Interiors & Renovation

It's Not What Comes Out of a Wine Bottle: 8 Pros (and Cons) About Cork Floors

If you don’t have much experience with cork flooring, you might have the wrong idea about what it looks like. No one is suggesting you cover your floor with an Office Max bulletin board. And it certainly won’t resemble your sister-in-law’s DIY wine cork art. Cork flooring can look like your typical solid wood floor. But is…

by Jeff Scherer

02/05/2016 1

Pros and Cons Cork Flooring — Image via Young House Love

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Cork flooring can look like your typical solid wood floor. But is it the right choice for your home? Read on for the surprising pros and cons of cork.

Cork has been a popular flooring choice in Europe for a while, and it’s gaining popularity here in Brooklyn.

“The texture and appearance can be modern, contemporary or traditional,” explained Jennifer Biscoe of Globus Cork, a New York–based company that manufactures cork flooring in the city. And there’s a surprisingly wide range of color and tile size options.

But cork doesn’t behave exactly like a traditional hard wood floor. Which brings us to a few interesting facts about cork floors.

Pro: Cork has some give, which makes it more comfortable to stand on.

Cork’s somewhat rubbery texture makes it ideal for places where you may be standing a lot (like your kitchen), or falling a lot (like a child’s playroom). Dishes dropped onto a cork floor are less likely to break.

Pros and Cons of Cork Flooring — The many looks of cork flooring. Photos via Globus Cork

Con: Heavy furniture can leave marks.

While cork has some elasticity, meaning it can bounce back once pressure is removed, heavier things can leave permanent depressions over time. You may not want to use cork flooring under a heavy coffee table or bookcase unless the weight of the furniture is dispersed by pads or area rugs.

Pro: Cork floors are warmer and quieter.

Thanks to millions of tiny air pockets, the insulating properties of cork mean that it’s warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer. This insulation also means that cork floors are quieter.

Con: Cork is more light-sensitive than other flooring materials.

Direct sunlight can change the color over time, so that should be a consideration when you’re deciding whether to use cork in a bright room.

Pro: Cork is eco-friendly.

Cork comes from the bark of the Quercus subus, or cork oak tree. The bark is harvested from the trees, which then grow a new layer of bark. This makes cork more of a renewable resource than wood. In fact, cork scraps during production are used to fuel the fire during the baking process of cork tiles.

Con: Cork is relatively expensive.

Per square foot, cork flooring is comparable in price to solid wood flooring, but more expensive than bamboo, engineered hardwood, or laminate flooring.

Pro: Cork is naturally resistant to insects, microbes, and mold.

Suberin is the waxy substance that gives cork its rubbery texture. It is highly hydrophobic, or water-resistant. This doesn’t make cork impervious to water damage, however.

Con: Cork can be tricky to clean.

The thin layer of sealant on the surface of cork flooring needs special care. It needs to be swept or damp-mopped regularly (not wet-mopped) and only mild detergents should be used (no oils, solvents, waxes, or ammonia-based products).

In conclusion, cork flooring can be a good choice if you’re looking for a comfortable, warm, and quiet surface, and prefer using eco-friendly products. It does take care to maintain, though, and can be prone to damage.

Have you used cork flooring? Let us know in the comments.

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