Each of us dreams of turning our home into an island of warmth and comfort. Floor coverings help us to cope with this task. There are a great many of them: carpet, linoleum, parquet board, laminate. But at present, cork floors are especially popular, the photos of which sometimes amaze our imagination.
How to explain that they began to enjoy real "people's love"? It turns out that everything is very simple. The floor made of natural cork is durable, environmentally friendly, hygienic, has a beautiful texture, and is pleasant to the touch. In other words, today it is the best finishing material in the world. Of course, cork flooring has pros and cons. But on numerous building forums, those who already have experience of "communication" with him claim that there is no better coverage.
Cork floor - what is it?
The secret to getting material is quite simple. Cork treehas a feature: it "sheds" the bark. After the tree reaches 30 years of age, its top layer can be removed, while the plant is not harmed. After the resulting raw material is crushed, processed in a certain way, then heated in a special furnace and pressed under significant pressure. This pressed mixture of air bubbles and cork is the basis for floor production. Its front side is usually decorated with natural veneer, vinyl or cork. Therefore, the cork floor, of course, has its pros and cons, but outwardly it is certainly very beautiful and able to create a unique design.
Cork flooring in modern interiors
Cork is an excellent material used for finishing a room, and not only for floors, but also for walls and ceilings. First of all, it is valued for its excellent sound and heat insulation properties. It is not affected by household chemicals, it perfectly absorbs odors.
The decorative effect of this flooring in natural yellow, brown, ocher colors is widely used in interiors. You can choose to match the furniture and darker or lighter shades, the most unusual colors with interesting splashes. Cork flooring, the pros and cons of which can be considered when laying, will look great in any room.
Cork floor is the perfect solution
If ordinary flooring seems boring, you can always find where to buy a cork floor with a veneer texture of various woods: oak, pine or anyexotic woods, such as American walnut, rosewood or zebrano. You can lay a photo floor or photo parquet or similar material that imitates sand, stone or pebbles.
Pros of cork flooring
So what are the pros and cons of cork flooring? Its main advantage is connected precisely with the material.
• The porous structure is the biggest plus of this material. Each air-filled pore is sealed, which is why the cork is so elastic, resilient and light.
• This floor feels warm to the touch, because it slowly absorbs the heat emanating from the human body, which cannot be said about marble, linoleum and other materials.
• Cork flooring is ideal for dampening all noise, so your neighbors will never complain about you.
• This material is resistant to deformation, and after rearranging the furniture, dents from the legs are quickly restored.
• Environmental friendliness is another advantage of cork. In addition, it has radiation protection.
• This floor is non-slip, easy to care for, does not accumulate dust and has an orthopedic effect on the spine while walking.
Of course, there are no perfect materials in nature, and cork flooring is no exception.
- It can swell when exposed to excess moisture.
- The material has poor tensile strength, i.e. afraid of cat claws and women's "hairpins".
- The cork is rough, so it needs to be covered with various compositions.
- Qualitythe material has a high cost, even higher than laminate and parquet. But when buying, first of all, you should be guided only by your own opinion, taking into account all the pros and cons.
