Pacific Stone Company

Earth Friendly Flooring and Green Construction

Cork is the environmentally sound

choice for flooring.
The cork oak tree is not destroyed and then replanted but

rather the bark is harvested from the

tree every 9 years,

leaving the forest undamaged.

Its not unusual to have a 200

year old tree still producing cork bark.

Even better than a renewable resource, Cork is a Harvested Resource. Only the

bark is harvested from the tree,

causing no damage to the tree which

re-grows new bark. Cork flooring is

actually made from the waste of the

cork wine stopper manufacturing

process so cork flooring is a recycled

product.

All pigments,varnishes and adhesives

that Globus Cork uses in producing

its tiles are water-based, solvent-free

and have no VOCs.

 Natural Benefits of Cork:

Most of the benefits of cork are

derived from its specialized cellular

structure. Cork has a honeycomb

cellular structure and each cubic

centimeter contains roughly 40 million hexagonal cells. The cork tissue is nearly 90%

comprised of an air-like gas that

makes the material very lightweight

and low density.

Beauty:Cork is a beautiful natural

product and now with Globus Cork's

proprietary coloring process, there are

so many design options available.

Nearly any design that can be done in

ceramic tiles can now be done in cork. Globus Cork is unique in its tile size and shape offerings. More than 20 sizes that are

available as well as custom designs

and colours.

Durability:Cork flooring is a very

durable choice. Its been popular for

use in public buildings such as court

houses, churches, banks and

libraries. The softness and give of the

floor causes less of a grinding action

to occur with normal foot traffic than on

harder surfaces such as hardwood

floors. Cork flooring has a very long life

and can be repaired if damaged. The

oldest cork floor installation in the

US is in a church near

Chicago dating from 1898.

Softness:The air contained in the

millions of cork cells provides a

cushioned feel underfoot. It is not so

soft that it feels spongy, but it does

provide noticeable relief for those

who stand on their feet for many

hours. Whether standing on your feet

at work all day, working in your kitchen, or if

you have small children that play on

the floor, you'll appreciate the soft quality of cork floors.

Sound & Vibration Reduction: Cork

reduces the transmission of sound,

vibration, heat and thus is a great

insulator. The tiny cellular compartments seal air in each compartment

insulating each from the other with a

moisture resistant,waxy-like substance. This makes cork a great material for

recording studios, entertainment rooms, and any other

places where sound needs to be

reduced. Cork has long been used in

commercial buildings between floors

and on roofs under heavy machinery

for sound and vibration reduction.

Cork reduces impact sound (IIC) as

well as sound.

Thermal Insulation:Cork reduces

heat loss in rooms and even body

heat loss through the feet. Cork

naturally maintains a comfortable

median temperature, never getting

very hot or very cool. Walk barefoot on

a cork floor and the warmth is

immediately apparent. In tests its

been shown that less heat is lost

through the feet with a cork floor than

with hardwood, vinyl or ceramic floors. Cork is a natural thermal insulator

because of the encapsulated cells

containing mostly air.

Anti-Allergenic and Insect Resistant:

Bugs, mold, mites and even termites

are repelled by cork due to a naturally

occurring substance in cork called

Suberin. This waxy substance also

prevents cork from rotting even when

completely submerged under water

for long periods of time.

Easy Installation:Globus Cork tiles

are pre-finished and pre-glued.This

means that your flooring installer will

spend far less time installing your

floor and if you like to tackle home

improvement projects,

you can do this job yourself.

Globus Cork tiles have a

micro beveled edge that allows tiles

to expand and contract

as all natural products do

without the edges of a tile peaking

above another.

Elasticity:Cork cell membranes are

very flexible allowing cork to be both

compressible and elastic. When

cork is subjected to pressure or

heavy weights, the air in the cells

is compressed. An example would

be when a cork stopper is pressed

into a bottle opening. Once the

pressure is released

(or in the example, the cork is removed

from the bottle), cork returns to its

original shape. In cork flooring, this

means that although its possible to

make a dent in cork with a heavy

object or high-heeled shoes, the

cork will recover to its original shape,

unlike hardwood floors.

Fire ResistantThe natural waxy

substance Suberin makes cork a

natural fire inhibitor. Cork is fire

resistant and also does not release

any toxic gases on combustion.