Update Your Kitchen with a Cork Floor

The displays of new kitchens in home improvement stores are very tempting to homeowners. If you’ve decided to give your kitchen a makeover, you’ve probably chosen new cabinets and counters, new appliances, maybe a new color for the walls. You’re giving the heart of your home a new appearance, and it’s going to be fabulous.

Have you considered a new floor? Your old floor may be okay, but doesn’t a new kitchen deserve a new floor to set off its beauty and enhance its ambience?

When you hear “kitchen floor,” your thoughts may turn first to marble or solid hardwood, something traditional and “kitcheny.” A cork floor would probably be down the list of flooring options for your kitchen, but it should be near the top.

Cork floors are the perfect addition to your kitchen for several reasons.

The first advantage to cork flooring is the look. A cork floor is, first of all, very elegant and eye-catching. Cork flooring can make any kitchen look more like a chef's haven. The color and texture of cork flooring are sedate and understated, but beautiful and enchanting at the same time.

Cork floors are also softer than hardwood flooring, and especially softer than marble floors. Of course we realize cork is a softer material, but you’ll really appreciate cork flooring’s softness and insulation the first time you drop your grandmother’s priceless china.

In a kitchen, cork flooring’s flame-retardant qualities are a great boon. Of course you hope that will never become an issue in your kitchen, but accidents happen, and if you have a small fire in your kitchen, you’ll appreciate having cork flooring. Cork floors are also less likely to scorch than hardwoods if something hot falls on them.

Kitchens are a haven for mold and mildew; they are also the one place in your house where you most want to battle not only these two problems but also germs. Cork floors contain a waxy substance called suberin that makes the cork resistant to mold, mildew and germs, and keeps your kitchen cleaner and safer.

Another important factor in choosing your floor is ease of cleaning, since kitchens tend to be the site of spills and accidents. Keeping your cork floor clean is as simple as sweeping and mopping, and it looks cleaner than some light-colored hard surfaces which seem to show dirt very badly.

Finally, if you're environmentally conscious, as most homeowners today are, you'll be pleased to know cork flooring provides natural insulation to make your home greener. Cork floors are also made from cork that is harvested from trees that are not harmed by having their bark stripped every 9 to 10 years, so you're helping the environment and buying a beautiful cork floor at the same time.

So before you put in the cabinets and the refrigerator, why not put in a new cork floor?