CORK FLOORING a sustainable choice

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CORK FLOORINGa sustainable choice

• Alicia Westgerdes
• HCIA 302
• Professor Matthew Ziff
• March 2, 2009

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What is cork?

• Cork is the outer bark of the trunk of cork oak
  trees, which typically live for 200 years
• Cork is often used for wine bottle stoppers, a
  fairly lucrative industry the cast-offs make up
  sheets of cork used in flooring

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What are the characteristics of cork flooring?

• Cork is durable, light, elastic, and has low
  conductivity
• Cork can be installed on almost any floor
• Cork is easy to clean, requiring only damp mopping

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What are the benefits of cork flooring?

• Cork is naturally hypoallergenic
• Cork is naturally mold-resistant
• Cork contains a naturally-occurring waxy
  substance called suberin, which repels insects,
  mold, and fire
• Cork is soft and more comfortable to stand/walk
  on than other flooring choices

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What are the benefits of cork flooring?

• The air trapped inside the cellular structure of
  cork provides natural noise reduction and thermal
  insulation

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What are the benefits of cork flooring?

• Cork is 100 biodegradable
• Once installed, cork lasts for decades
• Cork is naturally flame-retardant and
  non-combustible

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How is cork harvested?

• Cork is harvested from cork oak trees, usually
  growing in the Mediterranean, without killing
  them
• The outer bark can be harvested and will grow
  back every nine years

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How is cork harvested?

• Environmentally-managed cork oak forests aid in
  soil conservation, reduce desertification and
  water table recharge
• Cork oak trees are immune to forest fires

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Where is cork harvested?

• Cork oak trees only grow in a very specific
  microclimate in Portugal, southern France and
  Spain
• Attempts to grow cork elsewhere, including North
  America, have been unsuccessful

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What design choices do cork provide?

• Cork can be produced to appear fine-grained,
  marbleized, or wood grained
• Various shades and colors are available, from
  light honey to dark walnut some manufacturers
  even offer brightly colored-cork

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What design choices do cork provide?

• A variety of patterns can be created with colored
  or natural cork tiles

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What design choice do cork provide?

• Jelinek Cork Group sells cork mosaic tiles,
  made from recycled wine corks, cut into discs,
  then glued down and grouted

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Other benefits of cork

• The cork industry, a true cottage industry,
  provides financial viability for countless
  families in small villages in Portugal, Spain,
  and southern France
• Colorings and adhesives are water-based, and
  therefore healthier for humans and the
  environment
• Specifying cork flooring can be an easy way to
  accrue LEED certification points

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Installation

• Cork can be installed as a floating floor, in
  sheets, or as adhesive-backed tiles

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Works cited

• www.corkfloor.com
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork
• www.naturalcork.com
• www.jelinek.com