Is the cork floor worth paving?

Cork flooring is really not as magical as it sounds. ? The name cork floor may be both "soft" and "wood", and it should feel very, very, very comfortable. ?

not only has the high-grade solid wood, but also the floor can support your body steadily when you step on it, and it is slightly sunken, between soft and hard, just like stepping on a foam mosaic mat. ?

But because it's a pure natural product, it's more secure. It doesn't matter if the baby rolls and runs on it, and he doesn't even worry about licking the floor directly ...?

stop, stop, stop. ?

find a bottle of wine and pinch its cork, and you will know that cork is not as soft as you think. ?

If you lay a cork floor, you won't feel like walking on a foam mat. ?

but that doesn't mean we deny the cork floor-on the contrary, we still think it's a wonderful thing. ?

1. What is a cork floor?

cork flooring, like cork, is made of natural materials-a kind of tree called Quercus variabilis or Quercus cork ([lì] known as oak directly). ?

It is said that people are afraid of hurting the tree's skin, but this kind of tree, Quercus variabilis, will grow a layer of cork, which will not affect the growth of the tree at all. ?

Cork is this cork, which is made by peeling off the roughest outer layer.

Bark is not peeled as soon as you want. It can only be harvested after the trees grow for 2-3 years, and then peeled every 9 years. If it is peeled quickly, the quality will be bad and the wood will be hurt.

In the past, wine corks were dug directly from the peeled bark; Nowadays, the output of wine is increasing, and cork is not enough, so only high-end wines can use this directly dug cork. ?

cheap wine can only be glued together with broken bark to make a composite cork.

▲ The high-end cork is dug directly from the bark. Source: designboom.com?

the kind of cork that cracks or drops sawdust just after drilling into the bottle opener is this kind of composite cork, and it is of poor quality. Since the supply of wine corks is not enough, it is only natural that cork floors are expensive. ?

The cork floor itself is rebuilt after the cork bark is broken. Just like the composite cork, it can even be understood in a simple and rude way: laminated flooring is pressed after the wood is broken, while the cork floor is pressed after the bark is broken. ?

In Portugal, which has the richest cork resources, after the cork skin is peeled off, the high-end wine bottle stopper is directly dug out of the bark, and then it is broken into other cork products.

▲ From oak bark to thin cork floor Source: researchgate.net?

Different from laminated flooring, cork flooring has bigger particles and better materials. ?

speaking of which, everyone will be worried about the safety of glue. ?

Let's just say that formaldehyde pollution exists, but so does glue with extremely low formaldehyde content, depending on how much money you are willing to spend.

don't buy laminated flooring below 1 yuan, so the safety of this glue can be guaranteed. ?

What's more, the annual output of cork materials is limited, and the price is high, which is not worth using such poor glue, otherwise it won't sell at a price. From this point of view, the cork flooring imported from Europe is more trustworthy. ?

There are dozens of pieces of cork floor in a treasure, which is less than 2 yuan/m2, and seven or eight hundred yuan per square meter. If you think about it, you can know which one can be used. ?

For your reference, the cheapest cork floor in the United States is about $4/square foot, which is close to 3 yuan/㎡.

2. How to choose a cork floor?

Cork flooring can be divided into two types: adhesive type and locking type. ?

Sticky cork flooring is also called pure cork flooring, which is a thin layer of cork with a thickness of only 3 ~ 4 mm.. ?

To pave this kind of cork floor, the floor needs to be finely leveled with cement self-leveling, and then glue is directly applied to the cement, and the cork floor can be pasted, and there is no need to leave a seam when pasting (there is no need to leave a seam when the wood floor is directly glued).

▲ There are pieces and volumes. Source: theflooringlady.com?

Later, considering that some families were worried about using glue to pave the floor, they developed a locking cork floor with a high-density board between two layers of cork, which can be understood as the laminated flooring of cork. ?

the locking cork floor is very convenient to install, which is exactly the same as the ordinary wooden floor.

The color of the cork floor surface is different, and it is nothing more than the cork particles are thick or thin. ?

In the more expensive cork floor, the top layer will use bark as decoration, showing the original bark texture, and it can also be understood as a solid wood surface patch like a three-layer wooden floor. ?

there are also some cork floors, which will be covered with veneer, which looks like stone or solid wood floors.

when you see this, you may ask again: in that case, why not just lay the cork board on the ground as a floor? The principle is true, but the cork floor will be more compact and the surface will be painted with varnish, which is more suitable for being used as a floor, more wear-resistant and more durable. However, the production process requirements of the cork board with thumbtacks will not reach such a high level.

▲ Corkboard: I seem to hear someone criticizing me, and the baby refuses. Source: pinterest.com?

3. Give me a reason to lay a cork floor?

Having said so much about what a cork floor is, the next question is: Do I need a cork floor in my house? ?

▏ soft and? Ok?

Cork is indeed softer than other woods, and its cellular structure is honeycomb under the microscope, which means it contains more air inside. ?

when stepping on it, it will produce a little slight deformation. ?

Compared with floor tiles, you can obviously feel soft and harmonious, but compared with wood floors, you have different opinions. Some people think there is a big difference, while others think there is no difference.

▲ Oak bark is a foam structure. Source: nanowwerk.com?

but in any case, you won't feel like stepping on the soft carpet in the hotel corridor. ?

so you still need to experience it yourself. ?

When you experience the cork floor in the shop, you must take off your shoes. When the shoes step on the cork floor from the wooden floor, they will be "silent", but this mute effect will affect our judgment. ?

of course, it's really soft. Nothing can compare with carpeting.

environmental protection? Are all the same?

it depends on how to define the word "environmental protection". ?

If your understanding is "environment-friendly", it is, because the production of cork does not need to cut down trees, and the bark can be regenerated, which can protect forest resources well.

If your understanding is "safe and pollution-free", it's almost the same as the three-layer solid wood flooring imported from laminated flooring and ordinary domestic products, so you don't need to spend extra money. The finished products imported from Aige and Lu Sen are all European Union standards, and the price is only one third of that of cork flooring. ? ▏ Stealing stories? There's no need?

the solid wood composite floor is 13~15mm thick and the locking cork floor is 12~13mm thick. ?

the glued cork floor is only 4mm thick, but it needs an extra layer of cement self-leveling on the ground leveling. After calculation, it is unnecessary to steal such a height of one or two millimeters at this price.

floor heating? This can have?

Some families are worried about installing floor heating, and they are worried about the large heat loss. ?

The glued cork floor is only 4mm thick, which is thin and faster to heat. Moreover, because there are many internal pores, the heat transfer is slower. That is to say, when you step on it barefoot, the cork will not take away too much heat from the human body, so we can feel that the floor is more "warm".

▏ mute? You are a good neighbor?

It's really much quieter to wear shoes on the cork floor, but most families in China will change their shoes or even go barefoot in the house. ?

The cork floor can only reduce the noise of walking by oneself to the downstairs, but it can't do anything about the noise outside, unless the top surface of the whole family's wall is covered with cork.

but in this case, it is better to change into a special sound insulation material, and the effect is better. ? ▏ moistureproof? Is there a lot of water in your home? ▕?

Some people on the Internet think that the cork floor is rich in holes and resistant to blisters, so it can be laid in the bathroom, and it can also protect against moisture, and an example of red wine stopper is given. ?

however, the reason why the red wine stopper can be stopped is that the wine has been soaked in the cork, and the cork expands, which can isolate the air from entering the wine bottle. This is why Tibetan wine will never be placed upright, and the bottle mouth must be facing down. ?

It can be seen that if the cork floor is immersed in water for a long time, it will certainly swell.

Moreover, alcohol is different from domestic water, especially wastewater with various detergents, which will definitely stink if stored for a long time. ?

when I consulted the merchant, the other party also made it clear that although I had heard of such an example, I would not recommend my customers to lay the cork floor in the bathroom, which was too risky.

▲ Although some people use it, we are really not sure about the source: inlightapp.com?

finally, does the cork floor look good? Well, this is a matter of opinion. ?

so do you want to lay a cork floor or not? Our opinion is that when your floor budget exceeds 5 yuan/㎡, cork floor can be used as an option, which is suitable for families who like barefoot, have old people and children at home and have floor heating.

When the floor budget is lower than 5 yuan/㎡, there is really nothing to think about. After all, you can buy a good three-layer solid wood composite floor or import it from laminated flooring at this price. ?

share it with friends who plan to lay cork floors, and let them think about it again!

This answer comes from living well with users, more decoration strategies and home experience. Welcome to visit the living well APP.