It was about 8 years ago when I started thinking green. Not really knowing where to start I hired a woman to join our team that had knowledge of environmentally friendly products. We now fondly refer to her as “Greenpeace.”

   Back then there were only a couple of truly green products in the flooring industry. The first product I brought in was cork flooring. This product is completely green. In case some of you don’t know how cork flooring is made I will take a minute to tell you. Cork is the bark of the tree. They harvest 1/3 of the tree every nine years. No damage is done to the trees and the bark regrows almost immediately. Most cork is used for wine bottles the excess is put into molds with a water based urathane that holds the cork together, a veneer is glued on top and is finished with a urathane coating.

   Different patterns are made from different parts of the bark. Cork flooring comes in many styles and colors. The company we use most is Solida they have a great web site: www.solidacork.com if you want more info.

   How long has cork flooring been used? The Library of Congress installed cork over a 100 years ago and its still there! Some of the best quailties of cork are it’s warm, soft on your legs and very durable. We have been installing this floor for years but in the last 2 or 3 years more and more people are asking for it. Great news for Green. Even if you replace it you won’t find it in land fills it is completely biodegradable.