Cork FloorsEnvironmental Impact
Cork is a renewable resource grown in managed, healthy forests. Laws in Western Mediterranean countries, like Portugal, protect the Cork Oak trees grown for harvesting. A primary reason they are quickly gaining in popularity is because they have so much to offer, including being much more environmentally friendly than other resilient type floor-coverings, like vinyl flooring and linoleum flooring. 
Cork flooring can be found in natural "neutral" or brilliantly dyed colors, tiles, planks or sheets, even with designs "baked" into the cork, which make it a versatile, resilient flooring material.
Durable as most hardwoods, more moisture resistant than any other flooring and very easy to clean and maintain, cork can be used as a complete floor replacement, as well as for many other useful projects.
HOW long will a cork floor last you ask? The life expectancy is 50-100 years or longer... It all depends on the amount of traffic it will be sujected to, and if it is properly taken care of. Some may not last as long and some may last much longer! For instance, the Library of Congress was built in the late 1890s using cork for flooring, and those same floors are still being used today.... that is over 100 years! Plus, modern technology has made cork flooring even more durable than those installed so long ago... Its cork's honeycomb structure of millions of air cells per cubic inch that produces an immunity and protection against insects, mold, moisture, rot and bacteria forming colonies.... bugs will run the other way from cork! The Environment
Cork oak forests are grown on plantations for the sole purpose of manufacturing cork. Cork has many uses and is a thriving industry for the plantation owners and the country where they are established. Harvesting the bark ensures the tree will continue to flourish and be productive throughout it's life. The quality of the bark/cork increases with each harvest, the older the tree the better the cork... Harvesting or "peeling" is done by hand from trees that are at least 25 years old. It is a standardize process that takes place each year in June and July, only, and is repeated every 9-10 years, over and over again, until a tree is 200 yrs old and it is put out of service. But cork oak trees can live as long as 500 years! Can you believe it!! An aged tree is removed and replaced with two saplings in its place. This process ensures the cork forest will continue to expand and flourish. Cork oak trees hit their prime at age 80. A world record was set in Portugal in 1889 when the yeild from one tree was 3,870 lbs of cork in one stripping. WOW, that is lot of cork! Not only is cork a very desirable floor-covering, choosing it may help the survival of the cork oak forests and the environment... I think everyone wants to do what they can to help ensure our environmental future. back to Flooring HOME...from Cork Floors
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