In this blog, we will talk about why cork tiles for flooring are a great sustainable and natural flooring option for your home.
They are recyclable, renewable, and also biodegradable!
What are cork flooring tiles made from?
Cork flooring tiles are made from natural materials using bark from the cork oak tree. Bits of cork are ground up, compressed, and fused in sheets with resins. Ideal for being made into flooring planks or tiles.
The benefits of using cork tiles for flooring
Because cork has a ‘bubble-form’ structure, it is naturally acoustic and insulating which can be beneficial in the home environment in a number of ways.
Noise-reducing – ideal for areas with a lot of footfall (or a noisy family!).
Warm – naturally thermal and insulating which may help reduce heating costs and help keep you warm on cold winter days.
Comfortable – the bubble-like structure makes for a soft floor, creating a cosy feeling underfoot.
Water-resistant – a great flooring covering for wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. Especially for those who like to splash!
Safe – a natural fire retardant that is a great safety benefit for our homes.
Suffer from allergies?
A natural flooring solution, it’s the perfect flooring option for those who suffer from allergies. Cork contains suberin which has highly valuable antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties.
Cork tiles for flooring don’t absorb dust making it easy to clean and reduce any microorganisms such as dust mites that can cause allergens.
Environmentally friendly
An eco-friendly wood flooring option. Rather than the cork oak trees being cut down, the bark is stripped from the trees to harvest the cork therefore the tree can continue to grow.
Cork oak trees mature after around 20 years when they can be harvested, every nine to ten years and can continue until the tree is around 300 years old.
Cork trees also retain carbon like all other trees and a harvested tree has the ability to retain nearly five times more carbon! Another tick for the environment.
Therefore a very sustainable and highly renewable, eco-friendly flooring material.
Read more information about the properties of cork material
Durable and resistant
Cork flooring is highly durable and more resistant to wear and tear, but over time any floor will suffer from knocks and marks.
Another benefit of having cork tiles for flooring is that they can be refinished, just like a hardwood floor. This negates the need for replacing a floor, another tick for sustainability and not adding more waste to landfills.
Replacing a floor is also a major flooring project, so refinishing a floor rather than replacing it saves time, hassle, and most importantly, money, plus is good for the environment. Win-win all round.
Here is a blog on how we restore wooden floors
Visit our showroom – Sussex Sustainable Flooring
We at Sussex Sustainable Flooring are passionate about reducing waste and have the ethos that not only should flooring come from a sustainable source but also have the ability to be refinished.
Come and visit our showroom to view our flooring tiles. The showroom is open for appointment only so call us on 01444 810505 to book an appointment.
