Cork Wall Covering

Recommendation points

• What is cork material
• Advantages of wall plugs over other finishing materials
• Types of cork wall coverings: application features, installation and maintenance tips
• Required materials for wall plug installation
• Material cost

Cork material is used both for wall decoration and as a floor covering. Decorative cork is absolutely safe as it uses only natural raw materials for its production. We will tell you about the types of cork wall covering and its benefits..

What is cork material

An increasing number of people are using natural materials during renovation and finishing work. Among them, the safest is the exotic wall covering – cork. For its production, a natural material is used – the bark of cork oak, which grows mainly in the south-west of Europe, the north of the African continent and in Portugal. Cork is made by pressing pre-crushed raw materials. No additional substances are used for gluing the pressed chips, since the adhesive properties of the material are provided by natural resin. Then the blanks are covered with decorative veneer, on top of which a protective wax is applied. And note that no synthetic materials and substances are used in the production process..

Advantages of wall plugs over other finishing materials

Environmental friendliness is the main advantage of the wall plug over other finishing materials..

Wall decoration with cork will be the ideal solution for allergy sufferers and people with asthma, because the material has absolutely no smell. Also, the cork is not electrified, which avoids the settling of household dust on the surface of the walls, which is most often the cause of allergies..

At the moment, the wall plug is the safest material, since it is fireproof.

The high porosity of the cork coating prevents the accumulation of moisture, which prevents the formation of mold and the growth of pathogenic microorganisms – fungi. The moisture resistance of the cork makes it possible for apartment and house owners to use it for wall and ceiling cladding in any premises (in particular, in bathroom decoration).

Any kind of wall plug is easy to clean, so it can be glued to kitchen walls. However, the wall covering is resistant to household chemicals.

Natural material is distinguished by good sound insulation, because it is the cork sheets that are used to decorate the walls and ceiling in recording studios. The thermal insulation properties of the cork cover allow using the material even in an unheated room. Moreover, in winter, the temperature in an apartment or a country house will be 6-7 degrees higher than outside the window.

The wall plug retains its original appearance for many years, as it is resistant to deformation and does not fade in the sun.

Types of cork wall coverings: application features, installation and maintenance tips

Before heading to the store for cork, you must first decide on the shape of your cork wall. There are two types of this exotic material designed for wall decoration on the market of finishing materials:

• modular coating in the form of plates;
• cork wallpaper.

Let’s consider each modification of the wall plug in more detail..

The modular flooring is a 3 mm thick single or double layer tile. Most often, single-layer coatings have a light brown tone, as close as possible to the color of the natural tree bark. By purchasing two-layer coatings, you have the opportunity to choose a wall plug of the required shade. The cork is covered with decorative veneer, which was previously painted. As you can imagine, in terms of appearance, modular tiles are diverse. Another important advantage of using modular tiles is that there is no need to level the walls..

Important: if you purchased a modular tile coated with wax, you must understand that finger and hand marks are visible on such material. You can get rid of them with a construction hair dryer. Under the influence of warm air, marks will disappear from the surface of the tile (due to the softening of the tile).

Advice:in order to avoid further damage caused by mechanical stress, it is necessary to renew the protective coating of modular tiles from time to time.

The class of cork wallpaper includes cloths consisting of a paper base covered with a thin layer of cork veneer, 0.5 mm thick. Most often, on their front side there is a wood pattern or an imitation of a decorative stone. It should be noted that the external variety of the coating is the reason for its popularity..

When working with cork wallpaper, remember that it is easy to cut. However, the material is brittle, so only a sharp construction knife should be used to cut them..

Important advice on material storage. The packed wall plug must only be transported and stored horizontally. To prevent sheets of material from warping, leave them indoors for 12-24 hours. This is necessary in order for the material to acquire room humidity and room temperature..

Required materials for wall plug installation

You will need glue to cover the walls with a cork. You can use either acrylic adhesive or contact adhesive. Contact adhesive is preferred because it provides good adhesion between the cork and the base – the wall. Separately, it must be said about PVA glue. Although you can find information that it can be used for pasting walls with cork, we do not recommend doing this..

In addition to glue, you will need some auxiliary tools: a square, a rubber roller, a putty knife, a pencil, a measuring tape, a pencil and a damp cloth (to remove glue residues from the joints).

Material cost

On the Russian market, the sale of wall cork coverings has been going on for over 10 years. As you understand, in connection with the habitat of cork oak, the finishing material is imported from foreign countries. Most often in specialized stores you can buy cork material from the Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal and Spain..

The price range depends on the characteristics of the material (layer thickness, color and texture of the cut, and so on). Cost for 1 sq. m ranges from $ 2 to $ 25. As you can imagine, decorating walls with cork is not the cheapest pleasure. This is due to the limited amount of base material. You can remove the bark from a balsa tree for further production only once every 8-10 years..