Cork Flooring may seem to be one of the new kids on the block when it comes to floor coverings, yet cork floors have been used for many years. I recently returned to my grandparent’s home in upstate NY and never really noticed the cork flooring in the study and one of the bedrooms, but it certainly grabbed my attention. Perhaps it was the noticeable difference I felt beneath my feet when I stepped from the hardwood flooring to the cork floors or maybe it was the color change between the two flooring types. Either way, I think I was most impressed by how well the natural cork floors had held up after almost 60 years.

The color of the natural cork floor was also beautiful, it was soft underfoot and there was much less sound transfer when walking on the cork as compared to the hardwood flooring. I didn't see any signs the cork floors were old and worn or needed to be repaired or replaced. Instead I thought my grandfather must have been ahead of his time and known something long ago that many people are recently discovering. Cork flooring is a great floor covering - it's beautiful, it's green, and after almost 60 years in my grandparent's home, it certainly proves to wear well.

Following in my grandparent’s footsteps I am now looking to purchase new cork floors for my living room from a local flooring retailer. The only trouble I am having now is deciding what type of cork flooring to buy. I like the beauty of natural cork floors compared to stained cork, but not sure if I should use planks or tiles. Cork planks seem like the easier of the two to find, but then I have to decide on the composition of solid, laminate, or mosaic cork flooring choices. Given where I live the laminate cork floor option is probably the best and easiest to care for. So many cork choices available, whats a women to do?

Wish me luck in finding the perfect cork floors for my home as I am sure one of the major cork flooring manufacturers like WE Cork, Wicanders, or Natural Cork will have just what I am searching for.