Have you gotten tired of those funny sounds that floors sometimes make when you walk on them?  Old floors can get really waxy and gummy and look really, really dingy.  Perhaps it’s time to check out some new types of floors that are becoming popular.  Cork flooring is becoming an excellent choice for flooring.  It’s environmentally friendly (cork oak trees re-grow this inner bark in a few years) so it’s renewable, like giant bamboo is.  Although giant bamboo is cut down, it’s just a grass and it does get big really fast so that’s the feature that makes it very “green”.  Cork flooring usually comes in tile form and these do vary in quality and coloration, so checking out some samples online at floormall.com will steer you in the right direction.

One advantage to cork flooring is that you will not be sticking to it.  Cork can be sealed quite nicely so you won’t worry about the porosity very much.  Cork provides warmth and insulation and a certain “bounciness” to your floors.  It’s a new and quite in vogue flooring product for offices, especially.  There are some sound insulating qualities which make it a great choice for the home office.  Libraries, if you are so fortunate to have one of these book repositories in your home, or a den, also are good candidates for cork flooring.  A lot of homeowners can install cork floors themselves but the product may not be available in all home improvement stores.  You can look online at the various types, availability, and installation tips.  Visiting a good site like floormall.com will get you on the right track.

Cork is used for many other things in homes, and not just for the floors.  There’s every college student’s dream of a giant bulletin board where they can stick schedules and photos from home.  In the home office you can also make a section of cork on the wall in front of a desk.  To make this bulletin area more home-like, wrapping a few diagonals of ribbon so that it crisscrosses a bulletin board enables you to slip in photos and notes without having to use pushpins etc.  In fact, if you have a few cork tiles left over from your cork flooring project, you can make one of these as a unique gift.  Always save a few pieces or sections of any flooring you install, for repairs at a later date.  Store them where you’ll be able to get them out if needed!

If you want some information on any types of flooring products, cork flooring included, or any advice or tips for buying or installation, then take a look at floormall.com.  There’s a ton of info on this site that will help you.

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Cork flooring is made from the bark harvested from the cork oak, which grows primarily in Western Mediterranean countries. Cork has been used since the ancient Egyptian empire, where it was used primarily used for fishing nets, allowing them to float and insulation. It wasn’t actively manufactured until the early part of the 20^th century and became quite popular when it debuted. Cork is highly durable, with many original cork floors installed almost eighty years ago still in use today.

Buy Natural Cork Flooring

Advantages of Cork

Cork is more than 50 percent air which makes it lightweight as well as a natural sound absorber, and it is also because of those properties that cork is as resilient and durable as it is. Cork has excellent insulating properties, making it quite warm underfoot, and the cork itself doesn’t dent, scratch or show grooves easily. Since the bark is harvested every nine years, which yields a large batch of cork, and the trees are not damaged in the process allowing trees to yield multiple crops during their lifetime.

Buy Wicanders Cork Floors

Cork Tile Installation

Cork comes readily available from a variety of manufacturers, and even people with a decent modicum of floor installation knowledge can handle cork and install it with a minimum of complaints. It is always recommended to follow the manufacturer’s instructions if you decide to install it yourself, though we can help by providing a rough outline.

*Read the manufacturer’s installation instructions carefully

*Prep the floor properly. It must be smooth, clean, dry, without bumps, dirt, oil or paint, which could damage the flooring. You can lay cork on a number of different surfaces, including concrete and hardwood. If you have questions, contact the manufacturer for more details.

*Make sure that the cork has had the chance to acclimate to the ambient temperature in the room – we suggest leaving the wood in the room it will be installed in for several days prior to installing it.

*Cork flooring mainly comes in tile form, so you can customize how the tiles look by mixing the types of cork used. Ask your manufacturer if you have questions about the cork tiles you are using.

Removing Cork Floors

Cork is difficult to uninstall, no matter what shortcuts you may take to make the job easier. There are a few things you may want to think about before tearing out your old cork flooring:

*If the tile is firmly attached to the floor and is not coming out easily, you may just want to lay down a new floor over the cork. All you need to do is screw down some masonite or cement board, mud the seams, and install the new flooring on top. This is helpful if you are reflooring your entire house, as the differences in height won’t be apparent.

*When uninstalling cork flooring heat is your best friend. Remove the tile, then scrape any adhesive off the underlay and apply plenty of heat so it will come off easier. If you’re having trouble you can always call your local hardware store and see what tools and materials you need to safely remove your cork flooring.

Maintenance

Cork flooring doesn’t require much in the way of maintenance. The only major upkeep you need to do is sweep it, mop it occasionally, and every year or so resealing it. The best advice we can give for maintenance is to read the manufacturer’s instructions for maintaining your cork.

WHERE TO BUY?

Buy Cork Flooring at Floormall.com

FlooringNow.com recommends that you look at Floormall.com for your cork flooring needs.

They have a monstrous selection and the customer service is superb.

From Wicanders to APC cork floors, they definitely have what you are looking for.

It is with great excitement that Floormall.com announces it will now be offering BuildDirect.com flooring products to customers in the residential and commercial markets. Currently, BuildDirect.com deals primarily in pallet and truck load orders.  Floormall.com will now be listing those products at affordable prices and fulfilling all under-pallet orders.  This strategic alliance between two of the most successful online floor covering businesses illustrates the commitment by both companies to provide consumers more choices in an ever changing market.

  “The market is just changing. Customers don’t want to spend a month driving to twenty different shops to see who has what. We simplify it for them. Put all the products in one place, give them knowledgeable customer service to answer their questions, and save them money. It only makes sense for the two biggest Internet Flooring Retailers to communicate and be of like minds.” – Marc Henderson CEO and founder Floormall.com

The addition of lines like BuildDirect’s Yanchi Bamboo and Lamton and Toklo laminates which offer customers an affordable, premium quality laminate flooring  add  to Floormall.coms’ already impressive catalog of products. 

“We are very excited about this arrangement with Floormall because consumers who are not able to meet BuildDirect’s minimum order requirement now have a place to buy our quality, proprietary brands in smaller quantities.” – Jeff Booth President and CEO, BuildDirect.com

In these trying economic times you shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality for savings.  Visit Floormall.com today to see how you can have both quality and savings on your new floor.

Sure, there are expensive wood floors available but if you are going for a natural wood design and are open to a variety of alternatives to the more costly types such as oak hardwood flooring than there are some options available you should consider. Bamboo is becoming popular these days and the eco friendly crowd has the advantage of Cork flooring as well as bamboo for natural wood/environmentally friendly flooring choices. Not only that but also these flooring types are considered inexpensive compared to their more ‘North American’ flooring brethren.

Cork flooring is a beautiful alternative to standard more expensive wood flooring and has many qualities the more traditional expensive flooring lack. Being moisture resistant and tough, durability is an important consideration when choosing cork floors.  More importantly for frugal tastes is that cork flooring can be had for a fraction of the price of expensive hardwood varieties without sacrificing classic beauty and elegance.

Interestingly enough, cork flooring is installed in areas of the actual Library of Congress and has been known to maintain its longevity for up to one hundred years or more which is amazing. How is that for a vote of confidence for a very well priced flooring material that has yet to reach its true value based on its past obscurity in the flooring market? When more people realize the truly amazing attributes of cork flooring the price will surely rise for this exotic and durable flooring product.

Cultivated from the cork oak trees in the western Mediterranean, the harvesting programs from cork manufacturers is regenerative and eco-friendly. Cork has insulation properties and a natural elasticity that makes it very comfortable and healthy to walk upon and suitable for soundproofing. One would think that not only is this strikingly practical flooring material expensive but difficult to install, this is far from the truth.

Cork flooring can be purchased reasonably over the Internet through both wholesalers and retailers of flooring products. Research will guarantee an educated buying decision so do your homework and get at least 3 estimates and work the seller for a great deal. The price of cork flooring will vary from Internet sources to brick and mortar retailers. Prices average anywhere between $2.00 – $5.00 per square foot. Installation is something you can attempt on your own but the money you will save over regular hardwood flooring could be put into professional installation to play it safe and ensure the job is done correctly.

                 Pre- and Post- consumer products play a large role in the construction of a new building in regards to earning points. Additional points can be earned according to the percentage of recycled products. For example, your home is $1 million dollars. To earn the first point for post-consumer products, a total of $100,000 would need to account for post-consumer products. To gain the second point, $200,000 is required. However, for pre-consumer products, double the amount is necessary as these types of materials are graded as 50%. Therefore, twice the dollar amount is necessary in pre-consumer products to achieve the same LEED points, $200,000 in pre-consumer products for the first point, and $400,000 for the second. Cork flooring, bamboo flooring, rubber flooring, and FSC certified hardwood flooring can greatly assist with the earning of these points.

                The role of flooring in earning LEED certification can be significant, helping to achieve the result of a building that reduces the impact on the environment, as well as saving money in the long run.