It holds up really well. It's also just a little bit 'cushy' though you probably won't notice that too much unless you're standing on it for a long period of time. It's got some sound-insulation qualities, certainly more than wood or tile floors but probably not as much as a carpet. The best thing about cork flooring is that it's a green building product.
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We like it a lot. We used it in a hallway that leads to bedrooms and a bathroom. It is pretty, durable (so far), easy to install, unique, more comfortable than harder woods. I do not understand the claims that it is hyperallergenic. Like all such floors, it is covered with a clear poly glaze, so the surface is the same as any other. the glaze on our floor is very good. It flexes without cracking. Repels water. Our very large dog has not scratched it yet. So far it is great. the only downside that I see compared to some other laminates is that it is pretty expensive.
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Hypoallergenic because it doesn't have off-gasing problems like vinyl and like any non-carpet hard surface, you can actually clean the dirt allergens off it. In that regard, just about any hardwood or real linoleum is the same. Carpets are terrible for holding allergens and puffing them into the air with every step.
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Hi- I recently put cork floors in my piano studio (I chose cork for acoustic reasons - hardwood or tile would have been too reverberant.) Much to my surprise, rolling around the 600 pound Steinway grand piano does not dent or even scratch the floor, although it feels resilient under foot. I don't know yet about sun fade. I'm very happy with my floor. The only thing I would do differently is to have put several additional coats of sealer on after installation for a more uniform sheen. Rebecca ________________________________________

Hi. We have cork floors in a home office. They are very soft on your feet and warm; and they look great; and like bamboo, are a renewable resource. The only consideration is the softness also means they could be gouged by falling pots, etc. We have several small gauges from moving furniture around after less than a year of use. (actually furniture is probably more gauging than falling pots- but you'd have to be super careful if you do any remodelling later- demo. work or moving a stove in or out.) Otherwise I'd highly recommend it. We bought ours on clearance at floor dimensions in El Sobrante- their installer was very expensive so we hired someone else who did well with the cork but horribly with a linoleum floor so I am reluctant to recommend him. (I also like the way bamboo looks but my contractor friend was concerned about the amount of glue used holding the reeds together especially in the thin reed patterns- his feeling was they wouldn't hold up over a long period of time- i.e. not a solid plank like wood.) Chris ________________________________________

We just installed cork tiles in our kitchen, sunroom, and bathroom, and we LOVE it. We had to do the urethane coating after installation (I believe that the newer kind is pre-coated). I'm not sure how the two kinds compare in terms of durability, but I've been amazed at how water resistant and durable the flooring is. It's also so easy to clean--just a damp mop. And because the surface is so smooth, sweeping is really easy and you don't feel like stuff is getting stuck in grout or whatever. While I can't vouch for its long-term durability, based on our experience so far, I'd definitely recommend going with cork. Genevieve ________________________________________

We have had cork flooring in our kitchen for about three years. We got it prefinished and then put a topcoat on it after a dishwasher accident that caused some water damage. People give us lots of complements on it, but I'm not sure we'd select it again. I love the softness underfoot and it stands up well to foot traffic, but we have had two dishwasher accidents which caused extensive damage to the floor (to the tune of $1000+). Although the promoters say it stands up to water comparably to a wood floor, I haven't found that to be true. If water gets under the panels, it causes damage from the bottom up, which is a very different dynamic than wood floors. If you are careful and are sure that no appliances will fail, go for it. If we had a different dishwasher (mind you, this is a new bosch that's malfunctioned twice!!), I might be writing a very different recommendation here. Laurie ________________________________________

We put down cork flooring in our kitchen. It was hard to find any information and some people adivsed against it, but we love it. It's great to know that we used a sustainable resource; it's comfortable to walk on; it serves as a good acoustic barrier to our downstairs; it was easy to install (we used the click together kind, and we did it ourselves). We ordered it online. I searched many websites until I found the dark color I wanted. I think that a light color might show stains. And, water left a mark until we used a sealer. Email me if you'd like more information. Stefanie