August 24th, 2020Design with Indre

Cork it!
Cork was popular for flooring when I was a kid and with most things, it went out of fashion and now I’m hoping it cycles back into fashion. I like slate too and would be happy to have its use resurrected. I cannot say the same for the colour mission brown. It was too flat and boring a colour to ever have it reinstated again.
I have a garage conversion that is my ‘gunna’ project. I’m gunna get it done when I take some measurements, then I’m gunna get around to drawing up a plan, then I’m gunna get some material samples together and then perhaps wait for the stars to align.
I was thinking of cork for the flooring. It is very forgiving, warm and insulating on a concrete slab. Then, what do you know, I am contacted by a cork supplier. Not only do they do floor tiles but wall sheeting and acoustic panels.
I was under the impression that cork was an endangered material and as such was not ethical to use. Kind of like ivory or tiger oil. The story goes like this…
Cork oak forests grow around the Mediterranean sea in Spain, Italy, France, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Portugal is the largest cork producer and as such made a law to protect and preserve its forests from development. It was then that the world panicked about a cork shortage.
Cork in fact is an environmentally sustainable, renewable material. The outer layer of bark from the cork oak is stripped every 9 or 10 years, which regrows. These trees grow to be 200–300 years old and trees are replanted and maintained. Thousands of acres of protected forest have resulted in a rich biodiversity of birds, animals and plants endemic to these forests.
Cork is naturally mould- and mildew-resistant. When cork is submerged in water (or wine) the suberin, a natural wax-like substance, prevents it from absorbing water or liquids thus protecting it from rot or decomposition. Cork is a natural acoustic and thermal insulator by helping absorb and dissipate sound and heat or cold. This property makes it perfect for use on floors, walls and ceilings. Perhaps not all at the same time unless you are sound proofing.
Cork naturally does not leak toxic gases with a structure that is difficult to smoke or burn, giving it good fire resistance. These particular cork tiles use non-toxic binders, so the product is recyclable and biodegradable.
Win, win I think, as I was pleased to see the sample products come in a variety of colours. As the cork naturally has a pattern, as does wood, it goes well in a simple, walled interior. The cork is sealed and care is to be taken with scratching, as on a laminate floorboard.
Taking all of this into account, I am now happy to be one step closer in completing my gunna project.
If you have a gunna project and have hit a roadblock, call me in and let’s get started.

Indre Kisonas – owner and principal designer- iok design
www.iokdesign.com.au | indre@iokdesign.com.au