How Cork Floors Are Made

Cork 101
The cork that is used to make cork floors is the same cork that has been used for various reason, including wine stoppers, for thousands of years.

Cork is actually the harvested bark of the Cork Oak Tree found primarily in the Mediterranean basin. Portugal is the world's leading producer of cork.

Harvesting Cork
Every seven to fifteen years, the bark begins to naturally split from the tree. Once this splitting occurs, the bark is removed using the same techniques and hand tools that have been used to harvest cork for thousands of years.

No damage is done to the tree during the harvest. Only the bark is removed, which the tree will naturally replace in approximately ten years. It is not uncommon to find Cork Oak Trees that are still producing cork bark at the age of 200 years.

Manufacturing Cork Floors
Most cork floors are actually made from the cork left over from the production of cork wine stoppers, meaning that cork floors are made from recycled cork, even further increasing the environmental advantages of this product.

The leftover cork from the production of wine stoppers is ground up and then formed into sheets. These ground up cork pieces are bound together using a minimal amount of adhesive and high pressure.

Protecting the Cork Floor
Most cork floors have a top layer of five coats of UV cured acrylic finish, making the floor even more durable.