Wicanders, Lush Cork Flooring from Portugal
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 02.20.07
Last week, TH Blog Love introduced Wicanders as ‘the specialist in cork flooring, who have a fantastic range of beautiful cork finishes that have nothing to do with the hippy-dotted floorboards from the 80ies’, as seen on the R3project. This gorgeous cork flooring deserves some more of our attention as we believe it stands for a great example of how an eco-material can be re-invented as a stylish product.
Cork is one of the ultimate sustainable materials, harvested without having to cut down the trees (only the bark is used), 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable.
Definite benefits that cork can give your floor, is that it reduces sound, works as a thermal insulator (less need for heating and cooling) and is shock absorbent. The elasticity of the material lets it regain its shape time after time so that it’s not just comfortable but also durable to walk on, whether high-heeled or not. The Wicanders cork floors, grown and produced in Portugal, have combined this natural material with a bit of technology and created the Xtreme WRT varnish to make the floor scratch- and spot-proof as well as easy to look after without loosing its natural feel. The varnish consists of several coatings such as ceramic layers, a sand sealer, genuine cork veneer and a flexible and insulating cork layer, repeated as underlay. The middle bit of the floor boards consist of High Density Fibreboard (made from cardboard) fitted with a click system for easy and fast installation. The click system locks one floorboard to the other and eliminates the need for glues or plastic floor lining. Different types of floors are available for domestic and commercial use. Most characteristically about the Wicanders floors are the collections of different patterns, textures and colours (from white to dark brown or reddish) that suggest an elegant and timeless new aesthetic to cork floors. Via ::R3project ::Wicanders
As synthethic wine "corks" become more common, the ancient and wildlife-rich cork forests of Spain and Portugal, are under threat of development. Flooring and other uses for this sustainable material ensure that these unique habitats are protected.
I know MDF has an odor/offgas that is extremely irritating for me. So how would HDF be any different? I'm worried about the glues used to bind the layers together. Also, what is the veneer made of? Is it low VOC? Is there any formaldehyde?
Air quality is important to everyone, but especially people with sensitivities, allergies, and asthma. All of Wicanders products are available with Acrodur, a water-based binder, which contains no solvents like polyurethane, phenol-formaldehyde or urea formaldehyde resins that give off emissions. Acrodur is also made in keeping with the sustainability of Wicanders classic cork oak floors. You can read more about Wicanders and indoor air quality at www.CorkOakFloors.com
I have been researching this floor. Nice to talk about ECO floors, and the cork layers DO use an ECO glue - but why not mention the urea formaldehyde binder used in the HDF core? what's the point of having eco cork sandwiched around formaldehyde filled HDF? very frustrated... seems like a half measure to me, unless i am missing something here...
We purchased Wicanders cork flooring for our boys' bedroom. We have been very disappointed with the product, as well as the customer service. The product was misrepresented (by the vendor, not Wicanders). We had expected (and asked for) a cork whose design was all the way through, so over the years, as it wears down, it will be presentable. What we got was a layer of cork, like the kind we all use for corkboards, with a thin veneer of the pattern we thought was all the way through the tile.
Since we were not allowed to return it without paying an exorbitant restocking fee, we installed it exactly as instructed (after searching for the correct instructions because the enclosed instructions were for wrong!)
Please understand my husband is a perfectionist, and did a better job than the average joe would have done on the adhesive application, tile line-up, etc. However, exactly one year later, the corners are lifting. Which means the veneer will chip off and we'll have an unsightly corkboard looking floor, since the stuff is glued down.
We got the runaround from every person we spoke with (and I called EVERYONE!). "Not my job" was basically the general response. Maybe its the nature of the flooring business, but it left a nasty taste in our mouths. And I really thought I did my research. The rest of the house is getting hardwood.