What to know About Cork & Laminate Flooring

What to know About Cork & Laminate Flooring

Like Bamboo, cork flooring is popular for its green credentials, but also because it is warm and quiet under foot, thanks to its softer nature compared to hardwood. Cork's soft, flexible nature is both its strength and its weakness where durability is concerned. As with most home flooring options, you get what you pay for so lean towards a trusted quality product. Below are more qualities of cork flooring:

• Dent Resistance – With its springy quality, cork flooring rebounds well from minor dinks and high traffic, but being softer than wood, you really must treat it with respect; sharp objects, high heels and dragging heavy tables etc. across cork floors are a recipe for disaster.
• Careful maintenance – Cork flooring offers great durability and a long lifespan if treated with care and attention. Clean regularly to remove dirt and debris that can scar the flooring over time. Furniture can leave dents over time and so protective coasters or felt pads are also a good idea for the long term care of your floor.
• Refinishing – High quality cork flooring with a strong factory finish will give you added protection. Even so, be prepared to re-seal the floor fairly regularly with a wax finish or with protective coats of polyurethane every few years.
• Installation concerns – Cork contains a waxy substance called suberin which gives it great moisture resistance qualities, making it a great choice for kitchen and dining rooms. Homeowners can and do install cork in their bathrooms too. It’s a good idea to get feedback from a home flooring pro as to the suitability and correct installation of cork in your particular bathroom space.

Laminate Flooring

In terms of pure flooring durability, Laminate flooring is a great alternative to bamboo and cork flooring and a perfect high traffic flooring option for busy households. With a high-density fiberboard core and a transparent resin top wear layer, a good quality laminate floor is as close as you’re going to get to indestructible. Plus, modern manufacturing techniques mean that the aesthetics of laminates have improved vastly, making them often indistinguishable from real hardwood flooring.

• Quality Counts – durable laminate flooring is a budget friendly option but please, please don’t go too cheap. Anything below $2 a square foot could be a seriously false economy. $3 to $5 per square foot should see you right. Stick to respected brands or look for a product with the NALFA (North American Laminate Flooring Association) Certification Seal; or go with a company that will offer you a minimum twenty-five years guarantee against wear and tear.
• General resistance and stability – laminate flooring is pretty resistant to sunlight fading and moisture. Laminate still contains wood and should therefore still be acclimatized and you should consult a qualified installer when considering installation in a basement or bathroom.

The good news is that one product cleans them all? Everybot Three Spin Robot Mop is suitable for use on all hard floors including Cork Floors and Laminate Floors. Press a button and have a perfectly cleaned floor.

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