Cork Flooring Colors

Overview

• Cork floors serve as a renewable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional hardwood. Manufacturers make cork floors by scraping the bark off of the cork oak, a process that doesn't harm the tree. The bark scrapings are mixed with binding agents, placed in a mold, then baked to form cork tiles, planks and tiny mosaic tiles. Cork flooring offers natural moisture and mildew resistance, sound and thermal insulation properties and a soft feeling underfoot.

Natural Cork Flooring Colors

• Natural, uncolored cork floors come in many shades of brown and tan, from light sandy hues to deep mahogany finishes. Manufacturers create these natural variations in cork flooring colors by varying the amount of time and the temperature as they heat molded cork to form floor coverings, according to the World Floor Covering Association. Cork flooring producers can create further color and texture variations by mixing cork granules with larger shavings within a single tile. Some manufacturers take alternate sections of dark and light cork within a single tile to create integral patterns and designs without adding pigments and dyes.

Factory Finishes

• Just as hardwood floors come in virtually any color and finish imaginable, flooring manufacturers also offer cork flooring in a wide variety of colors. In addition to earthy shades of tan, brown and orange, you'll find cork flooring in bright colors like green or red, as well as cork finished to mimic the look of natural stone or metal. These finishes come from stains and dyes used to coat the cork, which is then treated with a protective urethane or acrylic topcoat. Colored cork floors come in both veneered and homogeneous varieties. Veneered products contain a thin-colored topcoat, similar to engineered hardwood, and cannot be refinished. Homogeneous cork floors contain integral color throughout the entire thickness and can be sanded and refinished similar to hardwood floors.

Staining Cork Floors

• Like unfinished hardwood, unfinished cork floors can be finished in the home to create the desired color. Most cork floors can be stained and finished using water-based urethane, states the National Wood Flooring Association, but check with the manufacturer first to find out how different stains and finishes could affect your floors. After you've achieved the desired color, treat the floors with a polyurethane topcoat to protect the cork from wear and tear. Reapply this topcoat regularly to help maintain the color and integrity of your cork floor.

Considerations

• Both factory-applied and do-it-yourself cork flooring colors can fade if the floors are exposed to ultraviolet rays. Protect your floor by keeping drapes closed to block the sun, and consider applying a UV-inhibiting finish to your floors to minimize fading.