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The designers said that cork will become one of the most popular materials in 2017-18. Find out how to make your home trendy and "designer" simple and hassle-free. Trust me, cork is fun!
Natural cork in the interior
A material called cork is nothing more than the porous bark of a cork tree. In addition to the fact that the cork has a unique beautiful structure, it is also a soft, elastic, moisture-resistant material with good sound-absorbing and heat-insulating properties. Not to use all these advantages in the interior is a crime.
Cork accessories
You can make your apartment relevant in terms of design without making repairs at all. The fashion trend was quickly picked up by manufacturers and, for example, at IKEA, it is easy to find a lot of items made from cork.
And even on this site you will find many DIY projects that turn ordinary wine corks into interesting and useful items.
By the way, cork is basically an eco-friendly material. Not only is it completely safe for human health, but also for its production it is not necessary to cut down a tree: the bark grows back over time.
Cork furniture
Restless designers even make furniture out of cork. This material can be used both as a lining of furniture surfaces, using thin layers of cork according to the veneer principle, and by splicing cork into monolithic products.
Cork walls
And of course, the surfaces of the walls and even the ceiling are lined with cork. Most often, cork wallpapers and panels are used for decorative purposes as a material with a unique natural surface, but no one canceled the sound insulation and softness of cork.
And yet - the classic version - it is convenient to use cork as a surface for pinning posters and papers to the wall with pins.
Cork floors and their types
Yet cork flooring remains the most popular use for this material. It is pleasant to walk barefoot on a warm, slightly soft floor, it is quite easy to maintain: it can be vacuumed or washed, while cork floors are not afraid of moisture, and where there is no moisture, there are no fungi and mold.
A cork floor can be a sheet material, small plates of which are put on glue, or it can be a cork parquet with an MDF base and a locking fastening principle.
And of course, a modern cork floor can have excellent wear resistance through the use of composite materials and special varnishes. It is still a natural cork with a breathtaking natural texture, but adapted to today's requirements of operation and design.
Cork floor care:
- Cork floors are relatively easy to maintain. They can be vacuumed, wiped with a damp cloth using detergents that do not contain aggressive components and solvents.
- The service life of cork surfaces is initially lower than, say, wood. To prolong it, in addition to a careful attitude, control the humidity in the room: on average, around 50%. This will prevent the material from drying out and the appearance of natural cracks on the surface.
- For cork floors, the same varnishes are used as for wood: water-based varnish or two-component varnish based on polyurethane resin. If the thickness of the cork floor allows, over time it will be possible to repair the coating by sanding the top layer and re-varnishing the floor.
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