The Manufacturing Process of Cork Flooring

Cork flooring is manufactured from cork, a natural product. Cork made from is the bark of cork oak tree with a honeycomb structure of 60 - 100 million air cells per cubic inch. This bark can only be harvested if the cork oak tree is at least 25 years old. This harvesting or stripping of the bark process can be repeated every 9 - 12 years, and is done by hand. The older the tree is the better quality of cork it can produce, as the bark becomes smoother every time it re-grows after the harvest.

Cork Oak Trees are grown primarily in only seven countries around the Western Mediterranean basin including Portugal, the largest producer of cork with 50% of the world's cork production.

The harvesting of cork is a standardized process, ensuring the health of the cork oak species for future harvests. It also guarantees the health of every single cork oak tree and the environment as well. The harvest is done in the summer months, and performed very carefully by means of hand-held equipment to make sure that the bark will grow back. Unaffected by the harvesting process, an individual cork oak can produce bark for decades and centuries. The harvest process makes cork a renewable and sustainable resource.

Cork flooring is actually made from the cultivated waste of the cork wine-stopper manufacturing process so it is a recycled product. After the planks/slabs of cork bark are harvested, they are then sorted and stacked for a good 6 months. Exposure to air, sun, rain and wind triggers chemical shifts resulting improvements in cork's quality.

The next stage is to clean, boil and strip the rough outer surface. This makes it easier to convert the cork into a variety of forms, meant for different uses. Bottle stopper "corks" are then punched from the best material in the slabs. The remaining scraps are then ground into small granules, mixed with a non-toxic resin binder, molded into large blocks and baked in specialized ovens - making use of every scrap of cork bark. This process enables production of cork underlayment, cork planks, cork tiles and cork sheets in both unfinished and pre-finished types.

Cork flooring is manufactured as tiles or planks in various thicknesses. The baking process increases cork's durability for other uses, including cork flooring. After being cut to standardized dimensions, it is then sorted by color, and sealed with polyurethane, or wax. There is practically no waste from the harvesting of the raw material to the manufacture of flooring.

The varied colors of cork flooring do not depend on stains or dyes. Prior to compression, baking the cork and varying the granule size allows for the creation of light, medium and dark colors. The longer it bakes, the darker it becomes. Also, unfinished cork can be painted or stained as well. Stains for custom colors are applied just prior to the application of acrylic finish. The factory finish, however, protects the cork flooring surface from moisture, harmful chemicals, dirt and other damaging elements.

Cork flooring can be screened and recoated many times yet, sanding and refinishing can be done only a limited number of times. Moreover, with technological improvements made during the last decade, you will not need anything regarding finish beyond regular maintenance.