How Practical is Cork Flooring Material in the Bathroom?
Mar 3rd, 2010 by admin
When it comes to replacing your bathroom floor, you may want to consider 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 inside a few years’ time. It is also a great flooring material as it is soft and warm to walk on with bare feet and as it is highly resistant to the wetness that’s 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 can be an excellent choice for your bathroom floor.
Remember 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 in the hotter summer months and contract during heating season. It does are a more steady 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 correctly, is going to be ready to go with the flow of climate changes without an obvious difference in the way it looks.
Floating cork floors are not commended for bathroom use. Floating suggests that rather than being nailed to the sub-floor, the boards are glued to one another, and while this method 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 straightforward 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 resistant to moisture, these other materials aren’t.
Some professionals will suggest that you not use any type of wood floors product in a bathroom because of possible water damage. Other people report they’ve had cork floors in their necessary rooms for quite a few years with much success. Exotic flooring materials, for example cork and bamboo, have become very popular with homeowners due to the fact that they’re environmentally-friendly, look good, and can be less costly than other sorts of flooring. The choice is up to you.
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