Working on the floor of the IDS09 booth

Working on the floor of the booth. The floor is Jelinek Cork mosaic - which is produced from recycled wine corks.

Plywood subfloor cut for the cork mosaic installation.


Jelinek Cork Mosaic being installed.


Jelinek Cork Mosaic on the booth floor.


Finishing the floor.


The sheets of cork mosaic before being installed.


Close-up of the cork mosaic floor.

Jelinek Cork Group - Where will we be?

February 2-5, 2009: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. SURFACES 2009. If you'd like to meet with us while we are there, please contact us - 905-827-4666.

February 5-8, 2009: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. IDS09 - Interior Design Show 2009. We'll be at our booth - #412 - so come visit us!

Of course, feel free to visit our show room in Oakville, Ontario, Canada - The Cork House.

"Corking" the booth

Most of the construction is complete so now its time to get to the finer details - the cork. Cork will be installed on basically all surfaces of the booth. In the above image, the dark insulation cork provides texture.

The towers are covered in 1.2mm cork roll material which is stained dark using our natural stain which is formulated from vegetable oil.



Installing the cork - lots of precision and water-based contact cement!

Construction on Jelinek Cork booth for IDS09 continues...

As work continues on the Jelinek Cork/Levitt Goodman Architects booth for IDS09 (Interior Design Show 2009) in Toronto, Ontario, I wonder what will the finished booth look like? From the photos you can see the various angles of the booth and the concentration involved in creating them.
Check back in a couple of days to see if any progress has been made. The show is February 5 through 8 so not much time left to finish the booth.

Creating and building the booth for IDS 2009.

Jelinek Cork Group in conjunction with Levitt Goodman Architects Ltd. will be showcasing one of the most unique and creative booths at this year’s Interior Design Show (IDS). The Interior Design Show runs from February 5-8, 2009 at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Cork has so many features and natural attributes that make it an exciting natural material to use. It is a renewable resource from the outer bark of the cork tree which is lightweight, rot resistant, expandable, soft and buoyant. With its honeycomb structure and flexibility, it is often used for flooring, fabric, wall coverings and lots more including lamp shades! It's also known for its acoustical properties.

As part of a collaboration we have used cork to literally carve out space, Levitt Goodman Architects has “created a dialogue about the notion of excavation, peeling away and exposing the viewer to the heightened tactile, olfactory and auditory qualities inherent in the raw material”. The team’s goal: “To create a place of pause within the overwhelming sensory experience of the Interior Design Show.”

Follow the progress of our booth construction as we update this blog.

Work begins on the booth. The first few days of construction ...

The Subfloor...


One tower is built...












Many towers are built...


Come back soon to see the booth as progress continues...

Synthetic versus Natural Cork Stoppers

Synthetic Cork Stoppers – Are they truly an ideal replacement to natural cork stoppers?

In today's world of eco-friendly and natural products why are some wineries going backwards and choosing a synthetic cork made of plastic to replace the all natural cork they once used in their bottles? It doesn't make any sense. Let's look at some of the reasons:

1. Synthetic stoppers are just that, synthetic. We all want to eat healthy, drink healthy and be healthy. Why use an unnatural product in our wines? The plastic is actually coming in contact with the wine we drink. With all the fears of plastics these days, why are wineries still using these stoppers. Hasn't anyone questioned them?

2. Plastics and screwcaps are not eco-friendly. We're living in a world where we've recognized and we're finally doing something to save our earth only to have things such as wine stoppers start contributing to the problem again. From the manufacturing process of synthetic stoppers to the final product being extracted from a bottle, waste is being created. The energy as well as the materials and waste bi-products from making these stoppers is contributing to increased energy usage as well as increased waste filling up our landfills. Natural cork wine stoppers, on the other hand, use little energy to manufacture and create no waste. The cork stoppers are punched from the bark of the cork tree (which we know from previous entries regenerates itself to its productive thickness every 7-10 years). The bark that is not used to create stoppers is ground up to make other cork products – no waste. After use, natural cork stoppers are also recyclable - they are ground up to make other cork products or cut into discs to create cork mosaic tiles. Then there are the screw caps, creating additional waste and doing nothing beneficial for the environment.

3. Cork is completely natural. There is nothing synthetic about it. The cork used in wine bottles comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. The corks are punched from the bark and then cleaned and sterilized (that's the closest they come to chemicals) and then stuck into a bottle. Nothing is added to the cork and nothing is removed. The cork is as natural a product as you get.

4. Cork is a renewable natural resource. Again, as we've stated previously, after a cork tree is harvested of its bark, the bark replaces itself by growing back on the tree ready to be harvested again in about 9 years.

So why the move to the synthetic or screw-cap stopper in the first place?

There are two primary reasons that some wineries have switched to using synthetic stoppers rather than natural cork stoppers.

1. Cork Taint or the “corked” taste: Yes – there is such a thing as cork taint. Though most wineries blame it on the cork, cork taint is often due to bottling procedures, storage conditions and movement after bottling. This corked taste is due to the presence of TCA in wine. Though harmless, TCA gives off a characteristic odour that often makes the wine undrinkable. Though the incidence of cork taint is very low and newer methods of wine making are decreasing this even further, makers of newer synthetic closures and screw caps are promoting their products implying that this synthetic stopper prevents TCA. However, screw caps and synthetic corks are actually prone to sulphidisation or screwcap taint. This rotten egg-like odour is due to a chemical reaction caused when the preservative sulphur dioxide is present in excess with a lack of oxygen. Though sulphides exist naturally in wines, cork allows oxygen into the bottle which stops the smelling whereas screw caps do not.

2. Extinction or decreased supply of cork: This is absolutely a myth. There is no question about this. This is a rumor that was started when synthetic corks were introduced into the market. Consumers were questioning why the synthetic cork rather than the traditional cork stopper. Rumors began that the cork oak tree was going extinct. Manufacturers and promoters of the synthetic stopper did nothing to clarify these rumors, and the rumors continued to spread. See our post entitled “The Myth”. In all actuality, not using natural cork stoppers can have serious consequences on our environment.
   

Let's do something about this. When you drink wine, make sure its bottled with a natural cork stopper.

A New Year!

Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!

A new year provides many of us the opportunity to make changes to ourselves and our lives. It
is the perfect time to start fresh and make those changes that we've spent the last year avoiding. So, in the world of cork, what can one do? Of course, it all depends on you and what you want to do but here are some ideas that will help you and our earth.

1. Start recycling your wine corks. Jelinek Cork wants your recycled wine corks and, if you're a community group or another not for profit organizations, we'll pay you for them. Recycling this already "green" product helps keep our landfills from filling up. For more details, visit: http://jelinek.com/article_38.htm

2. Continue to support the natural cork industry. Myths about cork shortages or cork tree extinction or even that cork trees are being cut-down to make cork products are causing a lot of harm to the Mediterranean region where cork forests thrive. Without the cork forests, these biodiverse areas will die off causing the demise of hundreds of plant, animal and bird species. Read more about this myth here: http://jelinekcork.blogspot.com/2008/04/myth.html

3. Cork your home. Cork is natural, sustainable & environmentally friendly. It is anti-allergetic, insulative (sound and temperature) and warm. Its decorative, comfortable and easy to care for. Cork can be used on many surfaces - cork flooring, cork wall coverings, cork ceilings. Support our earth and use cork.

Happy New Year!