Eco-Friendly Flooring
Is Welcome at Home

Eco-friendly flooring can make a dramatic change in the home and be good for your health. Instead of moving to a larger (or smaller) home many are simply staying put and doing upgrades instead. If you are thinking about renovating, installing an eco-friendly flooring is certainly a viable option and another way of living green.

The greenest products are used made from a nontoxic materials and harvested in a sustainable manner that will not deplete the resource or cause any permanent damage having minimal impact on the environment.

Hardwood

Look for companies and choose products bearing the FSC seal of approval -that of the Forest Stewardship Council.

The FSC certifies that the wood in a product is in compliance with the environmental and social standards of the council and harvested from sustainable managed forests.

Reclaimed

Reclaimed wood flooring is lumber from a variety of resources to produce a unique and beautiful floor. Structural beams and timber are used that were once part of an old building, warehouse or factories that were being torn down.

It can also come from salvaged and recycled planks that have lived their previous life as flooring. This saves the lumber from the deconstruction of old buildings from becoming waste, and does not impact living trees.

One place to go for reclaimed wood: www.recycle.net

Cork

Frank Lloyd Wright incorporated cork flooring into many of his designs, and now cork flooring has really been growing in popularity as an eco-friendly flooring option because of it's versatility and it being sustainable.

Cork comes in a variety of colors and patterns that can be sanded and stained like a hardwood. But unlike hardwood, cork is impermeable to dampness and will not rot. It can be applied to any surface, even on floors in older homes that may be uneven because the cork flooring adjusts and shifts as necessary.

Cork floors are ideal in a kitchen because its non allergenic, fire resistant and the elasticity make it comfortable to walk on and stand on. Extremely durable and easy to maintain, cork floors recover from marks left by furniture, and absorb sound. Consider it for the finished basement.

Cork is harvested by peeling the bark from the cork oak tree and not the wood. The tree is never cut down allowing the bark to regrow every few years allowing every tree to be a renewable resource of material.

Bamboo

Bamboo is one of the strongest and most sustainable building materials and makes an eco-friendly flooring alternatively to hardwood floors or carpet. Bamboo is actually considered a grass that quickly replenishes itself, but can achieve a hardness rating to that of red oak.

It's natural quality of durability and stability are also comparable to hardwood in terms of look and maintenance. It can come pre stained and sealed and with more than one thousand species, bamboo is available in a variety of shades and textures. It's perfect for any room in the house.

One potential drawback though, is that bamboo floors may need additional sealants or protective waxes, which should always be free of harmful volatile organic compounds. (VOCs).

For bamboo try: www.plyboo.com

And for more in depth information about bamboo flooring please visit:

The Bamboo Floor Guide
Your one stop Bamboo floor guide. Springwood, Westhollow, Morning Star, unfinished, Teragren, Yanchi, carbonized, floating, engineered, prefinished, glueless and natural. Along with bamboo wood flooring installation, care and cleaning advice.

Linoleum

Eco-conscious as well as budget conscious natural linoleum is a durable, material that is comfortable, quiet and feels soft under the foot like a cork selection.

Linoleum is constructed from all natural biodegradable ingredients, which includes linseed oil, sawdust, cork dust, limestone and jute making this flooring a truly low-toxic flooring option.

An acrylic topcoat and zinc drying agent are used in small quantities, so linoleum will off gas some VOCs and most varieties require adhesives, but can be applied with staples or nails, rather than glue, reducing your exposure to VOCs.

Linoleum is an excellent option for rooms like a home gym or an office because it is resilient to furniture with casters and equipment.

Concrete

Concrete flooring is stamped to look like natural stone or tile and can be mixed with a tint to provide color to the patterns. It is a low-maintenance surface that won't promote allergens or dust mites and can be warm and toasty when combined with a radiant heating system.

Concrete is often mixed with recycled crushed concrete adding to its eco credibility.

Recycled Tile and Stone

Recycled tiles are another easy-to-clean surfaces that won't promote allergens and are made with recycled industrial glass or rubber.

Stick close to home to find materials native to your area when working with stone as your eco-friendly flooring choice.

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