Bamboo vs Cork Flooring | Everything you need to know!

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When discussing sustainable flooring options, the two most common ones brought up are bamboo and cork. Both types of flooring are durable, made from renewable resources and cost effective. They can be stained in different finishes and even stamped with multi-colored prints.

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:35 How Bamboo Flooring is made
2:33 How Cork Flooring is made
3:51 Appearance & Cost
4:31 Installation
4:53 Resistance
6:40 Sponsor
7:26 Health concerns
8:15 Environmental concerns
9:29 Conclusion

BAMBOO is one of the fastest growing grasses in the world. It can be harvested in just 5 years, much faster than hardwood trees. The stalks are sliced into strips and the outer skin and nodes are removed. The bamboo strips are boiled in a solution of boric acid or lime. This removes starch, sugars and kills any pests in the bamboo. It preserves the wood and prevents it from decaying. The strips are then dried and flattened. They are soaked in urea formaldehyde adhesive and laminated under heat and pressure. Once cured, the boards are planed, sanded and milled.

CORK is a light but tough material harvested from the outer layer of cork oak trees. Every seven to nine years, the tree reaches maturity and is ready to be harvested. No trees are cut down in the harvesting process. The bark is carefully peeled off without harming the tree to allow it to regrow. After drying for several months, the bark is transported to a factory where wine bottle corks are punched out. The leftover material is boiled, ground up, mixed with adhesives and compressed to form thin sheets of cork flooring. These thin sheets are laminated onto MDF to form interlocking planks or tiles.

Appearance. Bamboo flooring looks like traditional hardwood floors. It has a uniform pattern and realistic appearance. It can work with almost any home style, from traditional to contemporary. Real cork flooring is busier and has a distinct appearance. It feels warm and comfortable underfoot because it is spongy and doesn’t conduct heat very well. However, it can make homes look dated.

Cost. Both bamboo and cork flooring are more expensive than vinyl flooring, but comparable to hardwood floors. Cheaper versions cost around $4 per sq ft. On the higher end, products that use non-toxic binders and finishes cost around $8 per sqft.

Scratch resistance - As you’d expect, bamboo flooring is harder and more scratch resistant than cork flooring. Bamboo floors typically score around 1,800 on the Janka scale. Unfinished cork flooring, on the other hand, is soft, pliable and more prone to wear issues. It has a Janka rating of just 200.

Water resistance - Both bamboo and cork flooring are water resistant, but not waterproof. They should not be used in bathrooms or in basements. Prolonged exposure to water and high humidity environments will cause these planks to swell and buckle.

Lifespan. Because of all these reasons, bamboo has a longer lifespan of 30-50 years, while cork has a shorter lifespan of 10-30 years.

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SOURCES:
   • The processing from raw bamboo poles ...  
   • Cali Bamboo Fossilized® Flooring Process  
   • Cali Bamboo Flooring Janka Test  
   • Where does cork come from? | Cork Pro...  
   • How 40 Million Cork Wine Stoppers Are...  
   • How To Install Bamboo Flooring - Floa...  
   • Cali Bamboo Flooring Installation. Cl...  
   • Floating GeoWood Engineered SPC Wood ...  
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#flooring #ecofriendly #sustainability #laminate #luxuryvinylplank