Cork Flooring: Natural Shade Variations

Cork flooring is made from the bark of the Cork Oak tree. Since it is a naturally based product, there are shade variations in cork flooring. These variations are inherent and should be expected. Many cork trees are harvested at the same time so bark from many trees is used to create cork flooring.

Once the cork bark is harvested, it is dried outside for about 6 months. Before the cork is ground up for flooring, cork stoppers are drilled in the bark and it is the waste from the stoppers as well as some virgin bark that are used for cork flooring. The cork is ground up, compressed and baked in 4Â" thick molds at varying degrees. It is this baking process which create the shades from Light to Medium to Dark. The process is similar to baking a cake; the outside of the cake is a different shade than the inside of the cake. The tiles cut from the outside of the mold will be a different shade than the tiles cut from the inside of the mold. The Medium shade will have the most variation from tile to tile and the Dark will have the least amount of shade variation from tile to tile.

It is the responsibility of the installer to blend the shades when installing. As with other wood flooring, and natural stones these shade variations are part of the unique beauty of natural products. Because there are no stains or dyes in natural cork flooring, if subjected to direct sunlight, cork will fade.