Cork Floors And Why They Are So Green

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In 21 century flooring is also a matter of green life style. Therefore, many that are creating eco and green floors are choosing cork as the greenest substance, which can be used as a perfect floor.

In case you want to find out more about the cork, here are few surprising facts about this “forgotten” material.

At first, cork is very proper for building, for it is long lasting. This is so, because cork comes from the cork oak tree, known as one of the long lasting trees in the world.

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Cork is praised as a light and green material for it is made out of honeycomb structure. It is an unusual structure that contains an air-like substance, which means using cork is a guarantee that your floor will not contain any hazardous substances.

Typically the countries, which are known as a producers of cork are Spain, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, France and Portugal. The ancient cork oak forests are spread over nearly 3 million hectares only in these countries.

The cork oak needs a lot of time to reach maturity and to be ready for usage. Most of the producers are waiting 25 years, before the cork oak is ready.

Using cork for flooring and building isn’t a new thing. Actually it is an ancient way, discovered thousands of years ago.

People have been living in houses from peeling cork oaks even in the times of the Roman empire, not to mention there are even claims, that cork was the main material for building and housing.

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Therefore, the cork oak forests are protected by royal decrees and governments for thousands of years.

Just as the bamboo, cork is one of the most environmental friendly materials. It is strong and flexible, and yet extremely green. It can be recycled and reused without any difficulties.

Recently most of the green designers have been using the cork for flooring, because it is light in weight, which make the work with it easier. Make sure to match your doors with your cork flooring, oak doors are often the best match.

Another advantage of using cork for flooring is the fact it is easy to stain and add patterns. Adding patterns is extremely difficult, especially if working with other materials, but with cork this isn’t an issue. Therefore, most of the decorators prefer cork.

Cork is also allergen free, it is water and mold resistant, not to mention it is suitable for heavy furniture and high traffic situations. Overall, cork flooring is affordable and green.

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