Cork Flooring - Ideal for both Residential and Commercial locations

Cork flooring is a favorite choice of both home and office users for a long time now. It has been used in commercial environments for many years but recently became increasingly popular due to its endurance to heavy foot traffic and varied design possibilities.

For example, the old Toronto Stock Exchange building had cork floors, providing comfort to the joints of traders who were on their feet all day long. It also enabled a relatively quieter indoor atmosphere. In the 1950s, cork was frequently installed in restaurants, gymnasiums and offices - almost anywhere people spend a lot of time standing, and generally where a lot of noise is made.

Resilient and durable, cork flooring is soft underfoot and provides insulation against extreme hot and cold temperatures. It helps in impact sound reduction and prevents sound transmission. For health conscious users, cork is anti-allergenic and environmentally friendly. All these factors suggest clearly why commercial users, architects, building contractors and interior designers choose cork flooring for their structures.

These properties also contribute to cork's selection for highly commercial buildings like gaming arenas, courts, churches, public halls, and exhibition centers. One very unimportant area where you would find cork flooring is elevators. Yes, due to immense foot traffic and high chances of the flooring material wearing down, elevators are often installed with cork flooring. On other side, commercial locations with heavy foot traffic but with a requirement of minimum noise level like hospitals, class rooms, libraries, conference rooms, opera houses, theatres and auditoriums are being installed with cork flooring more than ever.

Nowadays, with cork flooring available in very neat and aesthetic patterns and designs, even hotel owners are applying cork flooring in hallways, passages, and foyers or lobbies. Here, cork prevents the usual unnecessary sound of footfalls and maintains a relatively quieter atmosphere.

Most importantly sound recording studios are also embraced with cork floors because of not only the acoustical insulation ability of cork but also because it prevents echo in the surroundings. Cork's sound dampening feature proves it to be the most ideally suitable flooring material for these studios.