How Long has Natural Cork been used as Flooring?

Cork was first used as flooring at the end of the 19th century, with its popularity rising in the early 20th century for use in public buildings. It fell out of favour in the mid 20th century with the advent of “easy to maintain and no wax” synthetic floors. With the rise in environmental awareness and everyone’s concern for their human health, cork is again gaining in popularity. It is as easy to maintain as the polluting and toxic “no wax” floors of yesteryear. Cork flooring has regained its’ popularity due to the many benefits it offers as a flooring material. Floating cork flooring and glue down cork flooring are now found to be DIY friendly and have many benefits over other traditional toxic flooring options. Plus the new finish options make them a no wax option with tons of color and pattern options.