Consumer Reports Says ‘Green gets better’

"Harmony"

We think so too. Our R&D department always pays close attention to Consumer Reports. They just rated [08/2008] our Series 1000 HPS (High Performance Surface) Harmony cork oak flooring from our Originals Collection. In test results for the sunlight and stain category Harmony received 2 Excellent ratings, 1 Very Good for resistance to scratches, and 2 Good ratings for water and dents. The really cool thing about our HPS finish is its durability and resilience, which is ideal for high traffic residential areas, commercial and public spaces.

Now, Consumer Reports calls our HPS layer ‘plastic’, which could give you the wrong idea…actually HPS is based on nano beads technology, where extremely tiny beads are embedded in the top layer. When compared with the standard finish this gives the whole HPS surface improved properties such as scratch, slip, scuff and stain resistance. Which is really good protection for our precious cork oak floors…and it carries a whopping 25 year residential warranty and a 15 year commercial warranty. Pretty good, huh?

Mentioned also, it seems as if some manufacturers of cork floors simply place a photo of cork between the surfaces of their product, but they point out that we actually use “the real stuff” (cork). How amazing is that?

"Series 1000"

Just one more thing…Consumer Reports doesn’t seem to have a category for sustainable, renewable, natural cork oak floors, so they placed Harmony in the ‘Plastic Laminate’ category. But you know the difference, of course, and the reason why our cork floors are definitely worth the price.

If you frequent our blog, you know that we make continuous efforts in R&D to optimize the shared value of every ounce of cork oak. We look forward to seeing ratings on our latest design, performance, and eco-friendly innovations: Cork Plank, Xtreme WRT and Acrodur®.

Until the next report…
Team Wicanders

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A Natural for Green LEED Projects—Cork Plank NeoCon Debut

For those of you who didn’t get a chance visit our booth at the 2008 NeoCon, here’s an excerpt from Floor Focus Magazine, which features our new product debut—Cork Plank. You’ll love the microbevel!

“Wicanders introduced a 4½” cork plank collection called, appropriately enough, Cork Plank. It’s a fairly significant departure from its more traditional cork looks, with the basic feel of wood plank flooring but with the distinctive look of cork.

It’s microbeveled and is installed as a floating floor. Cork Plank comes in 12 visuals and the colors of exotic hardwoods and uses the non-VOC binder Acrodur, developed by BASF, which makes it one of the greenest cork products on the market and a natural for LEED projects. Wicanders is the only cork company using the Acrodur binder. Cork Plank comes with a five-year light commercial or 15-year residential warranty.

It will be available in August or September.”

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