How Durable is Cork Flooring in the Bathroom?
Thursday, May 13th, 2010When it comes to replacing your bathroom floor, you might 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 because it is intensely immune to the dampness that is an inherent part of any bathroom environment. This type of flooring repels moisture and keeps mold, mildew, and bacteria at bay, and cleaning cork floors is fast and easy. All-in-all, cork can be 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 in the hotter summer months and contract during heating season. It does tend to be 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, it will be able to go with the flow of climate changes without a noticeable difference in the way it is.
Floating cork floors aren’t advocated for bathroom use. Floating implies rather than being nailed to the sub-floor, the boards are glued to each other, 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 simple 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 openings where water can creep under your floor and cause damage to sub-floors or walls. Although the cork itself is resistant to moisture, these other materials are not.
Some experts will recommend that you not use any sort of wooden flooring product in a bathroom because of possible water damage. Other people report they have had cork floors in their necessary rooms for many years with great success. Exotic flooring materials,eg cork and bamboo, have become very popular with owners thanks to the fact that they’re environmentally-friendly, look good, and can be less expensive than other sorts of flooring. The choice is up to you.
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