Cork Choices

Cork Flooring Types

• Cork Tiles: Also called solid cork, cork tiles has been widely available in South Africa over the years and is usually available in 300 X 300mm in size or in rectangular shapes and different thickness. The 4mm is the most popular for use on floors. These tiles are glued down to the sub-floor, usually on concrete or plywood.
• Floating Cork Floors: Similar in construction to laminated flooring a top layer of cork is adhered to a high density fibreboard (HDF) board, called the core board. This forms a plank with a click lock system which enables it to be a floating floor. This type of floor does not get fastened to the sub-floor in any way and therefore makes it ideal for covering up old flooring that you do not want to remove, like tiles or novilon.

Guide to Cork Flooring Textures

There are many different textures available depending on the angle that the bark is cut and in some cases the cork is cut into smaller tiles or grounded and then combined into a floor tile to create a new look. Below are some guide lines to the options available although these will vary from supplier to supplier.

• Traditional/Granules: Made up of cork granules and available in small to big texture
• Strip or Peeled: Made up of strips of cork that is laid out next to each other creating a linear effect
• Block: Made up of blocks of cork creating a parquet effect
• Burled: A wavy pattern that display the growth pattern of the cork tree.

Cork Flooring Colours

• Natural: The natural colour of Cork is a light brown shade.
• Stained: Like with solid wood flooring cork can be stained and there are many stained colours available from the lighter shades to dark.
• Painted: Cork flooring can also be painted and the manufacturers has many different colours available which is ideal for kids rooms or businesses that want to brighten up their flooring space.

Cork Flooring Pre-Finished or Unfinished

• Unfinished or not treated: This is a raw flooring product that will need to be treated after installation which of course extends the installation time.
• Pre-Finished: The flooring is pre-finished in the factory, nearly all cork flooring comes pre-finished. Below is the most common types of finish. Ask your retailer about the finish to make sure you select one that suits your needs.
• Urethane Finish: Floors with this finish can be sanded lightly and refinished every 4 to 5 years depending on traffic.
• Wax Finish: This finish can be buffed with a wool pad for the best results
• Varnished Finish: Varnished cork floors can be polished, do not use wax on these floors.