Fishing Nihonquality and original articles

The cork oak primarily grows in the Mediterranean region. And Portugal produces half the cork harvest in this area. The use of cork goes back thousands of years: the ancient Egyptians used it for fishing floats. The ancient Greeks used cork for fishing buoys, sandals and stoppers for wine and olive oil vessels. And in the Twentieth Century cork was the only natural substance to go on the Viking space probes to Mars (it was used as insulation). Today under the threat of deforestation cork has become a popular alternative to hardwood flooring. Like hardwood flooring it is strong, durable and anti allergenic, but unlike hardwood flooring cork flooring is soft underfoot, fire retardant, fungal and mold resistant and hydrophobic. And most importantly, cork flooring is sustainable flooring because it is made from a renewable resource.

It is necessary with other renewable resources such as bamboo, coconut, rattan and water hyacinth to kill the tree or plant in order to harvest the natural material. Cork is unique in that it can be harvested without damaging the tree.

Cork comes from the cork oak tree. After 20 years the cork oak can be harvested for the first time. This is done by carefully peeling by hand the bark off the tree. Particular attention is paid to not peeling the inner layer of the bark off the tree. This must stay on the tree to protect it until its bark grows back.

The first bark that is peeled off the cork oak is called ‘virgin’ bark. It has a rough uneven texture and is too full of holes to use as flooring. Instead it is normally cut into minute pieces and used as insulating material.

After nine years the bark re-grows on the tree. This second bark is called ‘refugo’ bark. It is browner in color and more even in consistency. However, the inner portion still has too wide holes and is again usually cut up and used for insulation.

It is the third bark (or second refugo bark) that has fewer and tightly closed pores that is suitable for making cork flooring. The peeled bark is left to dry in the forest before it is taken to a factory where it is boiled. This removes the outer layer of bark and makes the cork more elastic and easier to work with. Then it is milled into cork flooring tiles or planks which are ready to be finished and installed.

This is the story of cork flooring.