Cork flooring. Cork floor tiles. Cork flooring floating. Apc cork flooring.

Cork floors: cork coverings

Now some types of floor coverings are made of cork. They differ with construction. All of them represent the sandwich panels which base is of a firm sheet of fiberboard or a pressed cork coated from the front face side with decorative veneer from cork or fine woods.

Cork floor properties

Cork floors possess the considerable slide resistance, unique damping and heat-insulating properties; create pleasant feeling during walking and have a positive influence upon musculoskeletal system.

Cork is a fine insulator of shock noise, doesn't collect a static electricity (doesn't attract a dust) and doesn't emit any harmful compounds. This natural material differs with a phenomenal ability to restore the initiating shape after short-term or long-term impact of a loading. Local deformation from both heavy furniture and female shoes with spike heel does not leave any dents or hollows on a surface of a cork floor. The protection covering, usually on the basis of vinyl, provides the high wear resistance admitting maintenance in rather severe conditions.

Thanks to its composition and structure the cork covering combines:

• Ease;
• Water resistance;
• Low thermal conductivity;
• Compressibility;
• Resistance against active chemicals;
• Nonflammability;
• The long-term service life.

The range of application of cork floor coverings is extremely wide: from offices and living spaces to airports, supermarkets and hotels.

Cork floor classification

There are two basic types of cork floors - glued coatings and "floating" floors. Thin tiles with the thickness of 3,2, 4 and 6 mm, the size of 300 х 300 mm or plates with the size of 900 х 150 mm and 600 х 300 mm are applied for the glued cork coverings. Coverings with the thickness of 3, 2 mm are multilayer: from below a glue bottom, then a damping layer from grained cork which is decorated by a veneer from natural cork and from above protected by an wear-resistant varnish. Thicker coverings are made of an agglomerated cork with thickness of 4 and 6 mm without a decor and only with a defensive varnish layer.

The cork covering demands well prepared, flat and dry base. It's possible to use sheets of a water-resistant wood chip board or a thick veneer wood and a thin layer of "self-leveler", which is necessary to grind, from above in the capacity of base sheets. The used glue should be only recommended by the producer. Tiles are tightly pressed to each other and to a floor on angles and after placing of a small lot the covering is carefully rolled by a heavy roller.

Simplicity and quickness of mounting refers to number of advantages of "floating" coverings. One person is capable to place a floor in a sitting room of an average size within one working day.