New Floors? Why Cork Beats Bamboo

After checking in on yesterday's survey, Green or Not? Bamboo, we were reminded of an article on green flooring that we just recently came across ...

We've been spending our recent Sunday's perusing open houses in our neighborhood. A few Sundays ago, we came across a cute two-bedroom bungalow with a tiny kitchen. We took one look at the kitchen floor (some sort of vinyl) and knew that if we ever owned that house, that floor would be the first thing to go.

So we did a little research on green flooring and came across an interesting post at Lime.com on green kitchen remodels. We were most intrigued by the discussion of cork vs. bamboo flooring.

Here's a snippet of what blogger Philip Higgs had to say:

Despite the hype, you should forget the bamboo floors. Now, here’s where I expect to get a little grief, but I’m going to say it anyway. Bamboo flooring is machined and treated in giant factories by pregnant, bamboo-dust-inhaling teenagers in China, then shipped halfway across the planet to your kitchen floor ...

Keep on reading and find out why he prefers cork. What do you think?

(Image: Flickr member kpwerker licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Comments (5)

You MacBook, HD TV, etc are most like made in a similar factory. Are you okay with that?

I can understand the point he makes about the bamboo, but i would not recommend cork for a kitchen application. cork swells when exposed to water and humid conditions. even when sealed to manufacturers specifications i've seen problems with it time and again. (in various room types.) a kitchen the last place i'd use it.

We recently renovated our place and put cork in the livingroom and kitchen and so far it's amazing. It is an excellent sound barrier, soft on the joints and we've had glasses fall off the counter and stay intact (bonus!). It's easy to clean and requires no maintenance.

Who's feet are those? Golem?

I work in a museum with 20,000 square feet of 85-year-old cork floors. They spent their first fifty or so years without a/c or heating here in the deep South. It's in the kitchen, the butlers' pantry, and every gallery. Major traffic, a huge black-tie gala every year, you name it, they've seen it. They've got *patina* but they're still going pretty strong. Cork is an investment that will *last*.