Cork floors are an economical, ecological and easy to install and maintain option. At a time when most homeowners are looking for cheaper alternatives to expensive flooring options and there is a heightened level of awareness for choosing environmentally friendly materials, cork flooring is enjoying huge popularity all the time. While cork flooring doesn’t present much of a challenge, the only problem is that once a year or once every two years, you may need to change the sealants. Sealants can easily last a year and in some homes even longer, but when there’s a problem like a crack, chip, or something remotely similar, you need to change them to avoid a bigger problem.

There are some types of sealers that go very well with cork floors and among them the most used are polyurethane and wax. Although both polyurethane and wax are desirable sealants for cork floors, they certainly have their specific advantages and disadvantages.

Polyurethane must be used liberally to achieve a certain level of shine and grandeur, something that wax can easily achieve. But with four or five polyurethane quotes, you can achieve the same level of gloss and protective coatings that any type of wax would give you. Wax is a bit cheaper than polyurethane, but again it depends on the brand you choose to buy.

It is ideal to opt for natural wax that has a base of beeswax. Both the wax and the polyurethane should be low in VOCs. Wax used for hardwood floors is not ideal and in the case of polyurethane, only water based polyurethane should be used and not solvent based.

The best quality polyurethane can last up to five years, but that’s subject to wear and tear, maintenance, and other factors, like foot traffic or the general health of the home or flooring infrastructure. The wax would normally last a year. If the wax is not completely natural, it may last less time.

Wax is the strongest of all sealants used for cork flooring and is also environmentally friendly and therefore an ideal choice, but given the durability of polyurethane, many families opt for the latter. In terms of affordability, wax is an easier option, but polyurethane lasts longer and justifies its price. Maintaining both is easy, so a differentiation on that front cannot be decisive.