Remodeling the Home with

Eco Friendly Flooring  

For anyone interested in remodeling one or several rooms of the home, several decisions need to be made specific to window treatments, lighting, configuration, and flooring.  Not only does a new floor completely change the appearance and feel of a room, it also adds tremendous value to the home.  However, to add even more value, as well as improve the environment inside and outside the home, eco friendly flooring is an outstanding consideration. 

Over the past several years, new environmentally friendly materials have been introduced to home remodelers and owners, one of the favorites being bamboo.  Instead of being a type of wood, bamboo is actually grass but one that is extremely hardy, strong, and durable.  When walnut, cherry, oak, pine, and other trees are cut down to make flooring, forests are destroyed and with most trees taking 30 years or more to be replanted and grown to maturity, the process of restoration is slow.  However, bamboo can be cut and harvested in just five to seven years. 

Another material that has become quite popular for people supporting a healthy planet is cork.  Most people think of cork as something spongy but for flooring, the surface is comfortable but strong.  For this, bark from a cork oak tree is used while the actual tree is left alone.  Typically, cork made into flooring consists of various recycled materials, making it a beautiful surface that is easy to clean.  In addition to enhancing the appearance of the home, cork is a great eco friendly material. 

Next, rubber is commonly used as flooring.  For this, people usually think of red, rubbery floors but in this case, the floor is actually very sophisticated and elegant.  The type of material used is known as “virgin rubber”, material taken from rubber trees.  Just as with bamboo, the rubber tree is a renewable resource so no forests are damaged or destroyed.  Because of this, choosing rubber flooring helps create a sustainable environment while providing the homeowner with a beautiful home. 

Even linoleum is a good consideration when choosing an eco friendly floor.  Although the material to make linoleum has been around for almost 150 years, this product continues to be a good choice for flooring.  The reason is that linoleum is made with a variety of natural substances to include ground up limestone, pigmentation, cork dust, linseed oil, tree resins, and a type of flour that comes from wood.  These eco friendly materials are combined and pressed, after which time a backing is applied made of jute, another natural material. 

Finally, some rooms of the home would look gorgeous with natural stone such as the kitchen, bathroom, formal dining room, and entry ways.  Stone is also an eco friendly choice that is strong and made to withstand the test of time.  However, the goal is to purchase only reclaimed or locally mined stone.  Then, because stone flooring must be adhered to the subflooring with adhesive and then sealed, it would be important that products used for these tasks are also eco friendly.