Cork Flooring - The Enviromentally Friendly Flooring Solution

With the "Going Green" trend catching on, cork flooring is a great way to join the movement. As an eco friendly type of flooring you can feel confident in your choice and its affect on the environment. Here you will learn why cork flooring is a great choice to beautify your home without causing the environment any harm.

Cork is a green building material. It is harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree that grows in several countries across the Mediterranean. These trees can live between 200-500 years. When the cork is harvested there is no harm done to the tree and the habitat is not disturbed. It is always harvested by hand, as it has been done so for years. This ensures no damage is done to the tree. Harvesting happens every 9 to 12 years giving the bark ample time to grow back. The bark is then sent to manufactures to be turned into bottle stoppers and the remaining by-product is small pieces that will be turned into flooring and different cork items. For the flooring the small pieces are combined using minimal adhesive and compressed by large amounts of pressure. During the manufacturing process, all raw materials are consumed, either for the final product or as an energy source. Left over waste consisting of cork dust and tree trimmings are burned in furnaces which supply the heat to bake the cork products.

The forests that the cork oak trees grow in are maintained by the government and taken care of by using strict standards and laws. One such law is that no more than 50 % of the tree bark is removed to ensure the health of the tree is not compromised. Many of the countries that these forests are located in have laws prohibiting deforestation. These trees are protected and maintained to ensure that we have a consistent supply of cork while taking care of nature at the same time. The forests that cork trees grown in are home to many different species alike. There are endangered species of birds and animals that live within these areas that are protected as well. The trees help conserve soil by protecting against wind erosion and increasing the rate that rainwater is absorbed. Cork oak landscapes store carbon, reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. So as you can see, besides being a great option in our homes cork is also a great resource for nature. Want to learn more about cork flooring, then visit the CorkFlooringPros.com website.