All you ever wanted to know about cork

And no, by “cork” I do not mean the Irish city of Cork (although it’s probably a very nice town). Cork is an unique material that is obtained from the bark of cork oak tree and has numerous uses. The one that comes first to the mind is, obviously, wine bottling. It’s hard to imagine a wine without a cork stopper. However, it is not the only use of the cork. Ever heard about cork roll or cork flooring? Yes, it is truly a remarkable material.

Where it all begins

The story of cork begins with the bark of cork oak tree. It’s not that easy to obtain the bark itself because the whole process is strictly regulated by law. Obviously, everyone would like to have a cork board or even a cork wall. But it is not that simple. The cork oak is an eternally green tree which lives for around 150 to 200 years. It grows best on the terrain of Mediterranean Sea and that is why it’s easy to meet a cork oak tree there — most commonly it is found in Portugal, where it takes up to 22% of the area of the whole country. It’s impressive, isn’t it?

The process of obtaining the bark

So, if you happen to stumble upon a cork oak, you cannot really just cut down the tree and strip the bark off it. Basically, only qualified and trained people can do so and they are allowed to peel it off the tree once in nine years, mostly during the vegetation period, when the cork oak may grow a new bark really quickly. During the procedure the tree cannot be cut down and it cannot be damaged in any other way. You do not want to destroy the delicate ecosystem just to have a great cork board.

Debarking the tree

You may ask, how it’s possible that you can obtain the bark without cutting down the tree. Well, it is actually the only tree a human has met, that does not need to be cut down for its bark, since it grows in two layers. The internal one is alive and is a foundation for the new, external layer of the bark, which protects the tree from the temperature change. When the external layer dies, it can be peeled off with a special axe, causing no damage to the tree itself.

The harvested cork

The cork after being peeled off, is placed somewhere under the influence of the air, so it can improve its quality and be even better. This procedure lasts a few weeks, after which the bark patches are cooked with steam so all undesirable juices, insects and others disappear, leaving the bark clean and ready for further treatment, where a new cork wall, cork board or cork roll will be made for you.

Want to have an eco-wall? Try out the cork one!

It’s pretty trendy to be an eco-person nowadays. Just show that you care about the environment which is surrounding us and you are going to have a good reputation among the people. Now, many humans wonder whether it’s really possible to be pro-eco all the time. Ecological products are usually  acquainted with either low quality or high price. Some also wonder if it’s really possible to be pro-eco when building a house. Of course, just try some cork walls!

Cork walls

Cork? – you will ask. – But it’s used only for wine stoppers! Well, not exactly. Cork flooring, cork walls… Yes, you can make everything from cork, which is also the most ecological material ever, because it’s made from the bark of cork oak tree and it does not hurt the tree at all. It’s hard to imagine a better quality material that would not hurt the delicate environment of Earth. It’s simply natural and really easy to recycle, while very unique (since it’s a natural material, each piece of the cork will be just different!) and also having some interesting properties: insulating, thermal, acoustic among them. It all makes the cork just the great material for the walls or flooring in your new house. Place the cork wall in the children’s room and it will be just quieter in all of the house.

Why cork flooring?

So who exactly would be interested in having a cork flooring? Obviously, mostly people who are pro-eco and want to make conscious decions about their lifestyle. But not only them. Allergic people may be intrested in cork flooring’s surface resistance to dust and toxins – it doesn’t absorb them, meaning it makes life a bit easier for those who suffer from dust allergy. There’s also a great pro of cork flooring being soft and cushioned – it just makes some things easier and will probably prevent your children from being in pain after a random fall on the floor.

Where’s the trick?

So where’s the trick? Nothing in this world is perfect and that means that cork flooring, despite having a lot of pros, is just like any other flooring – it needs to be taken care of. In the case of cork material, it means mostly preventing it from staining by sealing it properly and avoiding sticking sharp objects in the floor. It means that even though the floor would be perfect for the child’s room, you still need to make sure that the kid will not destroy it.

Aesthetics of cork wall

We mentioned the uniqueness of each piece of the cork due to the material being pulled out straight from nature’s arms. A lot of houses and flats utilise also this material’s aesthetics, creating new and interesting designs with it. It may just vary: from cork wall being used as board for pinning various things like pictures or photos on it to the cork being an integral part of the room’s design. A lot of designers like to experiment with it.

Durable and stable cork flooring

Have you ever considered cork flooring as a suitable choice for your very own floor? In this case you may wonder, whether it’s worth the effort. Yes, the cork flooring or a cork underlay look really good in your flat, but if you have ever seen the wine stopper, you may wonder whether it will last for a long time. Well, it will. We are about to prove to you that your very own cork flooring or cork board may last for a really long time, if you take a good care of it and promise not to treat it too bad. It will be not only grateful, but it is also going to have a graceful look!

Resistance to indentations

The fact is that a cork flooring that is properly cared for may last even forty years, if not more. The cork will resist all cracks, gases, liquids and more. Actually, a lot of people think that cork may burn easily and would prefer not to use it in the room with any chimney. But it’s not true – cork roll is resistant to fire! It will never melt or ignite, unless there’s a really high temperature inside. Some people are worried that heavy furniture may indent cork and therefore damage it quite badly. However, the cork actually bounces back, so the indentations caused by an exceptionally heavy cupboard or sofa will not be permanent and there will be no signs of it left. Your cork roll on the floor will still look quite lovely.

Stability of the material

Now, the cork due to its resistance to almost everything you can think of is not only stable, but really healthy. It’s recommended especially to allergic people, who have to be careful with the potential allergens in the house – cork helps in keeping them out.Generally speaking, cork underlay or cork wall are more stable than a wooden floor or wall. Most people never complain of it shrinking or otherwise degrading. It is literally indestructible.

Cork rolls in public buildings

You still cannot believe that a cork oak tree can give something that is a good material for the floor? Look at the Library of Congress (Washington DC) then. It was founded in 1800 and its cork flooring is still on the roll. Nobody ever complains about it falling out or being unstable. There are also many other numerous examples of an adhesive cork or cork board being used in buildings for ages and they all are still as good as on the first day! Yes, it is unbelievable, but it also means that we’re really lucky ones to have such a good tree as cork oak which will give us so much good isolation cork and other things that we can enjoy.

Recording a song? Only with a cork wall!

If you are an artist and you have never heard about a cork wall, you should definitely do your research and give it a try. „Cork?” – you will ask, wondering whether we mean the university city of Cork in Ireland or maybe wine stoppers – „What does it have to do with recording a song?” Well, a lot, actually.

Acoustic properties of a cork wall

Having cork flooring or cork wall is actually a very interesting way to decorate your own recording studio or any other room that should be silenced. Cork is a material obtained from the bark of the cork oak tree in a way that is fully safe for the environment and doesn’t hurt a tree. And it has some interesting properties, including the one that will be interesting for anybody who works with music or any other loud sounds. Basically, a cork roll or a cork wall will silence or even stop any sounds that come from any given room. The thing is to install it properly and make sure there are no holes in the roll. And there’s an extra feature – you’re getting a cork board for free. You can pin anything to a cork wall, be it a post-it note or a picture of your band.

Other features of the cork wall

Is there anything else that is interesting about cork? Well, yeah. A cork flooring is really soft and cushioned, making it an unique choice for the kids’ room. There’s also the matter of the cork’s thermal properties – it helps in keeping the room warm, which may be useful during long winter nights, when everybody dreams about the sun and some warmth. Some designers that like to experiment with cork rolls, put them as sort of decorative things in the kitchens or bathroom. The fact that you can pin a lot of things to cork makes it definitely easier and the effect is usually interesting. And if you indeed are an artist and own a recording studio, you may impress other artists with an innovative use of the cork roll in the room, while utilising its practical side as well. And if you have friends who love fighting for the environment, they will be impressed with such an eco-friendly material.

Cork underlay for kids

There are numerous advantages of using a cork underlay. For many people it may seem fragile at first or just an unsuitable material, but this is not true. Products using cork are widely known for their silencing attributes. A properly laid out cork roll or cork sheet will silence the sounds coming from the given room and make sure the neighbours never complain about your kids. Cork flooring is also a great asset in any school classroom, where for sure a lot of noise is being made. There’s also another advantage of having a cork underlay in the room used by the kids – it’s really soft. If anybody falls, there will be no tears and the cork itself will not be hurt. If anything heavy stomps on the cork flooring, the material will eventually bounce back to its normal state. As you can see, this is a perfect thing to have in your kid’s room, especially if your offspring is young and prone to falling a lot. A child that is only learning to walk might be really happy with cork flooring!

Does your child need a cork board in the room or maybe you are a school teacher and you want to use the cork sheet to let your pupils pin things on the cork wall? You’ve probably looked over many shops and found out the cork seems to be your best choice but you still don’t have time to try to assembly and setup all of those things? Does it seem too complicated? Well, try out the self-adhesive cork! It is really easy to mount on the wall and doesn’t require any complicated knowledge to do it.

Self-adhesive cork sheets

What is that exactly? Well, the name is kind of self-explanatory – the self-adhesive cork sheet may be glued to the wall with no effort and it really is a great asset in a school classroom. If you want your pupils to be able to share things by pinning them to the cork sheet, there’s no problem with that – it is thick enough to handle all the pins yet it still looks beautifully and will not fall off easily. It saves a lot of time due to it being really simple to mount on the wall. And there’s another advantage of self-adhesive cork sheet – you can glue it to anything for a short time and then if your kid gets bored of it or you think it’s not really needed or there’s a better location for this cork sheet, then you can just simply remove it from the wall with no bigger consequences. The wall will not be damaged and the removal itself will be simple enough. It is a great news for those who really hate moving things around the house.

If you look through the photos of numerous offices or rooms, you may notice that most of them have a cork board of some sort. They are really useful and by “useful” we mean that if you get them for your office or household, you will be wondering how were you able to live without them. What’s so good about cork boards or cork rolls? Let’s see.

Office cork board

Office employees love cork boards not only for their eco-friendliness, but also because of the simplicity of the communication that is possible with them. They are useful when you want to pin things to them, be it photos of loved ones or notes reminding you of important things. It’s also an interesting mean of communication – you can pin notes about meetings there or discreetly remind your employees there’s something they need to do.

Cork roll in the household

Or, if you get the cork board for your household, you may communicate your eternal love for the family members and under these you may pin to the cork sheets shopping lists or lists of task to be done for this day. Your children will love having a cork board remind them about important homework, deadlines, essay topics and research. They can also pin interesting, motivational or funny quotes there. It’s a really interesting concept which may allow your kid to express himself or herself in the room without the necessity of painting the walls or anything that would change the room permanently. It’s especially important if the room is rented and you cannot make too many changes there without having a landlord agree to it.

Cork board in the school

One of the greatest uses of cork board is a school classroom. A teacher can pin any homework or reminders here. It can be also used for students to get to know each other better. The most common activity is to ask pupils for their photos from the period of a very early childhood. Pin them on the cork board and make them guess who is who. You can get to know each other, while having tons of fun! And there are many more activities you can do using a cork board.

A cork sheet or cork roll can also be useful for a lot of other purposes. A wide variety of uses makes them one of the best products on the market, especially considering the fact they are also eco-friendly, which is a great way to teach pupils or employees about this trend and why it’s good to use products that are friendly to the environment. Do not hesitate, get yourself a cork board. Better late than never!

The material from the bark of the cork oak tree, more commonly called cork, comes from Portugal, where it is harvested and exported to the whole world. This is a very eco-friendly material that can be easily processed and recycled, while having really unique properties.

When decorating a new house, everybody wants it to be beautiful, but also practical, while not putting too much effort into a decoration. That is why in the case of the walls we often choose simple solutions like photomurals, while we have so much more to choose from. These times give us huge perspectives and many solutions. One of the newest trend is to decorate a wall with a cork, an eco-friendly and unique material, which is also really cheap. It allows to decorate the house without spending too much money but the effect is just the same as if the walls were painted in a traditional way or paneled.

Other ideas about cork

The cork is also great for people that have allergies, meaning you can feel free to install the cork on the walls in your kid’s room, especially since this material goes well with any interior. If you want your room to have an industrial feel, just connect the eco-friendly cork with any metal or stone thing to receive an interesting variant of a typical modern space. What’s more, the cork doesn’t shut off the walls and allows them to breathe, which means you will never find any damp or mould under the material.

Cork is a raw material which was discovered a long time ago. Cork that is suitable for use, is boiled in a high temperature. Then from it we can make wine stoppers and cork boards. But this unique material is not only the source of cork boards, but also beautiful and eco-friendly walls.

Cork flooring or a cork roll?

Cork flooring is another way to create an unusual and warm room. If you want your room to be cozy and heated up, cork flooring is a good solution for that, while looking very interesting. Moreover, it’s rather easy to cover the floor with it since it requires no expert knowledge. If you do not want to make big changes, you can get a cork roll instead – it covers the floor very well too, while maintaining the properties that are typical for this material.