular options like hardwood flooring, laminate and parquet. Like any other flooring, it also has its advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss in this article. 

The cork flooring comes in three main types – as click-and-lock floating planks, glue-down tiles, and complementary flooring, made of cork residues produced in rolls, plates or in granules (for filling flaws and voids). The latter is usually not used as main flooring material, but as an insulating pad, laid under laminate, for example. 

Click-and-lock planks can be considered cork laminate. These planks click together and have an MDF, HDF or HDPE core usually covered with layers of agglomerated cork and protective coating. They can often be found in stained or photo-printed options. 

Glue-down tiles are pressed cork tiles of different sizes and shapes, which are impregnated and have a protective coating. They are especially easy to install as they are light, flexible and extremely easy to cut. This allows them to be used in difficult to cover places with curves and edges. Impregnation and protective coating make them suitable for areas with high traffic or high humidity. 

Cork flooring – the pros

As we have already said, the exceptional advantage of cork flooring is its environmental friendliness. But it has many other advantages: 

• Cork flooring is extremely clean. It is antistatic, so the dust does not stick to it, which is especially important for people with dust mite allergy. It does not favor the development of bacteria and mold, and it does not emit harmful substances when heated. 
• It provides excellent soundproofing. Cork has proven to be an excellent soundproofing material for use on floors, walls and ceilings, and is often used for sound absorption in professional recording studios. 
• Cork has impressive thermal insulation properties. Cork flooring feels soft and warm to the touch, it is pleasant to walk on it barefoot, and when in contact, it does not absorb the heat of our body, in comparison with tiled floors, for example. 
• It is resilient. The elasticity of the cork has a beneficial effect on our bones and muscles, functioning as а shock-absorber for our body. 
• The installation is simple and easy. Cork flooring can be laid with your own hands without any issues. Laying a floating cork floor is the same as for interlocking laminate. And cork tiles can be installed simply with universal glue. 
• Cork flooring is easy to care for. Clean it with a vacuum cleaner and just wipe it with a mop and clean water. You can also use detergents, but in no case solvents and abrasives. 
• It is durable. Due to its structure, cork flooring is highly resistant to mechanical stress and extreme temperatures. 

Cork flooring – the cons

As we can see, cork flooring has many advantages. Of course there are some drawbacks too. 

• One of the main downsides of cork is its relatively high price. But given the ease of installation, you can save enough on labour costs and the overall price will turn out to be much lower than the price of hardwood flooring, for example. Of course, you can not expect cork to last as long as a quality wooden flooring – even with good maintenance you will use it for no more than 10-15 years. However, cork flooring replacement is much, much easier. 
• Poor moisture resistance. The natural wax of the cork makes it actually water-resistant. The trouble is the HDF or MDF layer of the click-and-lock planks which can absorb a lot of moisture. If you use impregnated cork tiles without HDF or MDF base, or impregnated floating cork planks with HDPE base, then you have nothing to worry about – you can install such flooring even in the bathroom. 
• The color fades in direct sun. If you are not using cork with an UV protectant, better do not install it in areas with a lot of direct sunlight. 
• Easy to scratch and deform. Although it is generally resistant to mechanical impact, cork flooring (or rather its coating) is easily scratched, and heavy furniture leaves embossed marks. 
• Good thermal insulation. Yes, this main advantage can become a disadvantage in some situations. For example, in cases where you want to install underfloor heating. This would be completely pointless with a cork flooring, as it will let no more than 20% of the heat pass to the room. 

As you can see, the cork flooring does not have as many disadvantages as advantages. So the decision whether to install cork flooring depends mostly on your aesthetic requirements and budget.