| |
| |
|
Home Improvement Information |
|
|
|
Cork Flooring Is The Best Option Around For Durability And Aesthetic Value
It is inevitable, almost everyone no matter how long they have lived in their house, wants to replace their flooring at some point. Do you have carpet that is covered in pet stains, juice, coffee or wine stains? Carpet gets matted down and shows wear patterns quickly. Alternatively, maybe you have hardwood floors that are full of scratches and dents. Linoleum that is peeling up at the edges and seams and has rips and tears in it. No matter what type of flooring you currently have. If you are not happy with what you are walking on, it can reduce the value and appearance of your home dramatically. If you are considering a new floor, you owe it to yourself to look into cork flooring as an option. What Is Cork Flooring? Cork has been used in a variety of capacities for thousands of years including flooring. Because of all of the wonderful properties found naturally in cork, it is a perfect choice for flooring, sound proofing, and of course in wine bottles. Cork is taken from the bark of the cork oak tree. The cork can be harvested after the tree is 25 years of age. And after that, the tree can be harvested every nine years for the rest of the lifetime. In addition, since each cork oak tree can live to be over two hundred years old, cork is a renewable resource, making it an excellent option for environmentally conscious consumers. How Durable Is Cork? When you think of cork, you may think immediately of wine corks or small cork plugs that are used to plug bottles of all shapes and sizes. You may have had the experience of a cork used in a wine bottle breaking off into your wine. If this has happened to you, you might be wondering if cork really is strong enough for a flooring option. The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, cork is probably one of the strongest flooring options available on the market today! Cork is much less affected by impact and friction than hardwood, laminate or tile flooring. Therefore, cork can stand up to much more use and abuse than any other flooring type. In fact, cork has an amazing resistant and is extremely resilient to pressure. If you stand on a cork floor with high heels, the floor will make an impression or a dent. However, when you remove the pressure, the floor will spring back to its original shape almost immediately, and leave no lasting mark or impression! This is handy if you plan to place any heavy furniture on your floor. With other types of flooring such as carpet, heavy furniture will leave a permanent mark when it is moved. However with cork, when you remove the furniture, the floor with look as good as new. When you drop heavy items on tile floors, they are prone to cracking and breaking. However, with a cork floor, the item will not leave a mark. This is an excellent property if you have small children or are just clumsy! What About Water? Cork contains a natural substance called suberin. Suberin is a waxy type of substance that makes the cork impervious to liquids and the cork will not rot if it is exposed to water or liquid like a hardwood or laminate. This makes cork flooring a perfect choice for kitchens or bathroom areas. Cork is the best seal around which is evidenced by the use of cork to stop up wine bottles for centuries. If you spill anything on a cork floor, you do not have to worry about staining or any other damage, you simply wipe it up, and the mess is gone. Unlike carpet or hardwood where you would have to worry about a permanent stain or discoloration of the floor. What Other Properties Does Cork Have? Cork is the perfect choice if you suffer from allergies or if you have an illness that requires your living environment to be very clean. Because cork is a natural barrier to insects, common problem insects such as termites and ants cannot get into the flooring and infest the house. In addition, cork is naturally germ resistant which means that no allergens can hid in the floor such as with carpet. The floor will not absorb dust or allow any molds or funguses to grow. It is easy to clean and is not produced with any harsh chemicals, which makes it the perfect choice for people suffering with allergies or any major illness. Can I Install It Myself? If you are a do it yourselfer and you like home projects, than cork is definitely something that you can install over a weekend. Many manufactures are now producing cork-flooring tiles with a glue-less technology. You simply snap the tiles in place like a floating floor. This makes the installation easy and it does not require any special tools. The Final Decision Cork is the perfect choice for flooring if you need something that will stand up to use and abuse, be long lasting, is resistant to water and stains and be safe for the environment. An excellent value for your money, cork will last forever and is only half the price of many other popular flooring options. © 2005 http://www.laminate-flooring-now.com Kevin Brown is successful author and publisher of many informative websites including http://www.laminate-flooring-now.com . His websites offer tips and advice on a wide array of topics including laminate flooring, hardwood floors, cork flooring and more.
MORE RESOURCES:
Home-Improvement - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Choose Decorative, Recessed Locking Mailboxes Do you need a decorative, quality, recessed locking mailbox for your home? There is a large selection of mailboxes from which to choose, and you may wonder which is the right mailbox for you. A recessed locking mailbox is a perfect way to keep your mail safe from prying eyes, and can be installed on the exterior of your home or as part of a freestanding mailbox. Outdoor Kitchens - Simple and Sophisticated After September 11, many of us decided to stay closer to home. We are electing to remodel our existing homes instead of buying new and moving. Small Kitchen Remodeling Ideas Any remodeling idea for a small kitchen must address the following issues: counter space, storage, built-ins, and pantry.In order to make better use of your kitchen floor space, you need to put up the maximum amount of counters. Kitchen Magic It's amazing -- some people manage to get a complete aerobic workout just while preparing dinner! Back and forth, back and forth -- I get tired just watching! Today, pay attention to the way you move while you cook. How many times do you cross the length of your kitchen in one evening? Do you find yourself doing squats to get at your pans? Stretches to reach your dishes? Are you becoming a world-class hurdler, jumping over the dog's dish every time you go from refrigerator to stove? All it takes is a few minutes to re-arrange your kitchen storage, saving you a lot of time and energy in the long run. Lighting and your Kitchen - How to Design a Lighting Plan that Cooks! Your kitchen, more than any other room in your home, needs a good well thought out lighting plan. Today's kitchens have many more functions than just cooking a meal. Shopping For Carpet The allure of carpet lays not only its soft and luxurious texture, but also in its ability to enhance and match any décor. It is suited to both formal and casual environments, while offering a palette of colors that cannot be found in any other flooring material. Interior Design For Bargain Hunters Interior design for bargain hunters is the new fashionable item in the arena of interior design. Everyone is interested these days in making their money stretch as far as it possibly can. At Last You Can Customize Your Pegboard As Much As You Want Customizable metal pegboard is set to revolutionise utensil storage. For forty years the limitations of fibreboard has narrowed our imagination in utensil storage. Planning Permission Tips UK - Agricultural Plots of Land for Sale - The Latest Mug Punter Scam? The first part of most years brings a flurry of trade shows aimed at the public & trade alike such as The Ideal Home Show, Interiors & just recently the Building Exhibition at the NEC. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of new gadgets & Gizmos (along with the usual tat) that companies invent for our consumption. The Importance of Bedroom Design in a Home Decoration Project. A home is a place where we live, spend most of our lives, with family members and our loved ones.A bedroom design project includes a careful study of the surrounding of the entire home. Hidden Causes of Water Damage in the Home In addition to causing destruction, water damage also has an adverse affect to the indoor air quality of your home. Damage from water can cause wood rot, insect infestation and mold . Spring Chores at the Cabin Whether you live in your cabin year round or it's been closed up for the winter, it's time for spring cleaning. It's hard to get motivated. What Are Circuit Breakers? Circuit Breakers are devices that stop the electrical current of a circuit in the event of excess or very high voltage. Circuit breakers are handy, not only because they can protect against electrical fires but also because they can be reset. Expansion for Heat Absorption In the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant must undergo a change in state in order for the heat to be absorbed from the environment.The refrigerant has the property of changing its state from liquid to vapor at normal room temperatures. Choosing a Home Builder So you've decided to build a new home. Like many home buyers you realize that buying a new home offers a wide range of advantages over buying an existing home. Vinyl Replacement Window Terminology With so many homeowners in the market for more energy efficient windows and doors for their home, I thought I would use this week's article to cover the more common terms used to describe a window's ability to insulate your home from the elements. There is an organization called The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). How to Get the Most Out of Your Home Theater - Without Spending a Fortune So you've scraped and saved, now you've finally gotten together a semi-respectable home theater system. You want even more, but the idea of spending another few thousand on new front speakers doesn't cut it. Conservatory Planning Permission in the UK It is quite unusual in the UK for a new conservatory to require planning permission. However, as we shall continually state in this article it is always sensible to check with your local authority. How To Choose Wall Mount Outdoor Mailboxes Sturdy wallmount outdoor mailboxes are no longer available in just standard sizes and colors. You can find a wide assortment of wall mount outdoor mailboxes for the outside of your home in many colors, textures, and materials. Grandfather Clocks Bring a Sense of Awe?Theyre So Tall Standing tall and big are the stately grandfather clocks. They are huge, immense beings with personalities of their own, and do they tell time.
|
| home | index |site map |
| © 2006 |
