What do you know about cork flooring?
I've been doing a little online research, still trying to find something that meets the "green standard," is within our budget, will stand up to kids and a dog...and it has to look fabulous. (Note to my boss: I'm blogging about it, so my research IS work related!)
A co-worker recommended cork, but I really hadn't seen anything I like. And I was under the impression that cork was becoming rare. A couple years ago, it seemed like every time I bought a bottle of wine, it was "corked' with plastic. Turns out the biggest risk to cork was a lack of interest. The industry was dying away because only wine bottlers were using cork, and stripping cork from trees takes great care and skill, and the tradition was dying.
The recent interest in all things green has revived the cork industry, so I took another look at what all is available flooring-wise. Wow! There's a lot of great looking stuff out there, and beautiful applications. Some of it's out of our budget, but some of it looks to be affordable. I learned, too, that cork has terrific insulating properties. I knew already about the acoustic advantages and it's cushioney quality.
Here's what concerns me: I was sold on bamboo, too, until I learned more about how cultivation and harvesting works. Now I'm not so sure.
Does anybody know anybody who has used cork as a flooring material? Have you read anything about its being undeserving of its green reputation?