Sustainable Alternatives

PVC-free alternatives to vinyl tile.

If your project specification rules out PVC, two alternatives carry the same supply-and-install model and meet most commercial briefs. Comcork — Australian-made cork and rubber composite, 31 colourways. Nora by Interface— German-engineered rubber flooring with twelve collections and a carbon-negative product line.

Comcork (cork & rubber)Nora by Interface (rubber)Submit an Enquiry

The Short Version

01No PVC, no phthalates, no chlorine chemistry.
02Cork harvested from living trees; rubber from recycled tyres.
03Nora rubber: carbon-negative product line, R11 slip rating, 70+ year track record.
04Both supplied and installed by us across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Why Rubber & Cork

When PVC is not the answer.

Premium LVT does most of the job for most commercial projects. Rubber and cork-rubber composite is for the briefs that need a different answer — specifications written for Green Star, WELL, or Living Building Challenge, healthcare clients with strict material health policies, and aged care or education clients who weight environmental footprint as much as upfront cost.

PVC-free, plasticiser-free

Cork and rubber composites with no PVC, no phthalates, and no chlorine chemistry. The right choice if your project specification rules out polyvinyl chloride.

Renewable raw materials

Cork is harvested from the bark of living oak trees on a 9-year cycle — the tree keeps growing. Rubber components are recycled from end-of-life tyres diverted from landfill.

Quieter and warmer underfoot

Cork is naturally insulating and acoustically absorbent. Impact noise reduction performs ahead of standard vinyl, and the floor feels softer and warmer in winter.

Compostable at end of life

When the floor finally retires, the cork and rubber composite biodegrades back into the carbon cycle rather than sitting in landfill for decades like PVC.

Alternative One · Comcork (Australian Cork & Rubber)

Five surface finishes, every commercial brief.

Comcork is Australian-made, available in 31 colourways across five surface finishes. The same colour palette runs across every finish, so you can mix surfaces within a project — smooth in the lobby, textured at the entry, AquaDeck poolside — and keep the design language consistent.

WalkEasy

Indoor

2.5mm · 3.2mm · 4.5mm

Smooth finish optimised for indoor comfort. Lobbies, offices, corridors, and aged care.

Textured

Indoor & Outdoor

3.2mm · 4.5mm

Hammered surface finish for maximum slip resistance. Indoor and outdoor applications.

Low Profile

Indoor

2.5mm · 3.2mm

Subtle studded surface. Versatile across commercial interiors, retail, and education.

AquaDeck

Outdoor

4.5mm

Engineered for extreme wet environments. Impervious to salt water, chlorine, and pool chemicals.

Tactiles

Indoor & Outdoor

3.2mm · 4.5mm

Accessibility compliance — directional and hazard warning tactile indicators for vision-impaired guidance.

Comcork Colourways

31 Comcork colours, every finish.

The full Comcork palette runs from quiet neutrals to bold accents like Watermelon, Tangerine, and Brunswick Green. Click through to comcorkflooring.com.au for high-resolution swatches and physical samples.

View on Interface

norament (tile)

norament satura

Hammered-surface premium tile with 22 colourways. The design-led end of the norament catalogue.

View on Interface

Featured Nora Palette

norament 926 — the 20-colour palette.

norament 926 is the iconic round-stud Nora tile and the most commonly specified collection in Australia. Click any swatch to view it on interface.com, or browse the other eleven Nora collections above.

Comcork vs Nora vs Premium LVT

Honest about the trade-offs.

Premium LVT does most jobs cheapest. Comcork is the warmer, quieter, Australian-made option. Nora is the heavy-duty rubber benchmark for hospitals and high-traffic public buildings. Many projects we quote end up specifying one in the public areas and another in back-of-house — we will help you weigh all three.

Choose Comcork when…

You want an Australian-made supply chain with a renewable raw material
Acoustic comfort and warmth underfoot are priorities (aged care, libraries, studios)
You need a colour palette with bold accent options across 31 hues
Tactile compliance for accessibility is part of the brief (Tactiles range)
Wet-area or outdoor zones are in scope (AquaDeck range)

Choose Nora when…

The brief is hospital-grade or laboratory-grade durability
R11 slip rating is required across wet and clinical areas
You need a no-coatings, no-polish floor that simplifies maintenance over decades
Carbon-negative product is on the spec sheet (noraplan environcare)
The architect is specifying off the global rubber benchmark and wants documented test data

Stay with vinyl tile when…

The visual brief is photographic timber, stone, marble, or terrazzo
You need spot-replacement of damaged tiles in retail or hospitality fitouts
Designer-led ranges (Karndean, Interface LVT) are specified by the architect
Upfront cost per square metre is the dominant constraint
You are matching an existing vinyl floor in a refurbishment

Read the full vinyl tile guide

The Full Range Lives at Source

Technical data, samples, and the full catalogue.

Both Comcork and Nora maintain comprehensive technical libraries on their own sites — data sheets, slip ratings, acoustic test results, certifications, and project case studies. We supply and install both. Visit either site for specification documents, or send us the brief and we will price both side-by-side.

Comcork · Australian Cork & Rubber

comcorkflooring.com.au

31 colourways, five surface finishes, all data sheets and project case studies.

Nora by Interface · German Rubber

interface.com / nora rubber

Twelve collections across noraplan and norament, including carbon-negative environcare.

Or submit an enquiry — we will price both

Specifying a PVC-free floor for your project?

Tell us the brief and we will weigh Comcork, Nora, and premium LVT side-by-side, send samples of any combination, and write a quote that covers whichever option (or mix) suits the project.

Submit an Enquiry