What Do I Need to Know About Cork Flooring?
Cork flooring is eco-friendly, warm underfoot – and nothing like the orange 1970s tiles you might remember
If your idea of cork flooring involves flimsy tiles peeling up at the corners, you’re out of date. The modern version is unrecognisable from its retro sibling.
These days, hugely versatile and sustainable cork flooring will work all over the house and comes in a large range of colours and finishes. Find out everything you need to know from the experts before considering it for your project.
Professional advice from: Lena Corner of The Colour Flooring Company; Lydia Robinson of Design Storey; Nimi Attanayake of nimtim Architects
More in this series: What Do I Need to Know About Bamboo Flooring?
These days, hugely versatile and sustainable cork flooring will work all over the house and comes in a large range of colours and finishes. Find out everything you need to know from the experts before considering it for your project.
Professional advice from: Lena Corner of The Colour Flooring Company; Lydia Robinson of Design Storey; Nimi Attanayake of nimtim Architects
More in this series: What Do I Need to Know About Bamboo Flooring?
What’s it like as a material?
“We find cork tactile and comforting – it’s a material everyone is really familiar with, so they connect with it straight away,” Nimi Attanayake says.
“In this project [pictured], we proposed cork floors to give a natural finish that wasn’t cold to the touch,” she says. “It also has an innate softness. It’s really easy to work with and install for the builder, too.
“We’ve used it both externally and internally, as a primary wall cladding/surface, as a floor finish, and as a feature – for a pinboard and acoustic absorber,” she adds.
Find a carpet and flooring company in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
“We find cork tactile and comforting – it’s a material everyone is really familiar with, so they connect with it straight away,” Nimi Attanayake says.
“In this project [pictured], we proposed cork floors to give a natural finish that wasn’t cold to the touch,” she says. “It also has an innate softness. It’s really easy to work with and install for the builder, too.
“We’ve used it both externally and internally, as a primary wall cladding/surface, as a floor finish, and as a feature – for a pinboard and acoustic absorber,” she adds.
Find a carpet and flooring company in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
How eco-friendly a choice is it?
“It’s one of the greenest floors available,” Lena says. “It’s not just carbon neutral, but carbon positive. All of our cork comes from a carefully managed, 700,000-hectare forested ecosystem in southern Portugal known as the Montado, which supports many endangered species, including the Iberian lynx, the imperial eagle, wolves and bears.”
Lydia agrees. “It’s biodegradable and recyclable, as well as very hard-wearing,” she says. “If you buy it from an accredited supplier, it should have been sustainably harvested.”
“Cork is great because of its insulating properties, but also the fact that it can be composted down,” Nimi adds. “The question of how to dispose of expanded foam and other similar, crude-oil-derived insulations hasn’t really been properly addressed. So using a material that can achieve the required thermal performance, and that we know is easily and safely disposed of, is reassuring for us and our clients.”
“It’s one of the greenest floors available,” Lena says. “It’s not just carbon neutral, but carbon positive. All of our cork comes from a carefully managed, 700,000-hectare forested ecosystem in southern Portugal known as the Montado, which supports many endangered species, including the Iberian lynx, the imperial eagle, wolves and bears.”
Lydia agrees. “It’s biodegradable and recyclable, as well as very hard-wearing,” she says. “If you buy it from an accredited supplier, it should have been sustainably harvested.”
“Cork is great because of its insulating properties, but also the fact that it can be composted down,” Nimi adds. “The question of how to dispose of expanded foam and other similar, crude-oil-derived insulations hasn’t really been properly addressed. So using a material that can achieve the required thermal performance, and that we know is easily and safely disposed of, is reassuring for us and our clients.”
What are the benefits of using cork as flooring?
“It’s a durable and natural flooring material that’s easy to clean, yet feels warm underfoot,” Lydia Robinson says.
“Its natural, honeycomb-shaped cell structure makes it outstanding for noise and sound insulation,” Lena adds.
“Cork is soft and warm, so it’s good if you don’t have underfloor heating,” Nimi says. “It has great thermal and acoustic performance, but it’s also breathable and free from chemicals, synthetic resins and carcinogenic materials. It creates a healthy environment inside the house.”
“It’s a durable and natural flooring material that’s easy to clean, yet feels warm underfoot,” Lydia Robinson says.
“Its natural, honeycomb-shaped cell structure makes it outstanding for noise and sound insulation,” Lena adds.
“Cork is soft and warm, so it’s good if you don’t have underfloor heating,” Nimi says. “It has great thermal and acoustic performance, but it’s also breathable and free from chemicals, synthetic resins and carcinogenic materials. It creates a healthy environment inside the house.”
How has what’s on offer nowadays changed from the 1970s version?
“Cork has come a long way since square tiles were fashionable,” Lena says. “These were glued onto bathroom and kitchen floors. The glue used to fail and the tiles would come unstuck, which gave cork a bad reputation.
“With innovations in technology, cork has become more versatile,” she continues. “First off, these are floating floors, so they’re big, solid planks. They’re not going to peel up in the way the 1970s ones did.”
She goes on to list just a few of the finishes available, including hand-finished herringbone, Scandinavian blond, bright colours and modern colour washes. “Pale grey or white washes are very popular,” she says. “There’s something to suit every style of space.”
Nimi adds, “A lot of the ranges come in different colours and treatments, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the orangey-beige of untreated cork. We do like the natural cork colour, but there are lots of options these days for darker or lighter shades.”
She explains there’s also a variety of textures, patterns and tones, giving the example of a heat-treated cork she used as external cladding on one project. “This starts off dark brown and weathers to a silver grey over time,” she says.
Lydia says, “[Cork now mostly comes as] engineered planks that click together like a timber floor. You can also get planks with a moisture-resistant core to use in bathrooms and kitchens.”
“Cork has come a long way since square tiles were fashionable,” Lena says. “These were glued onto bathroom and kitchen floors. The glue used to fail and the tiles would come unstuck, which gave cork a bad reputation.
“With innovations in technology, cork has become more versatile,” she continues. “First off, these are floating floors, so they’re big, solid planks. They’re not going to peel up in the way the 1970s ones did.”
She goes on to list just a few of the finishes available, including hand-finished herringbone, Scandinavian blond, bright colours and modern colour washes. “Pale grey or white washes are very popular,” she says. “There’s something to suit every style of space.”
Nimi adds, “A lot of the ranges come in different colours and treatments, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the orangey-beige of untreated cork. We do like the natural cork colour, but there are lots of options these days for darker or lighter shades.”
She explains there’s also a variety of textures, patterns and tones, giving the example of a heat-treated cork she used as external cladding on one project. “This starts off dark brown and weathers to a silver grey over time,” she says.
Lydia says, “[Cork now mostly comes as] engineered planks that click together like a timber floor. You can also get planks with a moisture-resistant core to use in bathrooms and kitchens.”
In which rooms does it work best?
“Any room aside from a wetroom,” Lena says, adding that her company has introduced a new waterproof cork floor that can be used in bathrooms and kitchens, as well as elsewhere in the house.
Lydia has also used cork with success in bathrooms, as well as bedrooms and living spaces.
In this nimtim project (pictured), plank cork flooring was used as the main finish in the kitchen, living and dining areas, and the bathrooms. “By using a continuous floor material throughout most of the ground floor apartment, it allowed the spaces to flow seamlessly, creating loosely defined areas for cooking, sitting, eating and so on,” Nimi says.
In another project, where a flexible family space was a key requirement, Nimi explains that using cork meant they could all enjoy doing different activities at the same time. “Cork’s acoustic performance means it’s able to absorb a lot of the sound and reduce echo within a large space,” she says. “This is perfect for a family.”
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“Any room aside from a wetroom,” Lena says, adding that her company has introduced a new waterproof cork floor that can be used in bathrooms and kitchens, as well as elsewhere in the house.
Lydia has also used cork with success in bathrooms, as well as bedrooms and living spaces.
In this nimtim project (pictured), plank cork flooring was used as the main finish in the kitchen, living and dining areas, and the bathrooms. “By using a continuous floor material throughout most of the ground floor apartment, it allowed the spaces to flow seamlessly, creating loosely defined areas for cooking, sitting, eating and so on,” Nimi says.
In another project, where a flexible family space was a key requirement, Nimi explains that using cork meant they could all enjoy doing different activities at the same time. “Cork’s acoustic performance means it’s able to absorb a lot of the sound and reduce echo within a large space,” she says. “This is perfect for a family.”
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What are the downsides of using cork as a flooring material?
“Not all ranges are waterproof,” Lena says. Where the range isn’t, she adds, you can buy waterproof sealant for the joints, but would need to wipe up spills swiftly.
The grey plank cork flooring used in this bathroom, designed by Nimtim, is from a waterproof range. “Cork is not as robust as other flooring types – stone, wood, terracotta, for example – so it’s worth thinking about longevity and maybe not using it in really high-traffic areas,” Nimi suggests.
“It also doesn’t cope well in areas where there’s a lot of direct sun, such as next to large, glazed openings,” Lydia adds, “as this can cause UV and expansion issues.”
“Not all ranges are waterproof,” Lena says. Where the range isn’t, she adds, you can buy waterproof sealant for the joints, but would need to wipe up spills swiftly.
The grey plank cork flooring used in this bathroom, designed by Nimtim, is from a waterproof range. “Cork is not as robust as other flooring types – stone, wood, terracotta, for example – so it’s worth thinking about longevity and maybe not using it in really high-traffic areas,” Nimi suggests.
“It also doesn’t cope well in areas where there’s a lot of direct sun, such as next to large, glazed openings,” Lydia adds, “as this can cause UV and expansion issues.”
Is it compatible with underfloor heating?
“It will depend on the specification of both the heating and the cork floor, as well as the location of the cork,” Lydia says.
“It’s not brilliant because of its insulating properties,” Nimi cautions, “but a number of suppliers are now guaranteeing it with underfloor heating, so check with them, as it needs to be bonded to ply in the factory [to be suitable].”
“It will depend on the specification of both the heating and the cork floor, as well as the location of the cork,” Lydia says.
“It’s not brilliant because of its insulating properties,” Nimi cautions, “but a number of suppliers are now guaranteeing it with underfloor heating, so check with them, as it needs to be bonded to ply in the factory [to be suitable].”
How easy is it to install?
All our experts agree it’s easy to install. “It’s a simple click system, which you can lay directly on any hard surface,” Lena says. “In other words, sub-floor prep is kept to a minimum.”
Lydia compares the installation to that of an engineered wood floor. “Due to there being no natural directional grain, the joints are more seamless than wood,” she says.
All our experts agree it’s easy to install. “It’s a simple click system, which you can lay directly on any hard surface,” Lena says. “In other words, sub-floor prep is kept to a minimum.”
Lydia compares the installation to that of an engineered wood floor. “Due to there being no natural directional grain, the joints are more seamless than wood,” she says.
Cost-wise, how does it compare to a wood floor?
“It depends on the cork and wood you are comparing,” Nimi says, “but in general, it’s a bit cheaper. It’s probably a bit less durable, though, so worth comparing anticipated lifespans as well.”
Tell us…
What experience do you have of cork flooring? Would you consider choosing it? Let us know in the Comments.
“It depends on the cork and wood you are comparing,” Nimi says, “but in general, it’s a bit cheaper. It’s probably a bit less durable, though, so worth comparing anticipated lifespans as well.”
Tell us…
What experience do you have of cork flooring? Would you consider choosing it? Let us know in the Comments.
“Cork is, quite simply, bark,” Lena Corner says. “It’s the bark from the cork oak, an evergreen. We get ours from the cork forests just outside of Lisbon in Portugal.”