Benefits of Cork Flooring

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Cork products such as flooring, on the other hand, will keep Montados intact and support a sustainable form of agri-forestry, Berrahmouni says. “We encourage consumers to buy cork flooring materials.”

Cork Flooring Choices

In addition to its environmental benefits, there are many practical reasons to choose cork for flooring. The material is waterproof (think of the cork in a bottle), and the natural waxy substance inherent in cork, called suberin, makes it mold and mildew resistant, too. If someone in your family suffers from allergies, a cork floor could provide a soft and warm alternative to allergen-collecting carpet.

Cork is even naturally flame-resistant. And it’s acoustically insulating properties — shhh, it’s quiet — will take the clatter and thud out of noisy foot traffic.

Cork flooring can be used in living areas, bedrooms, workout rooms and even wet spots such as bathrooms or saunas. You can purchase cork floors as roll-out sheets, floating panels, stick-in-place squares or tap-in-place tongue-and-groove tiles. Habitus Architectural Finishes even sells small, round, penny mosaic cork tiles, which are installed much like ceramic or glass mosaics, with mastic and grout. And some types of cork flooring are suitable for use over radiant heat.

Pricing varies considerably, from an affordable $2 per square foot to over $20 per square foot for specialty shapes, styles or colors. Most cork flooring installations can be managed by do-it-yourselfers. Intricate patterns or tricky layouts may require professional installers.

Because of its elasticity, cork is especially forgiving on uneven surfaces, and may even be installed directly on top of existing wood, linoleum or similar flooring — or as underlayment for ceramic, wood or stone. Foot traffic and even heavy furnishings are well-tolerated because cork springs back.

Not all cork flooring is made equal, however; some products have not-so-eco-friendly binders, finishes or substrates added. Cork is sometimes combined with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) to make resilient flooring much like linoleum. Vinyl is best avoided, however, as the manufacturing of it may produce hazardous byproducts and the disposal may leach toxins into the environment. (The U.S. Green Building Council has acknowledged “strong environmental and human health concerns” with vinyl.)

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