I'm really interested in installing cork flooring in my kitchen but I've heard that it's easily punctured and dented (by furniture, high heeled shoes, etc.). How has your cork held up?

@probablykk, there are inherent pros and cons with cork. While it can be scratched or dented more easily than tile or concrete, it also has some self-healing qualities that make it a better choice than softwood floors like fir or pine. Because there is a bit of cushion in the floor, it's a great choice for rooms like kitchens that require a lot of standing (other perks - if you drop a dish it's less likely to break and the mottled color of cork is good at hiding dirt and crumbs!). We've only had our cork for a few weeks now, but so far, so good. We also implemented a no-shoes policy (to keep the floors looking nice and to help with indoor air quality) and put felt pads under our furniture legs. We do have a large dog, which pushed us in the direction of a through-body cork with a wax finish. Glue-down tiles are typically through-body (meaning it's the same material all the way through), while the click-together option is typically a sandwich of MDF, natural cork and then a thin veneer of the finish color or pattern on top. If the veneer is much different than the natural cork middle layer, then a scratch becomes more obvious. Also, while polyurethane is a common finish, we chose wax because it allows a homeowner the ability to spot repair (whereas a poly finish had to be redone entirely). If you do get a slight scratch, it's probably going to be in the wax finish rather than the material itself, so it's totally fixeable. Hope this helps!

Well written! Thanks Lauren-I love your blog!

Nicely done, we are considering cork as well. I am concerned about indoor air quality though. Were you able to find a low VOC glue and finish.

@CRobb, the glue we used has zero VOC's and the for the finish we used low-VOC, OSMO hardwax oil.

Good to know it's available. Thanks.