Natural Cork is enjoying a resurgence in popularity today. From television design shows to shelter magazines, Natural Cork is seemingly everywhere and ostensibly the "hottest new product" on the market. Many people think of cork as a relatively new and possibly unreliable option particularly as a surface flooring material. And yet, there are examples of Natural Cork floors in public buildings that were installed over 100-years ago and are still in use today. The Library of Congress in Washington, DC is one excellent case.

A member of the beech family, Quercus Suber or the cork oak tree grows in coastal regions of the Mediterranean. Seven countries comprise the bulk of the area where cork oak will grow. These countries are Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia with the majority of the production occurring in Portugal and Spain. Relatively slow growing, cork trees survive harsh conditions in depleted soil that will often support little else of value. There are examples of cork oak trees that are 400 to 500 years old, though the average life expectancy would be 120 to 200 years.
Unlike most trees where primary value is derived from the lumber of the trunk, Natural Cork is actually obtained from the bark of the tree. This unusually thick bark is made up of millions of tiny prism-shaped air pockets which create a resilient cushiony surface that offers several distinct advantages to the tree. Natural Cork is a natural fire inhibitor so the bark provides protection from wildfires common to the region. An inherent waxy substance, suberin, serves as an insect repellant eliminating threat from many usual agricultural pests. And the bark is regenerative, so its protective properties will grow back if damaged in any way.

The ability to use cork in flooring applications was not discovered until the 19th century when American, John Smith, discovered agglomerated cork. Today, cork flooring is created from the post-industrial by-product of the bottle-stopper industry. This 'waste' material is ground up and then formed into sheets using minimal amounts of adhesive to bind the particles together under high pressure. The size, quantity, and type of cork granule in conjunction with varying degrees of pressure make the difference between "bulletin board" material and material suitable for flooring applications. Historically, cork floors were finished in the same manner as any other wood flooring, i.e. with a paste wax buffed into the surface. However, the labor-intensive nature of this maintenance routine was seen as a real drawback when rolled sheet vinyl and similar 'modern' resilient surface options came on the market in the mid 20th century. Cork flooring fell out of favor and for perhaps 30 years was not readily available to the general public. New finishing techniques and improved technologies have revived interest in cork over the past decade. Though still a small fraction of the overall floor coverings market, Natural Cork is enjoying a resurgeance in popularity driven in large part by consumer demand. What does cork have to offer that sets it apart from other flooring choices? Quite a bit it turns out. In fact, no other floor covering can match the combined benefits of cork.

Some Facts:
Acoustical Rating:
A) Concrete Slab 8": STC-58, llC-68, NC-30
B) With Drop Ceiling: STC-60, llC-73, NC-30
Shock Absorption:
UNE 56 817 74 Initial Maximum Indentation <0.19mm, Maximun Indentation after 1 Hour <0.08mm
Formaldehyde:
Class E0, Danish Control Organization for Wood Based Panels (HDF), complies with CARB Phase 1 Formaldehyde Emissions CCR93120.2(a)