Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Some Advantages and Disadvantages Installing Cork Kitchen Flooring



Cork kitchen flooring looks very beautiful naturally, at the same time it is also easy to maintain.

Cork kitchen tiles are obtained from the bark of the cork oak tree widely available in the Mediterranean countries, particularly in Spain and Portugal. The average lifespan of this tree is around 500 years. The barks of these trees are stripped after every 10 to 15 years and are used for making the cork tiles. Thus, it is derived from a renewable source. For this reason, cork kitchen flooring is considered as one of the most environment friendly flooring material.

Read on to find out about the advantages and disadvantages of cork kitchen flooring.

The unique properties of cork kitchen flooring are due to its structural composition which is rarely found in other naturally occurring substances. It has a cellular structure that enables it to trap 90 percent air or gas inside it. As a result, it can be compressed to 40 percent of its volume and can regain its original shape. Thus, it can provide a soft, shock absorbing feel when you are standing in the kitchen for long hours.
One of the key reasons behind the popularity of the cork kitchen flooring is that it is easy to install. Before installing cork kitchen floor, you have to clear all the furniture, kitchen appliances and carpet from the kitchen floor, clean up the dust and dirt and allow it to dry thoroughly. Cork tile flooring is a floating floor and can be installed on any kind of subfloor that has a hard surface. It could be wood, other types of flooring such as vinyl or ceramic or even concrete.
The fresh, natural feel of the cork kitchen flooring can add a lot of warmth and visual appeal to your kitchen decor. However, there are some disadvantages of this kind of flooring. It tends to fade out on exposure to sunlight and hence care should be taken to prevent it from fading. It can get dents if heavy kitchen appliances are placed on it. So provide enough padding on those areas to minimize their impact.

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