Disadvantages of cork flooring

If you are planning to change the flooring of your home and are considering cork flooring, remember that cork flooring carries a number of disadvantages. While there are certain advantages as well, but when compared to other flooring options, cork flooring generally falls short. To make sure that you make an informed decision, we have created a list of some of the most common disadvantages of cork flooring.

Sealing

It is very important to seal cork flooring to ensure that it stays protected from damage. As soon as the flooring is installed, you will be required to seal the floor to ensure that it is well-protected from damage caused due to water, stains and other types of problems. Moreover, it is also very important to ensure that a good quality sealant is used and a professional has done the sealing job for you as low quality sealant or improper application of sealant leaves the floor highly vulnerable to damage.

Cleaning

Cork floors require high maintenance and cleaning. Moreover, cleaning cork floor is not as simple as you might imagine. As mentioned above, cork flooring is highly vulnerable to water damage. If the flooring gets wet, it will start expanding and result in an uneven texture. Over time, cracks will start developing on the floor. While comparing to other flooring options, you cannot just mop cork flooring with water.

Damage

As mentioned above, cork flooring is vulnerable to water damage. Apart from the damage caused by water, cork flooring is also vulnerable to physical damage. For instance, if you accidentally drop anything heavy on the cork floor a dent will instantly appear on the floor. Apart from this, heavy furniture units can also result in deep dents on cork floors over time.

Cost

While cork flooring is considered inexpensive as compared to other flooring options like hardwood, it is still expensive than laminates and carpets. Moreover, the cost of applying sealant and repairing damages generally results in high maintenance costs as compared to other types of flooring options.

Fading

Another drawback of cork flooring is the fact that it gets lighter when overexposed to sunlight and will start fading. As a result, cork flooring cannot be installed near doors or windows.

As you can see, there are a number of downsides of installing cork flooring. If you want to change your flooring there are number of affordable options that do not carry so many disadvantages.