5 Key Tips to take care of your Cork Flooring
Cork Floor Care:
Thankfully you’ve chosen one of the most durable and easiest to clean flooring materials available today. With a little elbow grease and some common sense you’ll be able to keep that ‘just installed’ look of your cork flooring and have it last longer than the cork flooring in the Library of Congress; and that’s been there since the 1800s! Below are a few key points to keep your cork flooring look its best!
Cork Floor Care Tip 1:
Keep your cork flooring from fading. Do not let excessive sunlight hit the flooring for long periods of time. Curtains, drapes, blinds, window treatments, etc are a good way to prevent this while adding a more decorated look to your room.
Cork Floor Care Tip 2:
Add a drip pan underneath your floor level plants. If you have any potted plants located on the floor level you’ll want to add a pot drip pan underneath them to prevent water from seeping into your cork floors. Cork is one of the most mildew resistant flooring materials on the market, but long term abuse will lead to damage.
Cork Floor Care Tip 3:
Lift your furniture, don’t drag it. People moving or relocating furniture is when the most damage is done to cork flooring. The strength of cork flooring is due to its cellular honeycomb structure, so weight isn’t an issue. However, if you drag furniture across cork flooring it will damage this structure and rip holes into the flooring. Make sure you lift furniture and don’t drag it.
Cork Floor Care Tip 4:
Felt pads under furniture are a must! A good way to prevent scuffs and scratches in your cork flooring is to place felt pads underneath all furniture located on top of your cork flooring. This includes tables, dressers, beds, TV stands, etc. You’ll find felt pads that can be cut to any size and will be unnoticeable to any guests over for dinner.
Cork Floor Care Tip 5:
Place breathable mats in high use areas. You’ll also want to consider breathable mats in the front of any sinks or exterior doorways to prevent the build of moisture. You’ll want to stay away from rubber, latex or “plasticized” rug pads or other non-porous material as they have a tendency to gather water underneath them – thus defeating the purpose of the mats. Rubber, rubberized and even natural Latex rugs and pads have caused cork floors to stain. The plasticizers are petroleum based which means they can leach into the surface of the cork finish causing a dark yellow/orange stain – very much like a nicotine stain.