Designing a kids playroom comes with a lot of unexpected decisions. You have to pick the colour scheme, furniture and even the flooring can have an impact. Obviously, as parents, you want to choose the options that are safest for your children, as well as those that will make them happiest. Here at SPD, we understand the importance of choosing the right flooring material and we are here to make a case for cork flooring for your kids’ playroom or bedroom flooring.

Cork is sustainable and environmentally friendly

Cork isn’t a common flooring material, however, it is becoming increasingly popular due to its environmentally friendly and sustainable nature. Compared to other wood flooring, cork trees aren’t chopped down to create cork. Instead, the bark is harvested every 10 years or so in a process that is harmless to the tree and actually helps the tree to grow and absorb increasing amounts of CO2 from the air. If you are interested in reading more about where cork comes from and how it is made, take a look at our guide here.

Cork’s health benefits

Not only is cork a sustainable product, but it also comes with a range of other benefits that you might find useful when you are thinking of children’s playroom ideas. Cork has a natural honeycomb structure which gives it a range of interesting properties that make it an excellent flooring material. For example, cork is hypoallergenic, which means that it doesn’t absorb dust or hair. This is perfect to protect against allergies and to help asthma sufferers.

Additionally, cork is naturally springy and buoyant which helps to soften the strain on your joints and offers some additional protection for the eventual fall those new walkers are likely to suffer. Cork isn’t as fuzzy as carpet but is much softer and warmer than many other flooring options, which makes crawling much more comfortable. Cork also has antimicrobial properties which reduces the number of germs in the room.

Cork is a natural insulator

Cork is also a natural insulator and helps your room to retain its heat as well as soundproofing the floor. This can help save money on the heating bill as well as helping to keep the joyful sounds of your children playing contained to their playroom. This is an added benefit when it comes to putting those light sleepers to bed, letting you sneak out quietly.

Cork is naturally flame retardant

Cork has another amazing and significant safety feature that makes it a strong contender as a flooring solution for a kids playroom, it is naturally flame retardant. Thanks again to its honeycomb structure, both the cork oak tree and cork planks burn without a flame. This slows the spread of fire in your home if the worst were to happen and also doesn’t release any smoke or toxins that other materials do as they burn. Interestingly, cork oak trees are often planted in Portugal to break up other forests to prevent the spread of forest fires.

Cork is a resilient material

Cork is a resilient and durable material and is the perfect choice for a busy floor. Again, thanks to its honeycomb structure, cork is highly abrasion resistant and is resistant to impacts and friction. It is also elastic and compressible and can be impacted without lasting damage to the structure.

It is important to keep in mind that permanent indentations can occur if heavy furniture is left on the surface for long periods of time. This can be combated in a similar way to carpet by making use of furniture casters and moving the furniture slightly every few months.

Cork is also water-resistant which can help protect against spills. It isn’t, however, completely waterproof so any spills will need to be cleaned up as you would with other flooring solutions to prevent stains.

Cork is fun

In addition to all of the insulation and health benefits cork brings to your home, cork is also a fun material to use. Cork panels on the walls create a giant pinboard for your kids to hang up paintings, pictures and anything else they might fancy, turning the whole room into a canvas for their creativity.

Cork can also be easily coloured to bring some fun to the room. Here at SPD UK, we have a wide range of coloured cork sheets that are perfect for a kids playroom and are great at adding some colour to the walls whilst enjoying the properties of cork.

As you can see, cork is a strong contender for a flooring solution if you are creating a playroom for your children. Thanks to its numerous natural safety features, insulation properties and the fact it is a sustainable resource, cork is the perfect flooring solution for your kids’ playroom and the rest of your home.

If you are interested in using cork for your kids’ playroom or any other projects in your home, contact us on 01296 334677 and one of our expert team will be able to advise you on the best cork solution for your needs.