A Kitchen Design Idea You May Not Have Considered

Want to give your kitchen flooring a much needed update? Sure, you’ve probably examined the usual suspects – linoleum, vinyl, perhaps even stained hard wood – but have you considered something a little more exotic? Think bamboo and cork. Yes! Bamboo and cork! It’s not as strange as you think!

Cork – Not Just for Wine Bottles

Soft yet Durable

Walking on cork is almost like walking on air, giving you an almost relaxing experience when you walk in your kitchen. Further, cork’s ability to absorb impact means you’ll end up with fewer broken plates if, like me, you occasionally drop one while emptying your dishwasher. (If you have young, accident prone children, this feature will serve you and your wallet well!) However, you don’t need to worry about your cork flooring denting as it always springs back to a flat surface.

Cork Can Match Your Kitchen Decor

Black, green and red are just a few of the colors that your cork flooring can come in, so you can, if you want, coordinate it with your existing kitchen colors.

Environmentally Friendly

Because cork comes from tree bark, and not the tree’s base wood, cork isn’t harmful to the environment. So when you get cork kitchen flooring, you aren’t contributing to deforestation.

A Quiet House?

Because cork takes in sound waves, it will help prevent noise from travelling in your house, meaning a rambunctious family activity won’t spread to the rest of the home – at least not by sound waves.

Bamboo – Not Just for Pandas

Another “Green Choice”

Fortunately, bamboo is actually a grass. It’s not a tree derivative. So, by using cork kitchen flooring, you would be doing your small part to save the environment as no trees would have been destroyed for your kitchen floor.

Natural Beauty in Your Kitchen

Bamboo has the color of really light beer, imparting a gold-like/yellowish glow to your kitchen. This coloring will literally brighten up your kitchen, lifting your mood when you enter it. But, given the limited color choices, bamboo might clash with your existing kitchen colors, so make sure you view it in the store before purchase. In addition, the bamboo often comes in the form of planks with your choice of vertical or horizontal grains, adding a rustic look to your kitchen.

A Solid Addition to Your Kitchen

Bamboo might look weak in the wild, leading you to believe it wouldn’t make a durable addition to your kitchen. However, believe it or not, bamboo is really stronger than oak. Thus, you don’t have to worry. Bamboo is strong enough to stand up to the challenge of your family and furniture.

Overall, Bamboo and Cork Will Each Make a Good Flooring Choice

If you want a natural and exotic look for your kitchen, then consider cork or bamboo. But keep in mind, it’s often more expensive than traditional flooring material. But if price isn’t that great of a concern for you, they could each give you a kitchen worth showing off.