Article Written By: keithtracy
As we all know, hardwood flooring has been use for ages. But despite this, its beauty and elegance remain to be a popular choice among homeowners. However, proper care and maintenance is required with this type of flooring. But as the technology is advancing, manufacturers are now able to refine the characteristics of traditional floorings, and at the same time, come up with unique flooring materials for consumer advantage. As of today, there are a lot of unique flooring materials available with unparallel characteristics. One of them is the cork flooring. Cork is made from the bark of an old oak tree. As such, it comes from a highly renewable source material and will not threaten ecological balance upon harvest. Simply put, cork flooring very eco-friendly. Because of this, more homeowners are now changing their flooring with cork. In light of its remarkable and unparallel characteristics, cork flooring is now known as a reliable material for the home. This is fire resistant, moisture resistant, stain resistant, insect resistant, and an effective sound reducer. These are some of the beautiful qualities of cork that can be attributed to a component called suberin. Suberin is a waxy substance that prevents water and fire from penetrating the flooring material. And because this component is non toxic, when cork flooring is burned, it will not release noxious gases. It is perfect for the living room, bed room, and kitchen. And if you have a problem with your health then cork flooring is also best for you, because it is hypoallergenic.In addition, it is also one of the most famous today. It comes from a bamboo family called moso. This type of grass is commonly grown in sub-tropical areas like in South Asia. As of today China is the biggest distributor of moso bamboo world wide. Most bamboo has been use as an alternative to hardwood flooring and cork flooring and it is often applied in the living room, bed room, and kitchen. Bamboo is more durable that regular hardwood and moreover, this type of is less expensive. Bamboo and cork almost have the same characteristics, from stain, moisture, and insect resistance. However, the former is much more affordable than the latter.Now, contemporary hardwood flooring is not the same that you see in your grandmother's home. Because of modern science, it is made more durable than ever, as well as easy to install and easy to maintain. But the disadvantage is that it cannot withstand water. Hardwood flooring, however, present a wide variety of colors and designs to choose from. Among them are construction type hardwood floorings - the pre-finished and unfinished varieties. The pre-finished are hardwood floorings that have been engineered for heavy duty purposes and the unfinished are made of raw material. Today, most of them available are already pre-finished which makes it easy to install. The advantage of unfinished, on the other hand, is that it has more widths to choose from that can be easily be matched to any existing type. All types today can be used in many different areas. And you will need is knowledge to know what type is ideal where and to keep it lasting long. Although this is not only the factor you must consider, it will weight greatly in maintaining beauty and durability.
This Article Has Been Published on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 and Read 111 Times