Not Just a Little Corky! Check out the benifits of Cork Flooring

Cork

Many people think of cork as a relatively new and possibly unreliable option particularly as a surface flooring material. And yet, there are examples of Natural Cork floors in public buildings that were installed over 100-years ago and are still in use today. The Library of Congress in Washington, DC is one excellent case.
As knowledge about this flooring product is spreading, Cork is becoming increasingly popular, for a variety of reasons.
Cork flooring is eco-friendly, as it is harvested harmlessly from the bark of the cork tree. Grown on farms and harvested every 9 to 11 years, once the tree has reached maturity, the financial benefit lies not in felling these trees but in keeping them alive and in production for generations.
Natural Cork is still harvested by hand in the traditional method leaving the habitat intact and with minimal impact on the overall environment. Removal of the bark, known as "stripping", must be done during the active growing season, June through August. Using hand tools, a series of cuts are made in the bark, one at ground level, one just below the first branches, and two vertical cuts joining these. The loosened bark is then pried off in two large sheets where possible and smaller bits if not. Sheets of cork are stacked and left for days to dry in the sun, before being sent to factory.
Today, cork flooring is created from the post-industrial by-product of the bottle-stopper industry. This 'waste' material is ground up and then formed into sheets using minimal amounts of adhesive to bind the particles together under high pressure. The size, quantity, and type of cork granule in conjunction with varying degrees of pressure make the difference between "bulletin board" material and material suitable for flooring applications.
Cork has many unique properties that make it especially useful for flooring.
The cork bark is filled with millions of tiny air cells, trapped in a dense network of 14-sided cells. This honeycomb of cells:

• Resists moisture absorption
• Deadens noise and vibration, and
• Insulates well.

Cork repels many bugs, including termites, with a naturally occurring wax substance. The same substance makes cork naturally flame retardant.

Cork's most famous property is the "bounce" of cork flooring. While not spongy, cork floors have a softer feel than hardwood, vinyl, and tile. The resiliency of the floor helps to cushion feet that stand for long hours, and reduces the wear on the floor.