When compared to other solutions, underlays with cork perform better over time. In general, cork has a higher compressive strength and creep due to its resilience, which means that cork completely recovers its thickness after being compressed. Unlike some 100% foams solutions (PU, PE or PP) that break down their cells and completely lose their integrity in a short amount of time, cork preserves the technical properties where it is applied.
To help you answer that, we ran the following tests...
Dynamic Load Test (CS)
A laboratory test that simulates the pressure on the flooring solution caused by foot traffic, caster chairs and trolleys.
Results
Cork clearly delivers a superior performance compared to 100% foam solutions and preserves all its characteristics. After 100,000 cycles of high loads, cork only loses 5% of its thickness, while a foam solution loses 55% of its thickness.
Creep Test (CC)
This test evaluates which load can be placed on the flooring solution over a reference period of 10 years.
Results
Cork has higher compressive creep due to its inherent resilience. This means that cork does not completely lose its thickness after being compressed and preserves the technical properties where it is applied. By contrast, the cells of several standard foams suffer damage when subjected to the same loads.
So, if you’re looking for a solution that will deliver long-term durability for your floor - choose a cork-based underlay!
Long-Term Durability
Take a look for yourself on how cork underlayments perform when compared to foam!