To comfortably decorate the floors use special coatings from natural materials. One of them is traffic jam. It is extracted from the bark of an evergreen plant, distinguished by a large branching of the trunk and a wide crown. The removed bark builds up again, which makes cork production a harmless and ongoing process. The coatings resulting from this material are very light, soft, with good cushioning properties. Binder cellulose repels water, and synthetic additives increase fire resistance. A number of firms producing cork floors and coverings have proven themselves well on the construction market, having become acquainted with them, you can make your conscious choice.
Top Premium Cork Floor Makers
This part of the world market is flooded with companies from Germany, Portugal and Switzerland. It is there that cork oaks grow, which selectors plant more and more to cover the growing needs of construction companies and private citizens.
Such products are more thick coatings, excellent water-repellent and fire-fighting properties. Here are the best firms producing high-quality, but expensive products.
Corkstyle - the master of diversity
The company is a Swiss brand that has a personal studio and is constantly working to provide new options for drawing flooring. There are both classic types of images of natural bark, and photo printing, which cause a drawing of a cut of a tree of massive rocks or a type of board with strokes of paint.
In the assortment there are both types with a glue fit and solid cork panels with locking latch. The company buys cork in Portugal and Sardinia. Materials are purchased from Kronospan for the base and Loba supplies coating varnishes. The most expensive floor models have manual processing.
Pros:
- very high quality components from global manufacturers;
- thick cork;
- a wide variety of drawings developed by your own studio;
- mounting options for coatings;
- ongoing research to improve technology;
- strict quality control;
- reinforced locks in rigid cork panels;
- world recognition.
Minuses:
- high price;
- It takes a lot of varnish to protect the drawing from abrasion.
Wicanders is the most experienced manufacturer.
The history of this brand began in 1868 in Stockholm with bark processing on a small farm. Now it is the world name of the leading Portuguese company. It has thousands of employees, and the plants are located in Russia, Finland and Germany.
The collection of the company includes a variety of flooring with classic, vintage and decorative styles. Often variations in the pattern are achieved by modifying the type and amount of varnish.
There are many types of cork stiffness in the product range, where everyone can choose the required parameters for individual rooms.
Pros:
- high noise insulation;
- a large range of rigidity;
- all impregnation and base for cork only from natural ingredients;
- mounting on glue or locks;
- hypoallergenic composition;
- when the dishes fall on the floor, it does not break;
- retains heat well
Minuses:
- may swell at the joints when moisture enters;
- before installation should lie in the apartment a couple of days to take a constant size at a specific temperature;
- easily damaged by hard objects.
Egger - German practicality
This company is a family business from Germany. Now its production facilities employ more than 8,000 people.New plants built in Russia and Turkey. For 50 years of its history, the company retains its style - high quality products without harm to nature.
Resource-saving programs are created in a vicious circle of mining and production. Cork floors are developed both for private homes and in commercial applications for furnishing offices, design studios and elite cafes. The range is represented by several product lines with cozy and ultramodern features.
Pros:
- cover easy to lay;
- completely natural materials;
- wide range of colors and patterns on the cork;
- high moisture resistance;
- no slip, which is convenient for the safety of children;
- wet or dry vacuuming is possible.
Minuses:
- traces of furniture remain;
- easy to cut through dragging a heavy object;
- Pets can scratch.
The best manufacturers of cork floors economy class
These products are also made from oak bark, but cheaper binders can be used to make them. The coating layer is standard or less.
Companies producing such floors are located in Russia and the near abroad, which reduces the cost of delivery. Here are the most popular representatives of the economy class cork floors.
Maestro Club - collaborates with European suppliers
This Russian product has four lines of collections under the names Rondo with the additional designation of numbers and Fado. The products are characterized by soft coatings with a thickness of 4 mm for glue fixation and thick panels under the lock with slats of 10.5 mm.
Among the main tasks of the company is the creation of floors with high repellency of dust and antistatic properties. Some series are warranted up to 20 years due to durable varnish. The company buys raw materials for the production of cork floors from foreign manufacturers.
Pros:
- UV resistance;
- elastic materials;
- wide application;
- affordable cost;
- can be laid on top of warm floors;
- lack of volatile substances in production;
- 16 color shades;
- heat-saving properties.
Minuses:
- joints swell from water;
- small chips;
- connections are visible to the naked eye.
Floor Step - new direction
Despite its Portuguese origins, this company has very reasonable prices for cork coverage because of its relatively recent activity in this direction, which began in 2012.
All products are manufactured on the latest equipment. The main markets are concentrated in Europe and Asia.
Floors are made from pressed bark without the addition of chemical connecting components. In the assortment of the company 10 color options, which are obtained by screen printing or applying environmentally safe paint.
Pros:
- wet cleaning is possible;
- good sound insulation;
- soft surface for walking barefoot;
- does not rot;
- hypoallergenic composition;
- insects do not breed in the material;
- competitive prices.
Minuses:
- only 10 types of color;
- only lock mounting options.
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