6 Benefits of Cork Underlayment, Especially When You Have Kids!

What materials you have under your floor can matter just as much as the wood, tile, or other product you pick for your home’s flooring. One of the most popular choices is an underlayment made out of cork.

People love it for its convenience and comfort, and it is especially helpful when you have kids. When you choose to work with an underlayment made of cork, you get many great benefits for you and your family.

Enjoy Peace and Quiet

Those who value quiet in a home should consider cork. One of the most significant benefits of cork is that it is very dense and efficiently traps sound as it moves through the material. This means that every footstep does not echo throughout the room.

Instead, the cork absorbs sound throughout a property before it can start annoying you. Cork’s ability to keep things quiet is especially crucial for multi-level homes. 

It means parents do not always hear children running around or wake up their baby by walking across the second floor. It is so useful that it is often the material of choice for condos, apartments, and other multi-family dwellings.

Protect Your Floors from Dents

Whether people are worried about children dropping toys from their high chair or heavy furniture sitting in the same spot for too long, cork can help.

Cork is a naturally dense substance that helps to disperse weight more evenly, so people are less likely to end up with dents from heavy pressure or dropped items.

Since the material can disguise any slight subfloor imperfections and create a flat surface to install flooring on, it helps to create a generally even surface throughout your home.

Durable and Affordable

For families with a budget, cork’s major appeal may come from just how affordable it is. Since cork is so lightweight and flexible, it can be laid down very quickly. This translates to reduced labor costs and time for installing your cork underlayment. 

The material itself can be quite affordable as well since it is so easy to produce. It is quite long-lasting and will take decades to degrade. Since it does not need to be continuously replaced, homeowners can save even more.

Get an Eco-Friendly Material

Cork is an exceptionally environmentally sustainable option that does not use up precious natural resources. It is all-natural and completely recyclable. Trees are not cut down to produce cork.

Instead, cork underlayments are just made from the excess bark harvested from the trees, and then this bark regrows on its own. 

Environmentally friendly flooring products do more than protect Earth for future generations. They also provide people with benefits now because they have reduced chemicals.

Since cork is a natural material, it has less volatile compounds that can off-gas and pollute indoor air. 

If you are looking to start making steps toward an eco-friendly home this is a good option for your home flooring remodel.

Avoid Worrying About Occasional Spills

Humidity is often considered to be the primary enemy of flooring because it can make materials expand and contract unevenly, resulting in buckling, warping, and cracking.

However, those with cork do not have to worry as much about kids spilling juice cup on their floor. This dimensionally stable material is less likely to warp following exposure to moisture permanently. 

It is both mold and mildew-resistant, so some dampness does not cause as many significant issues. There are also moisture-proof sealants that can be attached to the cork. This makes the underlayment even less likely to suffer problems when exposed to dampness.

Keep Floors Feeling Cozy

Cork floors help your family’s feet stay warm during the chilly winter months. This material is an excellent insulator. It blocks cold temperatures that would otherwise travel up from the frozen ground to the floors of a home.

With cork, people never have to step out of a warm bed or hot shower and shiver with how cold their flooring is.

At the same time, cork is very breathable, so it will not block your air conditioning from traveling along the floors. This ensures that upstairs rooms can stay cool even in quite hot weather.

As you can see, cork is a very versatile material that makes the home more comfortable while also being easy to clean and affordable to install. What is your reason for picking a cork underlayment?