Cork vs Bamboo Flooring

[neomia]

We are considering replacing our carpet and would like an ecofriendly option. We live in the Pacific Northwest, however, and it seems like I have heard about issues with these types of floorings expanding and contracting. Anybody know?

[lizabird]

We got a cork floor installed to replace carpet about 2 months ago now. We love it! It looks great, feels nice, and while I can't comment on how it holds up over a long time or multiple seasons, I am in hot humid NC and it doesn't seem like the humidity will affect it much. We'll see if anything obvious happens this winter when the air dries out. I';m guessing, though, that it would be similar to a hardwood floor. Natural products will expand and contract, but if they're installed correctly, that shouldn't be a problem.

[dinahx]

Well I consider Bamboo to be an upgrade from Cork.

Cork is less expensive. Sometimes Cork requires an adhesive, but it is possible to get floating Cork. It's awesome and I love it. It is also more porus than wood or bamboo though, so I bet it would be more likely to react with moisture.

Bamboo is more expenisive. It is so pretty! It also sometimes requires an adhseive, but again floating is available. Bamboo is very Chic these days, and I consider it a more permanent flooring choice than Cork.

The only place where I would choose Cork over Bamboo if money were no object and I wanted the floors to last a while is in a child's playroom or Yoga studio. I believe the Cork would be better at cushioning a child's fall and make for a safer play surface. HTH!

[easterdee]

We just bought bamboo flooring for our new play room and it was actually cheaper than cork-it was 1.99 a sq foot! We bought it from lumber liquidaters, it's beautiful. One of the reasons we went with the bamboo was that they told us that cork will get depressions over time from heavy furniture (couches, beds etc.) That's my little tid-bit of info

[purplegirl]

moved from Natural body products to green living.

[leila1213]

Hmm I thought my bro told me that bamboo has lots of nasty formaldehyde and sealants and whatnot. Don't remember the details though obviously. lol

[Sara Badger]

We have both and the cork is holding up better then the bamboo and they are both less then 3 months old! I Love the cork and will replace the bamboo at some point!

[KBinSATX]

Originally Posted by leila1213

Hmm I thought my bro told me that bamboo has lots of nasty formaldehyde and sealants and whatnot. Don't remember the details though obviously. lol

I am sure it depends on what you get. All of them are somewhat engineered to be used as flooring, don't you think? So perhaps the better stuff is made with better additives?
Just a guess...

[loree]

We put cork in about a year ago. It is great -- comfortable to walk on & nice looking. It is installed over radiant heat, FYI. The only problem is fading - which we knew could be a problem upfront (we live in an Eichler)

[Belleweather]

My mom has cork in her sunroom and kitchen. We're in an area with tremendous variation in humidity, and she hasn't had any problems on that score. Her biggest complaint about it is that it's slippery as all get out and easy to slide and fall in stocking feet.

[talia rose]

We have both bamboo, in our store showroom, and cork in our living room. Personally i LOVE the cork. It just feels homey, is a little warmer, and softer. Great to get down on the floor to play, do puzzles ect.

Cheap bamboo flooring does have toxic glues, sealants and formaldehyde in it. It also warps rather quickly as it is harvested too early - this is the biggest complaint we hear from our customers who bought Costco bamboo and are looking to replace it. Cheap cork will also have much the same, though I have not heard it warps. We love Ecotimber flooring as it is harvested maturely, formaldehyde free, and sustainably harvested. Thier woven bamboo is really tough and durable and a bit more rustic looking. We put in Nova Cork, which is a clean, swiss company. The cork is easier to install, as it comes in floating 12" x 36" click planks. We did that ourselves, but had to hire a professional to do the bamboo.

[TinyFrog]

Originally Posted by leila1213

Hmm I thought my bro told me that bamboo has lots of nasty formaldehyde and sealants and whatnot. Don't remember the details though obviously. lol

This is entirely dependent on the manufacturer. Many do have formaldehyde, some do not.

Originally Posted by talia rose

We have both bamboo, in our store showroom, and cork in our living room. Personally i LOVE the cork. It just feels homey, is a little warmer, and softer. Great to get down on the floor to play, do puzzles ect.

Cheap bamboo flooring does have toxic glues, sealants and formaldehyde in it. It also warps rather quickly as it is harvested too early - this is the biggest complaint we hear from our customers who bought Costco bamboo and are looking to replace it. Cheap cork will also have much the same, though I have not heard it warps. We love Ecotimber flooring as it is harvested maturely, formaldehyde free, and sustainably harvested. Thier woven bamboo is really tough and durable and a bit more rustic looking. We put in Nova Cork, which is a clean, swiss company. The cork is easier to install, as it comes in floating 12" x 36" click planks. We did that ourselves, but had to hire a professional to do the bamboo.

We have bought the woven EcoTimber for our home. We will start installing it next week. A few other points about the bamboo:

- with the woven, it is one of the hardest woods available.
- the natural color is harder than the caramelized due to the manufacturing process. This is slightly less true for the horizontal and vertical floors, less so with the woven.


I think the greatest cause of expansion and contraction goes back to the installation and the floors being installed either too tightly or to loose.

Eco-friendly options will definitely cost more. Going formaldehyde-free was important to me though and I loved that it is sustainably harvested. I did have to convince DH. He was hesitant at first due to the cost but he came around and now he proudly backs up the choice. He works in the building industry and now often hears stories of how people become sick after moving into their brand new homes.

[friendtoall]

Originally Posted by dinahx

Cork is less expensive. Sometimes Cork requires an adhesive, but it is possible to get floating Cork. It's awesome and I love it. It is also more porus than wood or bamboo though, so I bet it would be more likely to react with moisture.

I believe cork is naturally water-repellent due to the waxy content.