Can Cork Be Used in Sprung Flooring?

About Cork

• Cork is a popular material of sprung floors because it is environmentally friendly and easy to install. Cork is made by stripping bark from living cork oak trees grown on a cork plantation. The trees continually grow new bark, so the material is renewable. Cork trees that are re-growing bark remove up to five times as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as other trees, thereby helping clean the air.

How Cork Panels are Made and Used

• Once the bark is stripped from a cork oak tree, it is processed into flat panels of varying thicknesses. These panels can be treated and stained, becoming harder and shinier, or left in their natural state, retaining their native springiness. Some cork panels are also made from recycled wine corks. The wine corks are cleaned, disinfected, and processed for new use. Natural cork tiles are used for sprung flooring as a sub-layer beneath the floor’s top surface and for soundproofing, insulation and settings where the material’s natural antimicrobial nature is beneficial. Cork is also often used in places where workers are on their feet a lot, like restaurants and hospitals.

Installing Cork

• Cork subfloors can be installed in both professional and residential settings. Home gyms or workout rooms, private dance studios, and home dojos could incorporate cork to achieve a sprung floor that is resilient and consistent across a large space. Cork is highly durable, so once it’s installed, it will likely not need replacing in your lifetime. Sprung floors with cork can be treated and cared for like any other floor; separate cleaning materials or tools are not necessary.

Customized Cork

• Cork flooring can be installed by flooring contractors or by home and business owners. Most cork flooring companies make tiles that can be glued down or fastened together for quick installation. If you plan to have a cork subfloor and also use cork as your top surface in a sprung floor, there are a wide variety of colors and patterns to choose from for the top layer to create a look unique to your home or business. Many cork dealers also offer custom staining and patterning, so you could even create your business’s logo in the center of your sprung floor.