Penny tiles are a popular look for interior flooring. While ceramic and glass are often used to make tiles, these beautiful penny tiles, which we noticed on 3rings blog, are actually cut from recycled wine corks. Designed by Jelinek Cork, the recycled tiles take advantage of cork’s natural resiliency and water resistance to create a stylish low-impact flooring material.
To make the tiles, Jelinek Cork takes old wine corks which “are cut into circular discs about 6mm (1/4″) thick and glued on a special paper backing to form interesting and unique mosaic patterns.” The material is adhered to the subfloor and grouted like tile, and then covered with urethane, like other kinds of cork flooring. Individual cork discs can be stained different colors to produce patterns. Cork can also be combined with other tile materials in a floor to provide even more design options.
Used wine corks are being collected for recycling by CorkReHarvest which has located drop boxes in many Whole Foods stores across the US and Canada. Recycled cork obviously cannot be reused in wine bottles, but the cork penny tiles are one of a number of reuse applications for used corks.
And we think wine corks seem a bit more practical than a floor made from peach pips.
+ Jelinek Cork
Via 3rings
