Usually, balconies in houses are not heated, so the temperature outside and inside, namely in winter, reaches several tens of degrees. In this situation, condensation forms, which contributes to the formation of mold and mildew. A good option for you is to decorate your balcony with cork yourself, which has universal performance qualities.
Cork is a natural material that tolerates dampness well, does not rot, retains its color well and does not deform.
This material has a very original appearance.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of cork material include:
- Environmentally friendly product. Cork helps protect against many harmful radiations, especially radioactive ones.
- High slip resistance.
- Hygiene. No special care is required for cork flooring. If dirt or dust appears, you just need to wipe it with a cloth or use a vacuum cleaner.
- High strength. A floor made of cork material does not pose a threat to women's stilettos and heels, as well as the legs of chairs and armchairs. Cork material recovers quickly after damage, even. Even animals cannot spoil cork material.
- Thermal insulation. Cork flooring can reduce heating costs.
- Anti-allergic. Cork never accumulates dust, which makes life easier for people who suffer from allergies.
- Durability. The manufacturer provides a warranty of 10-20 years.
Flaws:
Usually, all cork manufacturers praise their product very well and remain silent about its shortcomings. Cork also has its downsides.
Relatively high price. Cork is a type of natural material and is therefore priced accordingly. The price depends on its thickness and type of coating.
Vulnerability to excess moisture. Although cork coverings are highly moisture resistant, everything has its limit. From a large amount of water, the cork can swell greatly, and then the material becomes unusable.
We can conclude that all the positive and negative aspects of cork coverings are relative. Some people pay attention to some things, while others pay attention to others and set priorities for themselves.
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Advantages of the solution
If you plan to decorate the balcony with cork, then knowing about its positive aspects is just as important as it is about its disadvantages. There will be few of the latter, and it’s better to start with the pros:
- The slab or roll type of coating will be porous in structure and, most often, consist of several layers, which allows it to well insulate the room.
- In addition to thermal insulation, this type of finishing also improves the situation with extraneous noise.
- The coating does not support combustion and is a fireproof design option.
- The weight of the parts is small and installation is carried out in the simplest way - with glue.
- Externally, this material looks very attractive in a yellow-brown color scheme.
- There is no need to prepare complex tools to cut parts. Everything is done with scissors or a well-sharpened knife.
- The finish looks beautiful and at the same time is natural.
- If desired, cork can be used to decorate the balcony walls, floor or ceiling - according to your choice.
Overall, you get a very interesting look for the design. Considering that the coating here will work simultaneously as a sound insulator, insulating material and decor, this will be a very attractive option for repairing walls, ceilings or floors.
Photo gallery
Return to contentPeculiarities
Coverings of this type are made from the bark of a special type of oak - cork. This is the same material as wine bottle stoppers, but it is produced in the form of thin sheets or rolls. The production process here is somewhat more complex than simply cutting out parts of the desired size and shape. The bark that naturally peels off from the tree is sent to a shredder, which crushes it into fine crumbs, after which it is pressed into sheets of different sizes. Then, depending on the type of products being manufactured, the material can be cut into individual sheets of different sizes or cut into long strips, which are then rolled.
If necessary, the resulting parts can be coated with protective coatings or glue can be applied to one of the sides, which will make installation of the coating much easier. Sheet sizes vary widely, and rolls usually have a size comparable to the dimensions of standard wallpaper. In stores you can most often find the following types of cork coverings:
- Floor slabs. They are durable, have a complex structure of several layers and are suitable for decorating both walls and floors.
- Wallpaper differs from standard wallpaper only in thickness and material of manufacture. The rest is the same as in the case of conventional wall coverings. Cannot be placed on the floor.
- Substrate. This type of product can be used for its intended purpose or for wall decoration, if you are satisfied with the appearance of such materials.
In all cases, no artificial ingredients are used to produce the product. It even binds together crumbs of the material suberin - a substance that is found in the cork itself and therefore it is difficult to find a more environmentally friendly product. The fabric is given different shades using heat treatment and dyes are not used.
Types of cork covering
There are several main types of cork material.
- Cork tiles are crushed pressed cork. It consists of three layers, the substrate has a thickness of 2 mm.
- Panel. The panels need to be attached with a special glue that consists of natural ingredients. The standard dimensions of modular slabs are 60x30x0.3 or 30x30x0.3 cm.
- Rolled fabrics. They are also made from pressed chips, covered with decorative veneers. The main feature of the roll coating is that during installation no horizontal seam is formed - the picture is uniform.
Panels
Rolls
Plates
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Examples
Everything looks beautiful in words, but it’s better to see it with your own eyes. Therefore, below are several photos of examples of such design - decorating the space inside the balcony with cork looks very attractive.
Preparatory work
Before you start finishing the balcony with cork, you need to make a heat and vapor barrier for the balcony. Only after this step should you begin mounting the lathing, to which the cork material is then attached. Cork finish provides the required hardness and smooth surface.
If you bought a cork and do not immediately begin installation, it is recommended to store it in a dry room with constant ventilation. The best option is to keep the cork material in such a room for two days.
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Natural material
Cork can easily be called one of the newest finishing materials. It is indispensable for cladding loggias.
Cork is natural and is not affected by dampness. Also, corks are not prone to fading, deformation or rotting. It also differs in that it perfectly suppresses noise from outside and perfectly retains heat in the room. And, most importantly, the tiled balcony looks simply amazing!
Cork is a sound insulating material
The material for the wall is sheets of natural cork, which are crushed and pressed during the production process. Also, during the production process they are covered with finishing veneer with natural shades. The specific, one might even say unusual, structure of this coating makes it possible not to apply any special care to the material. In addition, cork walls will not absorb odors and have antistatic properties.
The panels can be glued to a flat surface of any material. To provide the cork with additional protection, it is treated with varnish or specific wax.
Experts assure that lining a balcony with cork material will be a universal solution; this will allow you to recreate an optimal microclimate.
Installation
Recommendations for finishing a balcony with cork look like this:
- The first and one of the important things is determining the center of the wall.
- Then you need to draw two lines on the wall - horizontal and vertical. For accuracy, a plumb line and level will help you. The horizontal and vertical lines have a common intersection point in the center.
- Next step. You need to attach a cork to the intersection of the lines and outline it. Then you need to apply a thin layer of glue along the contour of the material.
- After the glue is applied, apply the cork, the bottom edge should overlap the gluing line. We recommend gluing the bottom part of the material first, and then everything that remains, so as not to form a bulge.
- Then repeat all the recommendations for all the material.
- The next row needs to be glued offset, similar to how a brick is laid. Thus, we cover the entire area of the wall.
- That's the whole installation process. There is nothing complicated about it. Main. do the work carefully and do not rush. You can really do everything yourself.
Video:
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What is a cork
This is the name given to different types of facing and technical cork coverings. The material for decorative finishing is made from real bark from the trunk of a Mediterranean cork oak tree over 80 years old. It is removed from the tree no earlier than after 9 years, so as not to cause damage.
During this period, the trunk grows again, so the production of natural material is considered harmless to plants. The bark is dried naturally and sent for processing, called “agglomeration.”
The cost of the material depends on the age and quality of the bark. Cheap tiles are made from the bark of young trees by spraying cork chips. And for flooring, expensive wallpaper and wall panels, a complex process is used with chip pressing, gluing with cork veneer and many technological subtleties. Technical agglomerate is made from the bark of branches, so it has a significantly lower cost.
Important! Used to glue layers together, suberin is a cork resin. The material turns out to be completely environmentally friendly.
