When it comes to replacing your bathroom floor, you may want to think about putting in a cork floor. Cork flooring is about as green as you can go. It is made from tree-like tropical grasses which replenish themselves within a few years’ time. It is also a great flooring material because it is soft and warm to walk on with bare feet and as it is highly immune to the wetness that is an inherent part of any bathroom environment. This kind of flooring repels moisture and keeps mold, mildew, and bacteria at bay, and cleaning cork floors is convenient. All-in-all, cork is a superb choice for your bathroom floor.
Keep in mind that with cork, just like with any other type of wood flooring material, your floor will be subject to contraction and expansion based on climate factors. It wi expand during the hotter summer months and contract during heating season. It does have a tendency to be a more stable product than other hardwoods, though. While most wood only contracts and expands across the grain, cork expands in all directions. If your floor is laid properly, it will be able to go with the flow of climate changes without a noticeable difference in the way it is.
Floating cork floors are not recommended for bathroom use. Floating implies instead of being nailed to the sub-floor, the boards are fixed to each other, and while this technique of cork flooring installation can give your floors a great look in other parts of the house, the moisture and possible spillage in the bathroom makes it a poor choice. Cork floors are easy for you to lay without professional help. After you’ve installed the flooring, ensure you caulk around all of the outside edges. You do not need to leave any gaps where water can creep under your floor and cause damage to sub-floors or walls. Though the cork itself is impervious to moisture, these other materials are not.
Some experts will suggest that you not use any sort of wood floors product in a bathroom because of possible water damage. Other folks report they’ve had cork floors in their necessary rooms for many years with great success. Exotic flooring materials,such as cork and bamboo, became very hip with householders thanks to the fact that they are environmentally-friendly, look good, and can be less costly than other kinds of flooring. The choice is up to you.
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