Before you turn to vinyl, laminate or even tile for your new floor, take a look at cork. It is renewable, attractive and easy to care for.Cork is most often harvested from the bark of the Cork Oak. Unlike wood flooring, the entire tree is not cut down, only the outside is removed. The tree lives to grow more bark for a later harvest. Flooring is made from the excess bark once the cork for wine bottles is removed (priorities!). The pieces are ground up molded and glued back together. Cork can be stained or baked to achieve desired colors.
Cork flooring is great for kitchens as it is springy and cushions your feet. Cork is hypoallergenic and can be swept clean. The floors are great insulators too as the air pockets within can keep floors warm against your bare feet. They can be sealed with non-toxic urethane to outlast even hardwood floors. The best thing is that if you drop a dish on them, you have a good chance of it not breaking.
Cork floors are great for nearly every room of the home except bathrooms as the water and humidity would ruin the floor. There are measures that can be taken to seal the perimeter but I personally wouldn't take a chance. Has anyone tried cork in the bathroom? How about in other rooms -- how is it working out for you?
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