In the 1970s, cork tiles were a surprisingly popular option when it came to flooring, but images of peeling corners and sad avocado bathrooms relegated it to the interiors sin bin for quite some time. Luckily, it's back and the resurgence comes on the back of some innovations that make peeling corners and environmentally-unfriendly glue a thing of the past. Firstly though, why choose cork floors in the first place?
The pros of cork floors
Cork is a natural material, and as such it's a sustainable flooring option. At the end of its life cycle in a house, cork will break down and biodegrade, so you never need feel bad about replacing it or the potential that future owners of your house might rip it out in favour of less eco-friendly choices. It's durable too, and many of today's new innovations in cork flooring come pre-coated with a substance that make them waterproof. The softness of cork is a joy underfoot, plus it's very warm compared to tiles or stone. The softness also means it doesn't fall foul of furniture marks and can bounce back from the weight of table legs and the like. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, cork is a cost-effective choice and can beat pretty much every other flooring option (bar perhaps vinyl and lino) on price.
The cons of cork floors
These are few and far between, but the main thing to be wary of is that cork is a soft material and as such, it can scratch quite easily. Pet owners are best to avoid cork for this reason, as sharp talons are the worst culprit. The only other downside is that in direct sunlight, cork can discolour, but on the plus side, you can easily refinish it to bring it back to its original state.
Types of cork floor
Cork floors are available to buy in two main forms: the old school tiles, which you stick down and seal with water-insoluble polyurethane, or as pre-sealed click planks. The latter are better for many reasons; they can be laid over pre-existing, flat floors so you can do an easy replacement of unwanted floors if you need to; they don't need any extra maintenance once they're laid; there's no need for environmentally-unfriendly glue as the innovative form means they click together and stay locked in place; and they are the bounciest, softest option as they have lots of thick layers. As for the look, cork is only available in various shades of brown, with some places offering whitewashed cork too. This is good though, as cork looks lovely in its natural state. You can opt for different grades of cork, from the cheapest, which has little pattern, to lovely ‘champagner’ styles with lots of texture.
Where to use cork floors
The best thing about cork floors? You can use them pretty much anywhere that takes your fancy. The most common places you might come across them are in bathrooms, due to their warmth under bare feet, durability and waterproof nature. However, be warned that in very humid bathrooms, you'll need to be sure to let as much air in as possible as too much humidity can warp the floors. You needn't stop there though; cork floors would be a wonderful option in a kitchen, bedroom or even living room as an alternative to wood, and children's bedrooms and playrooms make a lot of sense as their softness makes them fall-friendly. The only real consideration to make is footfall, as over time, little scratches and marks will add patina. If you are committed to a perfect finish, you can sand the floor and refinish them to bring them back to life.
Where to buy cork floors
Flooring favourite Sinclair Till offers a large range of styles, while Colour Flooring has good options when it comes to the textural look of flooring. The Cork Flooring Company stocks a large variety of both click planks and stick down tiles in all the colours and finishes available. Lastly, look at Bricoflor who have a good selection too, alongside some cork flooring made to look like wood – we'd avoid that though.
