By Ken Ryan
Cork has been used for more than a century for commercial flooring applications in Europe primarily, but the growing interest in green living is making cork a more popular choice for residential living in the United States. From harvest to production to installation, cork flooring is environmentally sustainable, non-toxic and healthy—perhaps the most environmentally friendly of all flooring surfaces.
Cork flooring is made from the leftovers of bottle-stopper cork production. That makes it a recycled product as well as a renewable harvest product. Because of the unique cell structure and organic characteristics of cork, it is soft to walk on and makes a great thermal and sound insulator.
But cork’s benefits don’t end there. The product contains a substance in the bark known as Suberin, a natural insect repellent that keeps buggers like termites away. Suberin also protects the trees from forest fires.
For people with allergies, cork flooring is an ideal surface. It is antimicrobial and less likely to be affected by mold and mildew. It also does not absorb dust or pollen, making it easier to rid the home of these potential allergens.
If that’s not enough, the insulating properties of cork flooring contribute to energy efficiency. Even a cork underlayment will provide significant insulation in the cold months, experts say.
The environmental benefitsCork is most often harvested from the bark of the Cork oak tree, which can be harvested every nine to 12 years. The harvesting of the bark does not harm the tree and a new layer of cork bark grows, making it a renewable resource. Unlike wood flooring, the entire tree is not cut down, only the outside is removed.
The trees grow in the Mediterranean region with a life span ranging from 150 to 250 years. After the first 25 years of growth, the tree is stripped of its bark for the first time using traditional hand labor methods. This process is repeated every nine to 12 years, with little or no affect on the health of the tree. During each harvest, about 50% of the bark is removed.
The manufacturing methods are also geared toward the protection of the environment. To produce cork flooring, virgin cork bark and post-industrial waste cork from the manufacturing of other cork products is ground into small granules. During the manufacturing process, all raw materials are consumed; either for the finished flooring product or as an energy source.
