Cork installation is something that not many folks know much about, but that is why you turn to experts like those at APC Cork Floors.com to assist you along the way. To cover some cork basics, let’s review some of the principles of cork that make it such a great material to work with. For one, cork is a great insulator both against sound, but also against temperature. The cellular structure of cork is what gives it these phenomenal properties. To expand on this, the prism structure of cork combined with the structure and number of air pockets makes the substance a great choice for areas of high sound and/or fluctuations in temperature. One of the biggest complaints about hardwood is that it is temperature sensitive and is more likely to expand and contract depending on warmth and coolness. This is something that you will not have to concern yourself with should you select cork for your residence or place of business.
To continue this discussion, we turn to some additional uses of cork. While APC cork flooring offers absolutely beautiful cork options that range in color and style from sophisticated to rustic to traditional, cork is also a great application tool where it is never even seen. Here we are referring to using cork as an underlayment to other types of flooring materials. For example, because cork is such a great sound reducer, when placed under other flooring materials, it makes a perfect addition to museums, multi-floor buildings and residences, and for churches and temples. Many times cork is selected for installment under ceramic tiles as its compression ratio makes it such that grout and tile will not crack when installed over it. This thereby gives you the option of adorning your museum with lovely ceramic stone, but while providing a temperature and sound barrier that you would otherwise not have without the cork. In addition, while cork is a great protector of what lies above it, it will also help protect what lies below it. For example, when tile is applied over cork, this protects from further cracking of the subfloor. The cork is in effect acting as a protecting barrier between the two layers, which in the long-term will save you money from repairs to the visible floor and to the flooring underneath. While most of this discussion has surrounded cork’s application under tile or ceramic, it serves the same benefits when applied under hardwood.