Cork is a unique material created by nature, which has no artificial analogs. In fact, it is the bark of cork oak, whose birthplace is the Western Mediterranean. The first who began to use cork material in the home, were the Greeks. They used it to make bottle closures and roof decks. In the present tense, it has found application in the role of cork coatings on walls and floors.
How to get cork coating
Most of the world's stocks of raw materials for the production of cork coating is in Portugal. It was there that the first enterprise for processing unique bark was opened. Other countries have already started manufacturing cork products, but Portugal still has not lost its leadership in this industry. Cutting trees for harvesting raw materials is not necessary - they just remove the bark. Under the collection of bark fit trees no younger than 20-25 years. You can remove the bark no more than once in 10 years. For an average oak life of 160 years, you can make up to 15 fees.
Cork properties
Cork material is heterogeneous and has a porous structure. A large number of cells differing in size filled with air. This feature determines many cork coating properties. Consider the most useful:
- Damping properties. They can manifest themselves in conditions of short exposure, for example, when walking on the floor, or with prolonged pressure on it (from furniture with legs). In both cases, when the source of the impact moves to another place, the surface acquires the original shape, leaving no irregularities and dents. It is believed that walking on such a coating has a beneficial effect on the spine and leg joints. The residual strain rate of a quality material does not exceed 2%.
- Water resistant. The material will not lose its properties and presentation even when exposed to a significant amount of liquid;
- Cork has exceptional sound insulation properties. The sounds of footsteps will be less audible in the room, and the neighbors below may no longer hear you;
- Due to the presence in the pores of the material of a large amount of air, the cork exhibits good thermal insulation properties. Such floors will be very relevant on the lower floors of houses, in private cottages in areas with a cold climate. With cork floors, you do not need to install a warm floor or carpet flooring;
- Resistance to household chemicals. Cork is inert to most cleaning care products.
To this list, you can also add bactericidal and antistatic properties, durability, environmental friendliness, aesthetically attractive appearance.
Cork Varieties
Coatings can be divided into two main types: floor and intended for walls.
The first, in turn, are divided into:
- adhesive - attached to the base with glue over the entire area of the coating;
- "floating" - are issued in the form of panels with lock grooves for connection among themselves.
The advantage of "floating" floors is the possibility of reuse elsewhere. The room can be used immediately after installation. "Floating" coatings also differ from glued unequal layered structure. If the first two-layer: the top protective and main of the cork, the latter include as many as four layers:
- decorative veneer covered with a protective film or a layer of varnish;
- a layer of agglomerated cork, performing the "carrier" function;
- the main "carrier" plate of HDF or MDF;
- glued on the bottom of the main plate, pressed cork backing.
The second type includes the following materials:
| Tile | For its manufacture using granulated cork. In the process of production by pressing, they create the desired shape and texture, and wax them to increase strength and wear resistance. |
| Panels | The basis of the product - pressed cork crumb, which is processed on top of the eponymous veneer. |
| Wallpaper | They are made of cork (veneer) glued to the base of non-woven or paper. |
Important: tile is the best and most durable of cork coatings. She has the highest moisture resistance, sound and heat insulation.
Cork wallpaper
The simplest processing material. Wallpapers are easily cut, pasted on the wall as normal wallpaper. The only thing that is required is to choose reinforced glue, since such wallpapers are heavier than non-woven ones. Cork wallpaper has antistatic and antibacterial properties, elastic, does not collect dust, durable. Their service life is about 15-20 years. The market offers a diverse range of colors and shades. There are options with pictures and even wallpaper. Therefore, cork wallpaper will look harmonious in any interior. The disadvantages of such wallpaper can be considered low heat and sound insulation, high price.
A variety of cork wallpaper - roll cork coating. Its difference from wallpaper in the absence of non-woven or paper base.
Cork Wall Coverings
As mentioned above, wall coverings for cork are produced in the form of tiles and panels.
Cork slabs are single and double layered. In the two-layer version, a natural glue composition is applied to the base layer, after covering it with a layer of agglomerated or natural cork veneer. The front side is often painted in different colors. After painting, the plates are covered with decorative wax to protect paint and glue from moisture. The plates are available in standard sizes 300x300, 300x600. The service life of tile cork, depending on the quality of production and operating conditions, from 10 to 30 years.
Cork on the floor
Due to the high demand for cork floors, manufacturers each year expand the range of products, adding to the range a collection with new textures, types of protective finishes, and types of interconnecting plates. The color solutions of the front surface of the coating are very diverse, also including various drawings. Tiles of the same design, but of different colors and design, can be combined, getting a huge number of color options.
For the practicality of cork floors says their widespread use. Such coverage can be found not only in apartments or offices, but also in crowded public places (hypermarkets, cinemas, etc.). At home, such coverage is simply universal: they cover the floors in the hallway, hallway, bathroom, living room, bedroom, nursery, in the kitchen.
Important: it is categorically undesirable to lay "floating" floors in rooms with high humidity (bath, sauna). Here glued floors are more suitable.
How to glue cork wallpaper
The technology of pasting wallpaper from cork is very similar to pasting walls with ordinary wallpaper, except for some nuances. The surface of the walls must be smooth, otherwise all the irregularities will be clearly visible on the surface of the wallpaper. Therefore, before sticking it is necessary to level the walls with a putty and finishing plaster. Before starting work, it is better to unfold a roll of wallpaper and let it straighten out, since such wallpapers are subject to deformation, but after a while they return to their original shape. It is better to choose a special glue, but you can glue on acrylic, strongly pressing the wallpaper to the wall.
It is very important not to bend the wallpaper too much, not to overlap each other. It is better to cut them with scissors for vinyl tiles. Before proceeding with the labeling of the first strip, it is necessary to make a marking on the wall. Draw a vertical line in the middle of the wall and stick the wallpaper on both sides of it. Apply glue to the wall with a spatula, spread over the area of the label of the next strip using a comb. Press the wallpaper to the wall and the junction of the neighboring strip. Make sure that the glue does not get out of the joints on the cork. If this happens, do not rush to wipe it from the surface of the wallpaper. Wait until it is dry, then gently pry and tear it off.
Use in the interior
Cork in the interior of a modern apartment is no longer considered something exotic. This material decorates walls, floors, ceilings of private houses and apartments, as well as furniture items.
The existing range of coatings available on the market is perfect for decorating the premises in styles: ethno (African), classic, country, loft.
The fashion for one-color decoration of the walls has long gone, now in the trend the technique of "diluting" cork arrays with sections of other materials. The main condition for such a design decision is that the elements of the materials should be the same in thickness. If this is not possible, then it is allowed to use decorative moldings at the joints of materials.
Materials must be in harmony in color. For example, inserts of decorative elements from cork should be in the same color as the room. Conversely, the color of the interior should match the brown shade of the cork. Light gray, pale green, pink tones are perfectly combined with bright brown cork.
Classic-style room design includes a symmetrical décor. The shape and color of the panels should be repeated throughout the area of the room. The same applies to other elements of cork decor (patterns, frames, etc.). The avant-garde style, on the contrary, implies the inclusion of asymmetric elements in the interior. For the ethno style it would be appropriate to alternate cork and white, plastered areas, or closed with a mat or veneer.
Conclusion
Products for interior decoration from cork have proved to be among the owners of houses and apartments as high-quality, safe for health and durable. Despite the high cost, which is justified, their popularity is growing from year to year. An increasing number of people who have decided to change the interior style in the house prefer cork.
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