Characteristics and Benefits of Cork

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The Cork Forest

• Cork is an eminently renewable resource harvested
  from the living bark of the Cork Oak.
•  Cork is harvested in a steady cycle that
  promotes healthy growth to the tree over its
  expected lifespan of over 200 years. Though the
  Cork Oak can flourish in many climates, the
  conditions that favor commercial use lie in a
  fairly narrow swath that cuts through Western
  Europe and Northern Africa along the
  Mediterranean coast.
• Typically, virgin cork is not removed from
  saplings until the 25th year, and reproduction
  cork (the first cycle) may not be extracted for
  another 9-12 years.

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Cork Harvest
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Ecology

• Cork is an ecological product.
• At a time when the Earths resources are being
  depleted cork is a material which is totally
  natural and does not harm the environment.
• Bark is harvested every 9 years, therefore it is
  renewable.
• The harvesting promotes healthy growth to the
  tree over its expected lifespan of over 200
  years.
• It enables the tree to flourish without the
  intervention of herbicides, fertilizers and
  irrigation.

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Cork Flooring Advantages

• Environmentally friendly
• Thermal regulator
• Impact noise insulator
• Easy to install
• Simple maintenance

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Characteristics and Benefits of Cork
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Sound Proofing

• Very effective insulation against sound.
• Frequently used in recording studios, libraries,
  museums and galleries.
• Ideal for apartments and two-story homes.
• Used in schools and government buildings.

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Thermal Insulation

• Cork is a very effective thermal insulator.
• Corkboard is used to insulate external walls and
  roofs in buildings.
• Can be used in cold and hot climates.
• Used in Japan on refrigeration vehicles.

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Comfort

• Cork flooring is comfortable to walk on.
• Air cell structure provides a high level of
  comfort underfoot.
• There are over 100,000 cells per cubic inch.
• Maintains an even temperature year round.

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Safety

• The characteristics that make cork soft and
  comfortable also makes it safe.
• Non-slippery surface makes it safer when stepping
  out of a bath.
• ADA approved
• Gives better grip underfoot.
• Causes few breakages from fallen plates,
  glassware, etc.
• Cork flooring is used in gyms because it lessens
  the risk of injury in case of a fall.

• Useful in retirement homes and any place where
  there are children.
• In the event of a fire, smoke from burning cork
  is non-toxic.
• Cork does not conduct electrostatic charges
  making it ideal for computer environments.

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Durability

• Cork has been used in the United States since
  1890. Installations still in use date back to
  1924.
• Used in churches, homes, hotels and public
  buildings.
• Can be used in all domestic situations as well as
  in commercial applications such as offices,
  stores, schools etc.
• Under normal circumstances, cork should last for
  decades without much maintenance.

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Anti-vibration

• Expanded corkboard, baked cork specially made for
  industrial and insulation applications, is also
  installed under machinery to cut down on the
  vibration.

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Humidity

• Cork flooring is suitable for kitchens and
  bathrooms.
• Cork is a humidity regulator, it can be in
  contact with normal levels of humidity without
  problems.
• While cork does not act as a vapor barrier, in
  its natural form it does not suffer from contact
  with moist environments.
• An example of this quality is the cork bottle
  stopper. Bottles are normally kept horizontally,
  sometimes for decades, and cork is in permanent
  contact with a liquid without deterioration.

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Cork Products
Floating Floor
Parquet Tiles
Cork Rolls
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Floating Floor

• TONGUE AND GROOVE SNAP ON PLANKS
• DIMENSIONS 915 x 305 mm. (3 x 1)
• THICKNESS 11 mm. (7/16)
• 3 LAYERS
• 2 mm. CORK UNDERLAYMENT
• 5 mm. HIGH DENSITY FIBREWOOD CORE
• 4 mm. UPPER CORK LAYER

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Parquet Tiles

• CORK TILES TO BE GLUED ON THE FLOOR
• DIMENSIONS
• 610 x 305 mm. (24 x 12)
• 305 x 305 mm. (12 x 12)
• THICKNESS 4.8 mm.(3/16) 8 mm.(5/16)

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Cork Underlayment

• Residential and Commercial Applications
• Underlayment between substrate and flooring
• Sheets 2 X 3
• Rolls 4 X 50
• Thickness 1/8, ¼, ½, 1

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Other Products

• Cork giftware, a new arrival to California, is
  also available in a very wide range of fashion.
  Products include handbags, ties, briefcases,
  wallets, belts, cosmetic bags and umbrellas.
• Wall Tiles are available in 12 X 24 X ¼, in 20
  different patterns and colors.
• Wall Paper is available in rolls in 10 different
  colors and patterns.
• Cork upholstering material.

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Ease of Installation and Maintenance

• Installation and maintenance compares to that of
  wood flooring.
• For proper protection and extended wear the
  application of a commercially rated water based
  polyurethane is highly recommended.
• On finished floors, stains such as coffee, wine
  and sauces can be removed with a damp mop and
  mild detergent.
• Cork flooring is factory urethane-coated.

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Installations
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Summary

• Grown almost exclusively in South East Europe,
  due to favorable climatic conditions, cork trees
  have been harvested for human use for over two
  thousand years.
• In the United States cork has normally been
  associated with cork stoppers in wine bottles but
  has become increasingly popular as a flooring
  product. Used in homes from Florida to
  California, it also used in churches, offices and
  public buildings such as the Library of Congress
  in Washington D.C.
• In Europe it is associated with wine bottles as
  well but it is being used more and more as a
  flooring product as far as Russia. It is also
  used as a wall covering product for insulation
  and decorative reasons.
• Recently new products have been made in cork,
  from office giftware to fashion accessories.
  Cork is a natural product which is becoming
  increasingly popular worldwide, as its amazing
  characteristics and ecological benefits become
  better known.

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