CORK FLOORINGa sustainable choice

Alicia Westgerdes

HCIA 302

Professor Matthew Ziff

March 2, 2009

What is cork?

• Cork is the outer bark of the trunk of cork oak trees, which typically live for 200 years

• Cork is often used for wine bottle stoppers, a fairly lucrative industry; the cast-offs make up sheets of cork used in flooring

What are the characteristics of cork flooring?

• Cork is durable, light, elastic, and has low conductivity

• Cork can be installed on almost any floor

• Cork is easy to clean, requiring only damp mopping

What are the benefits of cork flooring?

• Cork is naturally hypoallergenic• Cork is naturally mold-resistant• Cork contains a naturally-occurring

waxy substance called suberin, which repels insects, mold, and fire

• Cork is soft and more comfortable to stand/walk on than other flooring choices

What are the benefits of cork flooring?

• The air trapped inside the cellular structure of cork provides natural noise reduction and thermal insulation

What are the benefits of cork flooring?

• Cork is 100% biodegradable

• Once installed, cork lasts for decades

• Cork is naturally flame-retardant and non-combustible

How is cork harvested?

• Cork is harvested from cork oak trees, usually growing in the Mediterranean, without killing them

• The outer bark can be harvested and will grow back every nine years

How is cork harvested?

• Environmentally-managed cork oak forests aid in soil conservation, reduce desertification and water table recharge

• Cork oak trees are immune to forest fires

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Where is cork harvested?

• Cork oak trees only grow in a very specific microclimate in Portugal, southern France and Spain

• Attempts to grow cork elsewhere, including North America, have been unsuccessful

What design choices do cork provide?

• Cork can be produced to appear fine-grained, marbleized, or wood grained

• Various shades and colors are available, from light honey to dark walnut; some manufacturers even offer brightly colored-cork

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

What design choices do cork provide?

• A variety of patterns can be created with colored or natural cork tiles

What design choice do cork provide?

• Jelinek Cork Group sells cork mosaic “tiles”, made from recycled wine corks, cut into discs, then glued down and grouted

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Other benefits of cork

• The cork industry, a true cottage industry, provides financial viability for countless families in small villages in Portugal, Spain, and southern France

• Colorings and adhesives are water-based, and therefore healthier for humans and the environment

• Specifying cork flooring can be an easy way to accrue LEED certification points

Installation

• Cork can be installed as a floating floor, in sheets, or as adhesive-backed tiles

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Works cited

• www.corkfloor.com

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork

• www.naturalcork.com

• www.jelinek.com