Cork Floor vs Bamboo Floor

Nowadays, when homeowners planning to upgrade their floors, besides color and pattern, they will also consider several things:
1. Environmentally friendly
2. Durability
3. Functionality
4. Healthy for the family including furry members, and
5. Energy savings
Yes, you are right, “Energy savings”, and I will tell you more about that at the end of this video.
In terms of Environmentally friendly flooring, if you search on internet, you will see the top two are Cork Flooring and Bamboo Flooring. We will compare these two flooring today and give you more facts and difference between them.
First of all, color and pattern are very personal, it is no “Right or Wrong”, but it is always good to have a choice between traditional and stands out. Cork flooring available in various colors from traditional wood grains to unique raw-looking cork patterns which for sure will have lots of compliments from your visitors. Bamboo flooring mainly in strips and lines, to me, it’s a bit boring.
Most cork floorings are made in Europe, as we all know, they have a higher standard on environmental concerns. Greenguard Certificate is another way to look for less chemical emissions products, which have to proven to meet some of the world’s most rigorous standards on reducing the risk of chemical exposure and have less indoor air pollution. Cork comes from the bark of cork oak trees which harvested every 9-10 years. It can be harvested 12 -15 times during their lifespan. So you don’t need to feel guilty when enjoying your cork floor because you are not actually cut down trees. It is absolutely sustainable.
Compare to Bamboo flooring, it has been in the market for about 20 years. Most of them are sourced and manufactured in China near Zhejiang Province. It is still a very young product and their quality …. Ehh….Humm humm, Lots of Bamboo Flooring factories turn bankrupt or closed down due to faulty designs and caused warp, break apart, unreasonably dent and scratch under mild use. One of the cases are Lumber Liquidators has agreed to pay $30 million to end a 2014 class action lawsuit in which consumers alleged their Morning Star strand bamboo flooring is uniformly defective and last not even close to its warranted 30-year lifespan.
How durable compare between Cork and Bamboo flooring? To find out, we need to learn their history. Cork flooring has been around since as early as 1870. In Washington D.C., the US Library of Congress which built in 1897 still has its original cork floor there, that’s over 125 years old. Cathedrals in Portugal and Spain often used cork flooring starting a century ago and still in use. “Hi grand grandpa, I love to play on your cork floor, it’s so comfy”. That’s one of the reasons why cork floor is considered as the most durable of all floors. The surface even durable enough to handle commercial usage and office chair casters without a mat, but gentle enough for kids to play on. Bamboo flooring is hard on the surface, even harder than most hardwoods but without the warm touch of cork. It is durable if without the faulty design, wrap, break apart issues mentioned earlier.
How about moisture and wet environment? Which floor stands better?
This time, lets talk about Bamboo first. Bamboo is sensitive to humidity. We are not only talking about puddled and splashed water, even humidity can cause problems for bamboo flooring. Spaces such as bathrooms especially. Water in the air can be more damaging to bamboo than direct. Cork Glue Down Tiles can be installed in bathrooms and can stands well with water. Period.
How about dent and scratches?
Other than Strand woven bamboo, they are a relatively hard material which can be subject to scratches, dents, and cracks easily under daily use. Pet nails, unpadded high heels, and dragging furniture across the floor can cause unsightly marks. Even small particles of dirt and debris can act like grit to sand and score the flooring over time, end up in a dull and broken appearance. Cork’s natural cellular structure with self-healing feature is a gift from nature, say if you drop a hammer on a cork floor, it might dent, but it will restore. Amazing, right? I hope my autobody have this feature too.
Flooring can have many features like being a natural repellent to insects, mold, and mildew, being a good thermal insulator, and being a good sound absorber. The comfort under your feet is another great feature.
Cork and bamboo flooring are both environmentally friendly, but cork is available in a variety of colors and patterns while bamboo is mainly in strips and lines.
Cork flooring has many benefits including being a good thermal insulator, helping soundproofing, being comfortable, and being natural repellent to insects, mold and mildew. It is also healthy for the environment and good for your wallet.