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In kids' bedrooms, and family, music and rec rooms, Cork feels cozy to the toes.

(NC)'I remember the cork flooring in my old public school. Durable, easy to care for and very comfortable underfoot ' but it was like a huge bulletin board on the floor!

I've recently discovered, however, that Cork has become one of the most beautiful and sensuous flooring materials on the market.

Cork floors have been used in commercial and public areas for decades. They reduce noise, insulate against both heat and cold, and are nonallergenic.

With qualifications that good, it makes sense to bring Cork flooring into the home. In entrances it withstands years of dropped hockey sticks and spilled soft drinks. In kids' bedrooms, and family, music and rec rooms, Cork feels cozy to the toes.

Cork floors are perfect for the kitchen. Unlike ceramic tile, cork is comfortable to stand on for hours. It's more forgiving than ceramic (especially if you drop a plate or teacup), will not dent easily and, with proper surface dressing, resists scratches. The patterns and richly textured surfaces of cork floors also disguise dust and dirt.

Today's cork flooring works with any d'cor. Dark natural tones enhance more formal settings, such as dining and living rooms. Lighter shades are great for the more casual look of a family room or play area.

The grainless patterning of cork makes it ideal where space is a challenge. Cork tiles installed in two contrasting colours or tones, checker-board style, create a dramatic effect in an entranceway or kitchen.

Cork is environmentally friendly. It is harvested from the bark of the Cork Oak, grown primarily in Portugal. Bark is harvested every nine years from mature trees, and they can thrive for up to 200 years.

There's a wide selection of unfinished or prefinished Cork floors available that can be nailed or glued down. One of Canada's most innovative flooring companies, TORLYS of Mississauga (www.torlys.com), won rave flooring industry reviews when it took Cork floors to a new level and introduced Uniclic' Cork. These prefinished cork planks and tiles simply click together over existing floors (no special subfloor is needed), using a patented joint system called Uniclic. These joints are ultra-tight, and the floor looks great when it's down.

Check out cork ' it's natural, friendly and comfortable under foot, and it could be the right solution for you.

- News Canada