The Truth About Cork Flooring

 

December 8, 2015 – There is often hesitation when someone is introduced to cork flooring. Their immediate thought is, isn’t cork soft? Will heeled shoes, furniture legs, and cleaning tools scratch, chip and dent the floor? Can moisture seep in causing bubbling and buckling?

It’s easy to understand why there is confusion about cork flooring. This might help. Anything that has a cork visual or has cork as a major component is sold as "cork" flooring. All of these varieties of "cork" flooring have separate performance characteristics, but none of these types of "cork" flooring are pure, "solid Portuguese" cork flooring. "Solid" cork flooring is made from 100% cork bark. It’s not a veneer, mixture with backing, an engineered system or any other variation. And there is a very big difference.

Portuguese cork has the highest density of all cork varieties. For that reason Expanko sells solid cork flooring made from 100% Portuguese cork bark, and has been doing so since the late 1800’s. Expanko floors installed over 85 years ago are still in use today.

Expanko Heirloom solid cork flooring covers 24,000 square feet of the iconic St. Louis Library, where more than one million customers have visited since the 100-year renovation in 2012. In that time, there has been no need for additional coats of finish or repairs.

Projects installed more than 50 years ago are still performing and meeting the following specifications:

• 100% solid Portuguese cork
• 1/2" thick solid cork
• Class A Fire rating
• 33-35 lb. density
• Installation references that match your projects life expectancy
• Reputable business to back the sale
• In-house experts to guide your decision

Purchasing flooring from a reputable manufacturer with a proven record of successful installations is critical to the success of your project.

Expanko offers two cork flooring options: Heirloom and Prestige, which are made from 100% recycled cork. Heirloom is the original ½” thick, solid cork flooring exclusive to Expanko, while Prestige offers the same classic style and performance as Heirloom, with slightly thinner options of 3/16” and 5/16”. The classic look of homogeneous cork flooring offers a traditional, naturally warm design aesthetic that works well in many different commercial markets.

With a tradition of excellence in high performance floors, trust Expanko to continue to deliver the design options you want and the performance you need. www.expanko.com

Expanko Resilient Flooring is a brand of The Stonhard Group