Thursday, October 27, 2011

Site Finish Glue Down Cork vs Prefinished Floating Floor

Site finish glue down cork tile is a Solida cork tile that is glued to the substrate and then has top coats of finish applied on site. Prefinished floating floors click together without the use of an adhesive and once the floor has been completed, the job is done. No urethane is normally applied on site.

Each of these two options offers their own unique benefits. A prefinished floating floor is very easy to install and can be done by just about anyone with a few tools. There are many options available often at lower price points than a site finish floor. Floating floors also have an added advantage when working with subfloor irregularities. Although there are limitations with subfloor imperfections, a floating floor will work in many cases where glue down floors would require significant subfloor preparation. Many Solida prefinished floating floors carry a 15 year residential wear warranty and all have a durable, hard wearing finish.

Solida site finish glue down floors offer a "WOW" factor. The design possibilities are endless as each floor is made to order in terms of colour, design, shape and size. Top coats of finish are applied on site, giving a more finished look as all of the joints are sealed. As the cork tiles are glued to the substrate and sealed on site, the floor is virtually impervious to water. This makes them perfect for installations in kitchens and basements and high traffic areas. With Solida site finish tiles, a number of different finishes are available offering different gloss levels and commercial grade urethanes.

Solida also has available prefinished glue down tiles and site finish floating floors both of which will be covered at a later date.

Whichever option you are considering, consider the unique qualities of each and please contact your Solida Cork & Bamboo dealer for more information!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Where does cork flooring come from?

Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus Suber for the botanists out there). Cork oak trees grow in the Mediterranean and the vast majority of cork used in flooring comes from Portugal where it is a protected species. The bark from these trees is harvested in approximately 9 year cycles (the first harvest occurring after approximately 25 years) with the bark becoming more supple after each harvest. This harvesting is done by hand with experienced personnel. About 50 percent of the bark is removed during each harvest.

After harvesting, the bark is processed for bottle corks. The premium bark has bottle corks punched out by hand, the lesser material is done by mechanical means. The remaining material goes through a process which agglomerates the bark into granules. This material is mixed with a binder and then baked to form large blocks of cork. These blocks are then sliced into the appropriate thickness for cork flooring. Some products are homogeneous (this potentially allows them to be sanded and refinished while on the floor, a valuable attribute in a heavy traffic, commercial installation), other products have an attractive veneer applied to the top allowing for a multitude of design possibilities! Products that are homogeneous can be baked for longer periods causing carbonization of the cork. Carbonized cork is darkened to a shade directly relevant to the length of time spent in the oven.

One of the most appealing elements of cork flooring (besides its natural beauty) is that it is almost entirely recycled industrial waste. Cork can help in achieving numerous LEED credits and has a lengthy life span. There are cork installations in use today that were installed one hundred or more years ago!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A Little History!

Solida Cork & Bamboo has been distributing cork flooring since 1993. In 1997 Solida began manufacturing cork flooring. 1997 also marked the beginning of Solida’s entry into the USA. Solida Cork can now be found throughout most of the USA and Canada.

Each Solida floor is carefully handcrafted in our facility to meet the requirements of the end user. Every order from 10 square feet to tens of thousands of square feet is given the same attention to detail.

Solida offers both a site finish program, where the finish is applied after installation, and a pre-finished program which has the finish applied at the factory. Each of these programs is available in both traditional glue down tile and our Easy Cliq floating floor and each has its own benefits.

What sets the Solida site finish program apart from others is the virtually infinite number of possibilities you can put together! We have more colours, more designs, more shapes and more sizes than any other supplier. In addition because most of the work is done in our facility, we can offer custom colours, shapes and sizes. Each order is handcrafted to your wishes and supplied with a satin polyurethane or available matte polyurethane for on site application. This is why designers love the Solida program!