7 Luxurious Cork Flooring Advantages You Didn’t Know

Cork is widely known as a product used to preserve the quality of wine in bottles. However, one of the unique uses of cork wood that might make you feel like you’re walking on air is cork flooring. Cork flooring is a type of flooring material made from the bark of the cork oak tree. Cork has been used as flooring material for many years due to its unique properties and benefits. The appeal of green or eco-friendly products has rekindled interest in cork flooring for homes. Many people are choosing sustainable flooring options, and KALEA Lift even uses cork in its home elevator flooring for a touch of luxury.

Here are the main features and advantages of cork flooring and why KALEA Lift chose it for its home elevator flooring:

1. Sustainability

Cork is an environmentally friendly material because it is harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree, without having to cut down trees. Naturally regenerating bark makes cork a renewable resource.

Natural cork wood comes from the bark of cork trees, commonly found in Southern Europe and North Africa. The leftover bark from drilled bottle corks is crushed, compressed, and kiln-dried into sheets ready for use as flooring and tiles. Portugal is a center of the cork wood industry, accounting for more than half of the world’s production.

2. Comfort

Cork flooring has a soft and flexible surface, making it comfortable to walk on and reducing stress on joints and feet. It feels softer than harder flooring options like hardwood or tile.

The air trapped within the wood’s cellular structure provides a natural shock-absorbing feel, making it ideal for areas where you stand for long periods, such as kitchens, to help relieve discomfort to your feet, back, and legs. It offers a soft, warm, and comfortable feel underfoot.

3. Thermal Insulation

Cork has excellent thermal and sound insulation properties, helping to retain heat in a room, saving energy, and also reducing noise. 1. Creates a quieter living environment. Because cork flooring naturally regulates its temperature, it feels warm in winter and cool in summer. Cork also acts as a thermal insulator, helping to reduce your electricity bills.

4. Durability

Despite its softness, cork is a durable material, resistant to cracking, scratching, and impact. In addition, the natural structure of cork is resistant to moisture, mold, and mildew, which is beneficial for areas prone to dampness.

One reason for cork’s durability is that after compression, cork returns to its original shape. Cork is also waterproof, a claim unique to some wood products. Cork bark contains suberin, a wax-like substance found in most plants. However, cork wood has a high concentration of this substance, which provides several excellent benefits, such as waterproofness, fire resistance, and insect resistance.

5. Hypoallergenic

Cork wood is a natural anti-allergic. Suberin, a waxy substance found in the bark of cork trees, repels wood rot and insects, so mildew and fungi have no place to thrive.
Cork wood is hypoallergenic and resistant to dust, pollen, and pet dander. It does not absorb these allergens, making it ideal for people with allergies or asthma.

7. Easy maintenance

Cork flooring is relatively easy to maintain. Regular sweeping or vacuuming, along with occasional damp mopping, is usually sufficient to keep it clean. Cork flooring may have a protective finish that increases durability and makes it more resistant to stains and scratches. However, sharp objects that could scratch it should be avoided, as cork is expensive.

Note that while cork flooring offers many advantages, it also has some limitations. For example, it can easily fade or discolor when exposed to direct sunlight over time. Window coverings or carpets are recommended in areas with strong sunlight to mitigate this effect.

Overall, cork flooring is a popular choice for those seeking a natural, sustainable, and comfortable flooring option with numerous advantages for both residential and commercial spaces.

KALEA Lift offers a selection of cork flooring.

To provide a light and comfortable feel underfoot when stepping into the elevator, the elevator flooring is made of cork, manufactured by Corksribas from Portugal. Having quickly become a leading global manufacturer of cork products sold in over 70 countries worldwide, the company possesses expertise in this remarkable material: cork. We bring nature to you through design and innovation, maintaining a balanced relationship with sustainability.

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