March 15, 2010 | Posted by admin
Categorized | Cork Flooring Articles
Tags : cork flooring, green flooring, hardwood flooring
Why is Cork Flooring Considered Eco-Friendly?
You’ve probably heard that cork is an environmentally friendly product, but may not be sure why. With this post, I’ll just quickly go over some of the attributes that make cork “green.”
First of all, cork is a renewable resource. A renewable resource is something that can be replaced by natural processes at a rate comparable to or faster than the rate of consumption by humans. This renewability is due to the way cork is harvested.
Cork actually makes up the bark of the cork oak tree. The bark is stripped from these trees without damaging them in anyway. Actually, harvesting cork from these oak trees actually encourages growth in the tree, while increasing the amount of oxygen it gives off. Bark is initially harvested when the tree is 25 years old. After that harvesting takes place every nine years. This can go on for quite a while because cork oak trees usually live to be over 150 years. There are plenty of other requirements that a resource has to meet before being qualified as renewable. In the case of flooring, once installed it must meet rigid air quality standards. Also, it must be largely recyclable, which is very true of cork due to how useful its natural properties are.
In my opinion, the one fact that often gets lost in this discussion are the benefits that cork will have in your home. You’re not sacrificing anything in the way of quality or price when you purchase cork flooring. Cork is naturally resistant to mold, moisture and termites—all things that are known to devastate hardwood flooring. It is also provides flooring that is pleasant and warm to walk on. Cork is a terrific green flooring option for your home and I hope that you’ll take a look at some of the products available.
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Tags: cork flooring, laminate flooring, oak flooring, solid flooring, wooden flooring | 
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March 11, 2010 | Posted by admin
Laminate flooring gives your floor that overall look of wood that can be enjoyed for years to come. The best thing about Laminate flooring is the ease in care that you have when you have it in your home. Laminate flooring is one that will look like wood, and that will feel like wood but often times is a bi product of wood. Real wood will require waxing and cleaning every year to keep the floor shiny. Real wood flooring is going to be sanded down and varnished again as the shine is worn off the flooring. Laminate flooring is going to require no waxing, no sanding and the wear and tear on the flooring is something that is not going to happen in the manner that the coating on other wood flooring will have.
Laminate flooring can be cared for by using a dry dust mop on the floor for every day cleaning. During those times when you feel that you need a good deeper clean, you can use a wet mop, one that is not really all that wet, to clean up sticky messes or to clean up mud from the floor. You don’t want to use that much water on the floor so you don’t have the water seeping down into the Laminate flooring and then the Laminate flooring is going to warp over time.
Laminate floor care is going to be similar to wood or any other type of flooring when it comes to moving furniture across the flooring. Laminate flooring can be scratched, dented and can be marked up when you are not careful in moving those heaviest of furniture pieces in your home. To prevent and care for your flooring, you want to pick up the furniture and move it from location to location.
Don’t drag the furniture across the flooring. Your Laminate flooring that has marks and cuts in it will need a little extra care to get that mark out, and sometimes if the cut is all that deep you can’t get it out no matter how much buffing you were to do on this area. The same goes for wood flooring, if the cut is too deep or the scratch is too deep, you are not going to be able to cover it up.
Laminate flooring is easy to care for because the seams in the flooring are actually very tight. You won’t find all types of cracks in the flooring for food, for water, or for dirt to get trapped in. Laminate flooring is a type that will not allow things down between the rows, when you care for it daily. Sweeping and dusting your flooring with a broom, a swiffer or a vacuum that is not hard on the floor is what you need to care for the Laminate flooring . You only want to mop your flooring when it is really sticky, when you spill something on the floor, but you don’t even need to wax Laminate flooring which is what makes it so popular!
Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: laminate flooring, oak flooring, solid flooring, wooden flooring | No Comments »