How is cork flooring made?
Cork flooring is actually composed of a tiny sealed honeycomb cellular structure made from the bark of the Cork Oak tree. After it is stripped off, it is stacked into piles and left to “season” in the field for one year. It is then ground, processed into sheets and baked in a kiln to produce tiles or panels. There are two basic construction methods: homogeneous and veneer. Homogeneous products have an advantage as they can be sanded and refinished while veneer products should not be. Cork flooring usually comes in panels that are generally 12″ by 36″, or tiles in many different sizes. It usually comes in two different installation methods – glued down or floating.
