Eco Floors: Natural Cork by Globus Cork

When renovating my "green" house this summer, I chose to do the kitchen floor in a natural cork material. I wanted to use something durable, beautiful and sustainable, and cork was a perfect solution.

I looked to a local New York manufacturer, Globus Cork to provide the product as well as an education in cork flooring. First off, cork is a renewal material - it gets harvested from the bark of cork oak trees every 9 years and it then grows back. Even so, the cork tiles themselves are made from the scraps of the wine cork manufacturing process, so they are truly a recycled product. Folks, you really can't get much greener than that! Once the tiles are formed, depending on the color/style, they get a coat of voc-free stain and sealer. Cork tiles come in either the glue down or the floating variety, and either one provides a beautiful outcome! They are offered in a wide variety of patterns, shapes and colors and the good people at Globus Cork can help you either design your floor or make suggestions based on your ideas.

Cork flooring offers even more benefits. Cork is very soft under foot and is easy on your joints and back. It's also super durable, water and stain resistant (within reason), and maintains its freshly laid appearance over time. One of my green contacts tells me that her cork kitchen floor of 5 years still looks fantastic. And cork flooring is not hugely expensive either, unlike many other "green" products.

The images you see show the cork floor I used in my own kitchen project. Please email me if you need any details...I would be happy to share them with you. For further information about the environmental aspects of cork, the many color/design options, and more, visit Globus Cork.