Champagne Taste, Humble Grounding – Cork Wise Prefinished Cork Flooring from Market Timbers

From the shoes of Greek gods to the champagne stoppers of Benedictine monks, the humble bark of the cork tree has proven itself to be as versatile as it is durable. Now, this natural material has been transformed into an artistic, water-resistant and environmentally friendly high-end flooring material, distributed in Australia by Market Timbers.

Designed and produced by Corticeira Amorim, the world’s largest cork processing group, Cork Wise flooring turns the waste and recycled cork from wine closures into a natural architectural product. The result is a ready-to-use natural cork panel that contains no PVC, MDF or HDF and is available in a selection of nine different colours. Appreciated by architects, designers and residents alike for its natural materiality, sound insulation, tactility and flexibility underfoot – improving comfort and wellbeing by reducing the physical impact – Cork Wise flooring is a versatile, time-honoured product that not only contributes aesthetically to an interior but to the health and wellbeing of both people and planet.

Each panel is constructed in layers, with a scratch resistant non-PVC resin covering natural cork veneer, allowing the eye-catching materiality of the cork bark to be visible without the risk of colour fading or damage. Underneath is a cork inlay over a rigid core, followed by an integrated cork underlay, providing firm structure that is soft and absorbent under foot. The panels easily fit together in a click-lock floating system for ease of installation, yet no two are alike due to the natural variation in the material.

Cork Wise flooring is a versatile, time-honoured product that not only contributes aesthetically to an interior but to the health and wellbeing of both people and planet.

Founded in the 19th century, Amorim is a leader in the cork industry. Committed to embedding environmental sustainability in every step of the process, the company is one of the first floorings manufacturers to be completely carbon negative. This means more carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere than is produced. Recognising this achievement, Cork Wise was the winner of the Innovation Prize at Munich Bau in 2019, Europe’s largest building fair, and was shortlisted by the Australian Sustainability Awards.

The product’s carbon negative credentials are made possible by two key factors. Firstly, the cork oak trees that produce the raw material are not cut down during harvesting, rather, the bark is expertly removed by hand from the trunk of the tree every nine years. This means the trees live for 300 years or more, capturing and storing carbon for its entire life and resulting in an entirely renewable natural product.

Recognising this achievement, Cork Wise was the winner of the Innovation Prize at Munich Bau in 2019, Europe’s largest building fair, and was shortlisted by the Australian Sustainability Awards.

The other important factor is that cork is recyclable, and nothing is wasted at Amorim. The primary product is cork for wine closures, but excess and recycled cork is using for flooring, shoes, and other products. Even the dust left over at the end of the process is collected and used to provide 65% of the power at Amorim’s factories. Cork Wise floors combine unique design with circular economy sustainability to produce a material that is easy to install, soft underfoot, absorbs noise, and contains no PVC or harmful chemicals. Cork Wise is distributed in Australia by Market Timbers.