Paint for cork

From our experience, latex acrylic-composite ones are the best choice. Why these in particular? Cork is a natural and fairly flexible material, so it needs a paint that can “move” with it. Acrylic-latex paints create a flexible coating that doesn’t crack and adheres properly to the cork surface.

If the wrong paint is chosen, the coating may be too rigid for cork. In that case, as the cork naturally moves, the paint may start to crack, peel, or come away from the surface.

Cork is most often painted to:

• change the colour of a wall without removing the cork. If you already have cork on the wall, there’s no need to take it down just to change the colour.
• match the cork to the style of the interior. The natural colour of cork is attractive in its own right, but it doesn’t always suit every space. Painting makes it easy to adapt it to the interior style.
• refresh the surface. Painting is a simple way to quickly give it a new lease of life – without a full renovation and without replacing the material.

It’s worth keeping a few things in mind to achieve a neat and long-lasting result.

1. First, prepare the surface. Before painting, clean the cork to remove dust and any small marks or dirt. This will help the paint adhere better to the surface.
2. It’s also a good idea to prime the cork. Cork is an absorbent material, so a primer helps reduce how much paint it soaks up. In practice, this means using less paint and achieving a more even finish.
3. Apply at least two coats of paint. It’s best to apply the paint with a roller or a brush. Usually, at least two coats are needed to achieve an even colour and properly cover the cork’s texture.