Cork flooring in the kitchen: types, pros and cons
Flooring made of balsa wood is a kind of exclusive in the world of interior design and an ingenious solution for those who appreciate green repair. The cork has a light and elastic structure, a tan shade, noise-reducing qualities, thermal insulation and a peculiar softness. In addition, the cork is very resistant to various influences of household chemicals.
What is a cork floor?
This amazing building material is made from cork oak bark and turns into veneer in the form of individual floorboards, agglomerate - pressed cork crumb or in a combination of veneer and agglomerate. Veneers are usually the most expensive material for flooring and require careful selection of floorboards by color. A feature of the agglomerate is the presence of components such as plasticizers, which are added to the molding process. It is this moment that places such cork material in the middle discharge on the environmental scale. But the agglomerate is available at a price to a wider range of customers than a single cork veneer.
Types of cork flooring
There are several types of cork coatings:
- traffic jam - they release it, as a rule, in rolls, plates or granules and are most often used for the substrate of any other floor covering;
- adhesive cork - in the form of floorboards 300x300, 450x150, 450x450 or 600x400 intended for flooring with glue;
- floating cork floor - or, as it is also called, cork flooring, is a panel 900x185 in size, glued to MDF on the principle of a castle laminate.
Cork flooring in the kitchen - advantages and disadvantages of operation
For kitchens, a wide variety of floor coverings are used: from traditional or ancient finishes to the most modern and unusual coatings. This is a traditional tiling, and linoleum, and laminate or even lacquered parquet. However, the floors in the kitchen made of cork material have always looked and will look very presentable, expensive, and most importantly - cozy and environmentally friendly.
pros
- the cork floor is very warm, has light cushioning qualities, is pleasant to the touch and creates overall comfort due to the invariable ability of the cork tree to provide the room with heat and sound insulation;
- in addition to a floating cork floor, other cork flooring options are completely not afraid of water, do not rot;
- any type of cork coating is very resistant to household chemicals;
- substantial slip resistance, which is appropriate for the kitchen;
- easy to clean and vacuum;
- no microorganisms, insects or rodents spoil the cork tree;
- the constant environmental friendliness of the cork floor will always delight its owners with its hypoallergenicity.
Minuses
- the most striking disadvantage of cork flooring is its price, especially for solid cork veneer;
- there are traces of kitchen furniture, however, on a quality cork, traces disappear over time (the cork does not lose its amortization properties);
- cork floor with MDF base swells quickly from water;
- any cork wood coating quickly deteriorates from the sharp legs of any furniture, cat's claws and other deformations;
- the top decorative and protective coating from frequent use can be erased, and these “gaps” will again have to be painted over or replaced with floorboards with something new.
As with any building material, cork flooring has a number of pluses and minuses. Therefore, before purchasing a cork floor, you must immediately prepare for dents from furniture, which, however, disappear on a quality cork, or for periodic updates of abrasive areas of the cork floor in the kitchen.And the rest, the floors in the kitchen from the cork will always create an unforgettable atmosphere of a warm and comfortable home!
